I pretty much never go anywhere that could be construed as head-shrinky and thoughtful with my fics, so the ability to write a character's dialog is a lot more useful to me than actually understanding why they are the way they are. I know a lot of fans spend a long time analysing everything characters say and do in order to have the most accurate picture possible of what's really going on in the characters' heads...and I find posts about this kind of thing fascinating because it never occurs to me to even wonder about most of the stuff people bring up. I'm usually too busy going "Ha, that last line was really funny! I like it when Daniel makes a face! Hee!" *fails at being serious fangirl*
But as far as how I go about writing different characters: the more a character dialog style and personality resembles mine, the easier time I have writing them, unsurprisingly. Jack is a wise-ass who compartmentalizes liek whoa, and I am a wise-ass who compartmentalizes liek whoa, so writing him is usually a cinch for me.
For the same reason, I have a REALLY HARD time writing Daniel sometimes because he's so much more emotional and idealistic and concerned than I am. I understand where he's coming from on an academic level most of the time but I usually don't get why he chooses to communicate and react the way he does, which makes him fun to watch but hard to write when he's doing his Impassioned Anthropologist thing. I can't write serious!Daniel, only sarcastic!Daniel. Sarcasm I understand. Seriousness is puzzling to me.
I had a hard time with Sam at first, but now she seems to be my favorite POV to write, for some reason. Not really because I understand her any better than anyone else, though, because I don't. I think she's awesome but honestly I think I like writing for her POV because doing so requires the smallest number of filters between what's happening and how she perceives and portrays what's happening. Jack can't just tell you what's happening, he has to add snark, which is fun but also work. Daniel is the same only substitute "commentary and inscrutible Daniel-type brainings" for "snark." Teal'c is good at just giving you the facts, ma'am, but he gives them to you in elaborate syntax and with lots of big words and no contractions. Sam seems like she pretty much knows what's going on and doesn't really need to add anything. So writing Sam POV is Marie going "I'm too lazy to work really hard on this."
Teal'c dialog was always easy for me, but writing from his POV scared me silly. Once I did it in "Sufficient Illumination," though, I was all "This is so much fun! Ha ha! I get to use enormous words in narration! Go me!!" It's fun to see things through him.
I'm trying to think what I do when I'm having trouble "hearing" a character's voice. Honestly, it boils down to the mental equivalent of straining to hear something just out of earshot. That and writing my Arguments With Fictional Characters. Those help a lot more than they should, sometimes. So yeah, I try to eavesdrop on them and yell at them and then they talk to me. I may have the most dysfunctional muse/author relationship ever.
Wow. My thoughts on yaoi writing SG-1, let me show you them. Apparently I only have opinions about the classic team, though I've written Cam, Vala, and Jonas at least once each. *shrug*
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branchandroot
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Date: 2009-03-11 09:55 pm (UTC)But as far as how I go about writing different characters: the more a character dialog style and personality resembles mine, the easier time I have writing them, unsurprisingly. Jack is a wise-ass who compartmentalizes liek whoa, and I am a wise-ass who compartmentalizes liek whoa, so writing him is usually a cinch for me.
For the same reason, I have a REALLY HARD time writing Daniel sometimes because he's so much more emotional and idealistic and concerned than I am. I understand where he's coming from on an academic level most of the time but I usually don't get why he chooses to communicate and react the way he does, which makes him fun to watch but hard to write when he's doing his Impassioned Anthropologist thing. I can't write serious!Daniel, only sarcastic!Daniel. Sarcasm I understand. Seriousness is puzzling to me.
I had a hard time with Sam at first, but now she seems to be my favorite POV to write, for some reason. Not really because I understand her any better than anyone else, though, because I don't. I think she's awesome but honestly I think I like writing for her POV because doing so requires the smallest number of filters between what's happening and how she perceives and portrays what's happening. Jack can't just tell you what's happening, he has to add snark, which is fun but also work. Daniel is the same only substitute "commentary and inscrutible Daniel-type brainings" for "snark." Teal'c is good at just giving you the facts, ma'am, but he gives them to you in elaborate syntax and with lots of big words and no contractions. Sam seems like she pretty much knows what's going on and doesn't really need to add anything. So writing Sam POV is Marie going "I'm too lazy to work really hard on this."
Teal'c dialog was always easy for me, but writing from his POV scared me silly. Once I did it in "Sufficient Illumination," though, I was all "This is so much fun! Ha ha! I get to use enormous words in narration! Go me!!" It's fun to see things through him.
I'm trying to think what I do when I'm having trouble "hearing" a character's voice. Honestly, it boils down to the mental equivalent of straining to hear something just out of earshot. That and writing my Arguments With Fictional Characters. Those help a lot more than they should, sometimes. So yeah, I try to eavesdrop on them and yell at them and then they talk to me. I may have the most dysfunctional muse/author relationship ever.
Wow. My thoughts on
yaoiwriting SG-1, let me show you them. Apparently I only have opinions about the classic team, though I've written Cam, Vala, and Jonas at least once each. *shrug*