Fast-Food Free February

For my family, this month is going to be a new and daring adventure. We know that we want to get back to California. This will be no easy task. It was hard enough once, and we left a lot of stuff behind. We don't want to do that again. So, it will also be expensive. In honor of our decision to move forward with the whole, get the H*E*L*L out of here goal, we are going to stop eating fast food. *Gasp!*

It seems impossible, but where we lived there was no fast food. Only a Subway and Quiznos popped up the year we moved. Other than that, zilch. We learned that we only ate fast food once a month when we left town for groceries. Honestly, I really miss that way of life. We saved money, we lost weight and felt better. If you wanna give it a shot, you should. I think you'd find it very refreshing.

And now for the real reason of posting. Characterization. I stumble across so many posts and websites where this seemingly complicated process is explained in various different ways. If you are a beginner and reading this post, great. I think I might save you a lot of heartache. If you are a more advanced type of writer, you may disagree with what I have to say and you might even really yell about it. It's okay. I can handle it.

Characterization is a point of view. Sounds like a bad English professor's joke. Seriously, though...it is. My interpretation of another book's main character might be different than yours. The author may have a slightly different idea of than what you two came up with. Understand?

I like books that leave me in the dark with some of the character's secrets staying hidden in the closet. I don't like detailed physical descriptions-because as I read, they form in my mind according to their character. I hate finding out that a description is different than the one in my head. LOL

Some places/authors/random people will suggest that you interview your main character, answer a list of questions about them or even assign a playlist of your character's favorite music to get you in the mode of writing from their POV. I think these are all excellent ideas on two conditions:

1. Save it for the second draft. While you go through your first, rough draft. Certain things about your character can be discovered in the light of creative freedom that you should give yourself in the rough draft.
2.  Don't let your character become a laundry list a traits. The tendency to list their physical attributes, for example, when we first start writing. The young woman, about twenty three and slim with long hands and painted nails, pushed a golden clip in her coiffed brown hair and stared at the boy with green eyes. Her nose was long and pointed, she loved elves.... I went overboard for the principle of making a point. :0) If you do an interview or make a list of qualities you want for your character-keep in mind they can change as the story goes along, or that some things might be alright omitted. 

So that is the short post of characterization. Don't worry, I'll go into more details on Wednesday. Tomorrow I'll be reviewing, Airhead and Being Nikki by Meg Cabot. These were two books suggested to me when I mentioned my interest in YA. So, they aren't very recent, but if you haven't read them or heard of them (like me, who lived under a rock-yes) stop by tomorrow. :0)