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| John Boyega |
When I think up a story it usually comes to me in one of two ways, a plot idea or a scene with a character. And then I go from there. But I can't stand writing about characters when I have in my head only vague descriptions.
My latest work in progress (also referred to as, WIP), Homo-Robotus, started out as a plot idea. A time where Humans and AI are at war and one man will put everything on the line to forge a lasting peace. His mission is to bring sentience to AI.
So, my issue was, who is this protagonist? As a fan of Star Wars (yes, that does include Last Jedi, you can stone me later), and a fan of the Pacific Rim movies, I decided on John Boyega as my lead. And this how I create characters.
It is easy to develop characters through story but I need a face. I do my version of a casting call. I hit Google, and I go to work. If I can't remember a name, I will Google the cast of a movie or TV show. Game of Thrones has been a huge source for me. And even if I do not want the actor to look the way they did in a TV show or movie, I will find their name, and then look them up in previous works.
Sometimes I need a picture of an actor with a very specific look, other times, any picture of their face will do, as long as it is clear and sets the stage for my character.
My other WIP called, World Away, is about a young woman who literally wakes up one day with the power to will things away. It is a series that dives deep into parallel universe travel and adventure. This is a story where plot did come with the character when I thought it up. My main protagonist is based on a good friend of mine who loves stage acting. I told her I am using her as the muse for my lead, and that is that. She was totally cool with it.
So when I cast, there are times I use people I know. It comes down to, how do I envision my characters? And sometimes I will spend entire days just casting. I then will write part of the story in their character profiles so I know where they are going. I use a wonderful app called, StoryShop, it is an online writing software that is very simple. The character profiles remind me of Facebook. You even get to have a cover picture along with the main profile picture and a gallery.
Every writer is different, but for me, creating the main characters need to either come first or very quickly in the process. I also will use art. Like when I create alien races or characters I will look for faces that come the closest to what I want to see. I will use some cartoon characters that I feel comes close to my main characters, but the best for me is always a real picture of a real person.
Feel free to comment and weigh in on how you create your characters!
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