Creating Unforgettable Characters
Yesterday, I watched All About Steve, the new Sandra Bullock comedy. Her character, Mary, is both fun and unforgettable.
One secret to creating unforgettable characters is to twist typical stereotypes. Mary is extremely intelligent. She makes crossword puzzles for the newspaper. You would think she should be shy and wear frumpy clothes with thick glasses, etc. Instead, they made her act like one of the hyper air-head friends from Legally Blonde. She constantly gets excited and jumps around.
No frumpy clothes for this girl either. They put her in long red boots and a shag haircut. Reminds me of my blue Go-Go boots and shag haircut of the 70s.
Add talking nonstop, completely uninhibited, with a big heart and you have a fun, unforgettable character.
So…the next time you are creating a character ask yourself, “What would most people assume this character would be like?” Then twist it. Give your character unexpected traits and he/she could become unforgettable.
Until next week,
Happy Writing,
Tina LaVon
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