{"id":9309,"date":"2013-09-24T02:00:24","date_gmt":"2013-09-24T09:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/?p=9309"},"modified":"2013-11-08T10:05:39","modified_gmt":"2013-11-08T18:05:39","slug":"tag-trait-game-character-description-wyatt-bessing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2013\/09\/24\/tag-trait-game-character-description-wyatt-bessing\/","title":{"rendered":"Tag the Trait: The Game of Character Description by Wyatt Bessing"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/a>Welcome back to monthly columnist,\u00a0Wyatt Bessing<\/a>. A writing coach and teacher, author,\u00a0Wyatt Bessing<\/a>\u00a0shares his fun take on games, play, and how they help our writing. This month Wyatt makes a game out of character description. Enjoy!<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

How do you bring your characters to life? Why not take a lesson from Jack London, whose short story \u201cTo Build a Fire\u201d has been a classic of middle school literature for… well, just about forever? \u00a0This was perhaps the story that first inspired me to become a writer. I could truly imagine its determined, rugged, yet not too bright protagonist in his journey across the sub-zero tundra.<\/strong> I still vividly remember seeing how the spittle from his red tobacco froze and solidified into his beard, how he stumbled through half-frozen lakes and crashed through the ice with his sled dogs.<\/p>\n

That story has adventure, life-threatening danger, and – most importantly – an unforgettable character<\/strong>. To hook your readers, you\u2019ll need a protagonist with a distinct voice, believable traits, and striking details. I first read about traits and tags in Dwight V. Swain\u2019s wonderful book Creating Characters<\/a>. He describes tags as \u201ca limited, specialized label\u201d having to do with appearance, speech, mannerism, ability, and attitude<\/strong>. They are a way for the reader to identify and envision the character. Traits, then, are \u201chabitual modes of response and patterns of behavior \u201c When a character comes into a difficult situation, how will he respond?<\/p>\n

This game is a fun way to create these character elements.<\/p>\n

First, find two dice. The regular six-sided kind will work. You\u2019re going to roll those dice and add the numbers together. This is the number of traits you\u2019re going to be working with. \u00a0I roll a 5 and a 3. 5 + 3 = 8 traits. I imagine my character Wade from my supernatural YA work-in-progress, Korbin\u2019s Keeper. What are eight of his defining traits?<\/p>\n

Next, determine the traits you\u2019ll develop. Use the number of traits you rolled. \u00a0Jot down names for these traits. Create at least an equal number of external (appearance) and internal (personality) traits, or more personality traits, if possible. To write your appearance traits, Imagine how other characters view the protagonist or how he\/she would perform athletically.<\/p>\n

For personality traits, imagine your character in a conflict. How does he\/she face it or avoid it? \u00a0Your traits will to a great degree depend upon your story and its central conflict. In my work-in-progress, a boy who just wants to be normal discovers that he has the unusual ability to summon his inner spirit from his writing. So, I want to choose character traits that will be challenged during the story. He is a conformist by nature, wanting to please his friends, parents, and teachers; yet the evil-fighting spirit within him keeps getting him into trouble. \u00a0So, I decide that I want to describe him as smart and creative, yet wanting to be nice and safe.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t neglect character development throughout your story.<\/strong> For example, in Hamlet, the dark prince whose indecisiveness and over-thinking causes him inner turmoil throughout the play, finally decides in Act IV to act decisively and avenge his father\u2019s death, thus putting into motion the drama\u2019s tragic conclusion. My creative, lonely character is always seeking community, so he will attempt to make himself conform to the standards of his new friends. But will their standards live up to his own? Perhaps his character will develop from lonely to self-contained and secure as he realizes he doesn\u2019t need others in order to be happy. You will need tags for each stage of a character\u2019s development; show the reader how he or she is different now that the change has occurred.<\/p>\n

A warning: Try to avoid obvious trait pairs<\/strong>, such as \u201cthe awkward loner\u201d or \u201cthe gregarious storyteller.\u201d \u00a0Why not have a nerdy athlete or a clumsy warrior?<\/p>\n

Finally, beneath each trait (physical and personality) write three tags illustrating these traits. The tags will put those traits into action, showing your readers (rather than telling them) about this character.<\/p>\n

Wade\u2019s traits and tags:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Storyteller<\/strong><\/p>\n