Wonderful thoughts on character! And I agree with you on Vala, except that I loved her character from the very beginning. :) I haven't written a fic with her in it, mainly because I don't know her that well, but I think I will at least give it a try one of these days. She is such a great character!
You know, the first fic where I switched POVs so that everyone could have a chance, I was so sure Teal'c would be the hardest to write. But he was actually one of the easiest, next to Jack of course. :) I just took in his mannersims and his thought process, mixed them together and it worked out just fine.
It turned out that Daniel was my problem child in that story. I had a very hard time finding his voice. He has since become an easier POV to write, but for awhile there, I was all for giving up on him. *g*
As for Jack, Colonel Jack is the easiest for me to write. I don't claim to always have his character down pat, but he is definitely easier. Probably for all the reasons you listed in your post. He has a warrior mentality, like Teal'c, yet is vulnerable and has his own set of insecurities that I just love to explore. As for General Jack, I have a tendency to pretend he hadn't changed, and write him in the same way as Colonel Jack. I've turned a blind eye, so to speak. :D
And Sam. Do you know that I see Sam as a strong character with a feminine side, yet extremely unsure of her self in her personal life? She is in her element while she is working or doing the things she loves, but I don't know. She just seems to push people away. *shrugs* I don't know, sometimes I think I portray her wrong anyway.
I figured that Sam, Jack and Teal'c were easier to write because they were all warriors, and somehow I could relate to that. Nowadays, I know better. I write their characters based on their traits and backgrounds. I become the character that I write, and let the muse free.
How do *you* all see the characters in writing them and how do their voices sound in your heads?
This is a very interesting question. Everyone sees something different in the characters, and because of their preconceived notions, they tend to think that someone else's characterization can't be right. Take my Hammond story, for example. Someone wrote a comment saying that Hammond would never have participated in a massacre in Vietnam, even if ordered to, while I am of the opinion that we all make mistakes, and Hammond has said himself that he always "follows his orders". Her Hammond was born a saint, while my Hammond did some pretty horrible things in his lifetime, but learned from each and everything he did.
The same thing goes with a few writers who have Sam wringing her hands and going weak at the knees when Jack is badly hurt. Sam Carter?? lol Are we watching the same TV show?
But yeah. You pretty much have everything laid out so neatly on these characters. We write what we see, and hope that others read what we see.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2009-03-12 12:59 am (UTC)You know, the first fic where I switched POVs so that everyone could have a chance, I was so sure Teal'c would be the hardest to write. But he was actually one of the easiest, next to Jack of course. :) I just took in his mannersims and his thought process, mixed them together and it worked out just fine.
It turned out that Daniel was my problem child in that story. I had a very hard time finding his voice. He has since become an easier POV to write, but for awhile there, I was all for giving up on him. *g*
As for Jack, Colonel Jack is the easiest for me to write. I don't claim to always have his character down pat, but he is definitely easier. Probably for all the reasons you listed in your post. He has a warrior mentality, like Teal'c, yet is vulnerable and has his own set of insecurities that I just love to explore. As for General Jack, I have a tendency to pretend he hadn't changed, and write him in the same way as Colonel Jack. I've turned a blind eye, so to speak. :D
And Sam. Do you know that I see Sam as a strong character with a feminine side, yet extremely unsure of her self in her personal life? She is in her element while she is working or doing the things she loves, but I don't know. She just seems to push people away. *shrugs* I don't know, sometimes I think I portray her wrong anyway.
I figured that Sam, Jack and Teal'c were easier to write because they were all warriors, and somehow I could relate to that. Nowadays, I know better. I write their characters based on their traits and backgrounds. I become the character that I write, and let the muse free.
How do *you* all see the characters in writing them and how do their voices sound in your heads?
This is a very interesting question. Everyone sees something different in the characters, and because of their preconceived notions, they tend to think that someone else's characterization can't be right. Take my Hammond story, for example. Someone wrote a comment saying that Hammond would never have participated in a massacre in Vietnam, even if ordered to, while I am of the opinion that we all make mistakes, and Hammond has said himself that he always "follows his orders". Her Hammond was born a saint, while my Hammond did some pretty horrible things in his lifetime, but learned from each and everything he did.
The same thing goes with a few writers who have Sam wringing her hands and going weak at the knees when Jack is badly hurt. Sam Carter?? lol Are we watching the same TV show?
But yeah. You pretty much have everything laid out so neatly on these characters. We write what we see, and hope that others read what we see.