I’m a hang-gliding fashion model who moonlights as a rodeo rookie whose brood of 10 adopted children are perfect angels…
Not!
But in my dreams…
Maureen Pratt, here, with my CAN blog for July. And, in keeping with themes of summer fun and expanding our horizons, I thought I’d pen a few ideas about how to use our alter egos in crafting more active, compelling characters.
We authors hear much about "writing what you know," and "putting ourselves" into our books, stories, and non-fiction work. There is great truth about doing this – we can strike very real chords of character, place, and time when we incorporate our selves and our contexts in our work.
But if what we write is all about us, well, we’re putting up significant boundaries around what our stories could be capable of. Moreover, we run the risk of writing the same book over and over.
We need not go far afield to find ways to take down the boundaries of "just us" and create different perspectives, characters, and situations to inhabit our books. We have only to go to our "other" selves – our alter egos.
What is it that you do not do, but would love to do if you had the courage/resources/pluck/imagination to do? Who would you like to become?
Have you ever wished you’d been born in a different place or time? Is there a historical event that you wish you had taken part in, witnessed, or even changed?
Perhaps there’s something you’d like to try to do, but are afraid to even begin. There’s conflict for you – and possibilities for character exploration, fun, and perhaps growth.
Reality and ringing true are critical to work that can resonate with our readers. So, too, is an imagination that is not afraid to dare and craft something fresh and full. Explore your alter ego, and see how far you can go when you discover elements of you that can come alive in your next book.
Blessings for the day!
Maureen
http://blog.beliefnet.com/gooddaysbaddays/