The refrigerator technique refers to putting your newly finished manuscript away for a month (or longer) to "chill", so you can get enough distance from it to view its strengths and weaknesses objectively. This weekend, I pulled my manuscript out of the figurative fridge and re-read it.
No major problems. *phew*
This means my query letters will be headed out this week.
It also means it's time to start working in earnest on my next project. I have a few ideas, but they aren't a plot yet. Still, I can see my protagonist's face in my mind, and I think he's going to be an interesting character to get to know.
I really don't have much to say tonight that's of any depth (I'll try for a meatier post than this in the next few days), so I thought I would suggest some mischief for y'all to perpetrate in the comments.
Describe what the most interesting character you've ever created looks like (where "interesting" is a term you may define how you please). Please don't tell us about the character's personality, but feel free to try to imply what their personality is like through your physical description.
Then, read through other poster's descriptions of their character. Make up personality profiles for each of these and post those descriptions as a comment also. The character's "mommy" will likely be very amused to see how much you got correct.
I'll start things off by posting my own (current) favourite character's description in the comments. Have at 'er.
15 comments:
"Describe what the most interesting character you've ever created looks like.."
Interesting. While I of course have a picture of a character in my head while writing, I make it a practice to use as little physical description as possible when writing about them. I shy away from the excruciatingly detailed descriptions I sometimes see, I think "heavyset" is fine, I don't need to know the heroine tips the scales at 243.5 lbs.
Lethan's silver-gold hair draws the eye first; it splits over his shoulder and falls, shiny and startling, right to his knees. There is nothing human about it's tangle-free perfection or gloss. He sometimes braids it and leaves the plait slung across his chest like a mayor's chain. His eyes are colourless, grey as ash, and although laugh lines crease their outside edges, only frown lines bracket Lethan's mouth. Apparently on the trailing edge of his middle age, he is still handsome, with a straight spine and uncomplicated features. Bright metal bands his fingers and his tunics crawl with embroidery. He has no calluses, but he has muscles.
g_whizz:
*waves* Hi and welcome!
I agree with keeping descriptions under control (I can't stand it when the hero/ine brushes back a lock of their [insert adjective] hair on the first page of a novel.) However--this is a game! If you know what the character looks like anyway, indulge yourself by telling us! :-D We'll see how much we can guess about him/her based on how you pictured the character in your mind.
I usually avoid detailed description of my major character too.
Lilly had long platinum blonde hair - it's a Talent marker.
Her eyes are gray-green and sometimes look silver.
She is fine-boned.
Lethan above loves display and is sometimes arrogant about his power.
Dang, I had to delete, I realized I cheated with personality traits.
Redux here.
Uh oh. More white-blond hair over here, too. (These pesky twins need a haircut!) So I'll go with Sean Kelly, whose real name is Prince Talen Khel.
Talen's face used to be classically handsome and proportional, but middle age and frown lines have crept up on him. He wears his dark, wiry hair cropped close to his head, greying at the temples. He's as fit as he was at thirty (very low body fat; looks damn good without a shirt). He always has his dark blue eyes up, examining his surroundings.
Lethan has control issues, I suspect, and he takes his work and life very seriously. He grows his hair because it's expected, but he secretly likes it. He has been awarded much honor and wears it like a badge.
Bernita:
Lilly recognises her own emotional vulnerability, as well as the defensiveness that springs from it. A quiet and reserved woman, her gaze is wary and thoughtful. She doesn't just look at people; she examines them. She is slow to trust and has made relatively few friends in her life.
You got Lethan's character very accurately--just delete the word "sometimes". :-)
SS@S:
Talen is a strong man, but he's had that strength tested too often in recent years. Confident and sensible, he is usually unaware of how others regard him, but he also handles attention deftly and tactfully. He is extremely intelligent.
You also created a good snapshot of Lethan's character. He's more insecure and overbearing than you describe (and he only grows the hair because he's vain), but you're spot-on about the control issues and his pride in his accomplishments.
Glad the story has defrosted well.
Hmm. The looks of my most interesting character?
One of my favorites is Doyla.
Her white skin has a gray shadow beneath it, making her look like a frosty ice sculpture as she strides along. A smile sometimes cracks her stern face, with laugher revealing a blue tongue. As she clenches her fist, furrows of bone jut through the skin of her forearm like porcupine quills.
You detailed her character very nicely,JJ.
Fegan is tall and thin, with a lined face and dark patches under his eyes. He dresses simply, neither fashionably or unfashionably, and his hair is cut short in a plain style. He speaks quietly and seldom, and although he makes eye contact, it's hard to read them.
Josh:
Doyla doesn't complicate her life with introspection; she lives how she likes and doesn't care what others think of her. Self-assured and easy-going, she makes a good friend or ally--although occasionally a dour one. Doyla isn't one to hold a grudge indefinitely, nor would she bother to hound someone she hates, but given an opportunity to hurt an enemy, she takes it.
Conduit:
Inside his own mind, Fegan feels hunted, but he doesn't allow that to show. He considers other people to be antagonists, never potential friends. His life has been difficult, and he has survived it by being far more dangerous than anyone realises. He does not, however, do harm without reason--that would expose him to too much danger. Fegan prefers invisibility.
Good read into her, except for the grudge and houding someone she hates bits. This is an interesting experiment.
Wow, she did good with Fegan.
Yep, I'd say about 90% there, Goblin!
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