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Writers Retreat > Student Talk > Course Lessons > Assignment 5 > Lesson 5 Beginners course???
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WriterBill
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« on: March 03, 2009, 03:18:54 AM »
Im on Lesson 5 and can use some help.
I'm not sure how to create a new character. Do I need to fill a list of items to creat a bunch od characters then pull out ones for my story.
Or do you create each one to fit in with your current story and make them up as you go along??
How many characters do I need to create in advance??
Thanks
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chippy
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« Reply #1 on: March 03, 2009, 04:18:08 AM »
You need to go out to a park, the Mall, or somewhere like that and observe a child. Get as much information as you can about the child, clothes, what they look like, what they say, what they do. Write it all down, then take it home and do a character description. You should have an Observation chart in your manual. The manual shows you nicely what is wanted.

Assignment 5 has two parts to it, the first part is the character description, and the second part is a story about the child. (see what Jan says about this)

You just need to observe one child. In lesson 6, you will write a story using your new found character, or do another observation and story.

I hope this helps. Smiley
« Last Edit: March 03, 2009, 07:26:48 AM by chippy » Logged
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« Reply #2 on: March 03, 2009, 06:20:50 AM »
The first part of five, as Chippy says is to describe a child you observed. You don't have to stare at a child for a long time, by the way. Just short glances of a child in action is enough to allow you to do a good description as it's really a kind of sensory snapshot of a child ...something that observes everything about the child in just a few moments. I like to see details of what the child does more than details of how the chidl is dressed (as an instructor). If you focus on the visual details that really grab your attention in the brief glances, you'll have enough about how the child looks. The goal of the story is to see how much you can reveal about the child in pure objective detail. Many beginning writers make announcements about their characters: "She was pretty and smart." or "He was active and stubborn." instead of showing them. In this 5A exercise, you'll be thinking about things you concluded about the child in the quick glances you made...and then ask yourself...what did I see that made me think that little girl was pretty? What did I see that made me think the little boy was stubborn? And then you write the details instead of the conclusions. If you give the details well enough, the READER will think...wow, that little girl sounds adorable...or wow, that little boy sounds stubborn.

Now, for 5b, you're not writing a story...just a scene. Again, you're creating a moment. But this time the moment is coming totally from YOUR head (not from observation). You're imagining that child you observed in a TOTALLY different place. And you're writing a scene/moment in first person, meaning in the "I" viewpoint of the child. So if you watched a child pitching a fit in the supermarket for 5A, now imagine that same child playing with her kitten (for example) and write it in a first person scene. Not a story. You don't need a plot at this point (that's for Assignment 6) -- what you need is to see if you can (1) capture that child's voice and (2) create a scene with showing, dialogue, and action written in first person.

Jan
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tina
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« Reply #3 on: March 03, 2009, 08:04:15 AM »

I was lucky with this assignment for my granddaughter was having a birthday party and I just observed one of her friends who happened to be their next door neighbor. so my assignment 5 was all about this little girl. Smiley

Tina.
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« Reply #4 on: March 03, 2009, 01:04:48 PM »
I had a hard time with this assignment too as you were supposed to find a child you didn't really know.  Well I am that mom that knows every kid at school.  I actually had to take my kids to Magic Mountain and then to the skate rink to find a kid I didn't know.  After I found one, then it was easy.  Find a kid out there that is exciting to you, you will enjoy this assigment so much more.  Good Luck.

Ctny
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« Reply #5 on: March 03, 2009, 03:30:04 PM »
I found this assignment very difficult because I don't have any kids.  So, I went out to observe and I felt so weird.  Everyone was looking at me awkwardly.  Then, I went to the library and asked to sit in and they were like "uh, yea, you can but..."  I can't imagine what it would be like as a male.  Good luck with this!

Natalie
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« Reply #6 on: March 03, 2009, 06:48:41 PM »
I just used a kid from my memory that hung out in our neighborhood something unusual about the kid stuck in my head so I closed my eyes and would put her in a situation....hope it helps those  of you who don't have any kids handy to stare at..lol
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nicolem
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« Reply #7 on: March 29, 2009, 07:51:45 PM »
I've just started this lesson. Wasn't too hard, I have a 3 year old so I just took him to the park and observed another child nearby. Seemed like a good spot, children are most active around each other; especially on a playground Smiley
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