- Go through magazines until you find a picture of your antagonist. Post the picture above your computer.
- Spend at least five minutes three times a week with your antagonist while writing your short story or novel. Ask questions and let him answer.
- Write one or all of the following scenes in your antagonist’s point of view, whether or not you plan to use his viewpoint in the story:
- love scene
- action scene
- flashback scene from childhood
- Choose a prop (piece of clothing, object, music, etc.) that will enable you to slip into your antagonist’s voice at will. When you write from your antagonist’s POV, wear or use this prop.
- Pretend you’re your antagonist, put a CD on, and dance in your living room.
- Pretend you’re your antagonist and write an essay titled “What I did last summer.”
- Create a timeline for your antagonist’s life. Fill it in in detail.
- Just as an actor must get into his character, spend one day as much as you can in your antagonist’s head, thinking his thoughts, holding his attitudes, being with his feelings.
- Create a collage of all of your antagonist’s favorite things.
- Choose a movie star that most reminds you of your antagonist and watch all of this star’s movies-in a row, if you can.
This creative exercise came from the course Creating Dynamic Characters
Every fiction writer will tell you—and every fiction reader instinctively knows—that compelling characters are at the heart of all good fiction. Creating believable characters and bringing them to life on the page requires observation, understanding, imagination and skill in the techniques of character development and characterization.
You will learn:
- Techniques of character development and characterization
- How to apply these skills to specific fictional characters of your own choosing
These are great ideas. I have also gone out for coffee and or tea as my antagonist, carrying with me whatever object I have assigned to them; walking cane, jade ring, knife in my belt…I’ve gone to the gun range to learn to shoot a .45. These have been invaluable experiences and helped me get to know my antags a good deal more. Now I know the sound of the cane as it hits the pavement, the weight of the jade ring, the knife at my back inside my belt, and the feel of a .45. Mindy http://www.mindyhalleck.blogspot.com
I love this sight
bobbiekmiller@att.net
Not only was the article helpful, but some of the comments–for instance, doing the same excerise with your scene has been moste helpful. I usually picture my antagonist as a movie star. This goes much deeper than that.
I do the majority of these already XD But some of them are still really helpful.
Also good to do this with the setting for your novel. Imagine walking through a scene barefoot, feel the ground beneath you, the air as it enters your nostrils or caresses your body. Close your eyes and hear the sounds, I love to sit down and remember these exercises then write a descriptive phrase or short story about my feelings as I entered the scene and as I walked away from it. How did it feel? It helps to know your character if you know what their surroundings are. How would your antagonist feel in this place, the protagonist?? A child alone, would he or she be fearful of anything? Put yourself in the whole situation…and feel!
Glad to know that the time I’ve spent trying to get inside my antagonist’s head, speaking like him, acting like him, carrying on conversations with him was just good research and not a slow decent into madness.
I love these ideas! As someone new to writing, I have learned so far to read, learn, and read and learn more and the more my writing will improve. I am SO GLAD i just READ and LEARNED from you! I will be employing this.
Absolutely splendid idea, thanks for sharing.