Young Writers Society

Lately I have been writing nonstop, (Well I do make time to hydrate and eat and sleep, lol) and remembering old tactics that helped me in a jam. So here is another technique that may or may not help with character development. The mirror can be your best friend.

I suggest to lock yourself in a room, because you may feel foolish, I know I do, lol. But if I'm not sure how my charactor's should act, according to the situation, I stand in front of a mirror and literally make faces of how I picture the char reacting. Sometimes I will bunch fists and shake them at my reflection, jump up and down, move from side to side; everything.

This way when I write, I don't "over do" the situation, which I have a tendency to do, . I can keep it as realistic as possible.

Hope I didn't confuse anyone, hehe. And I hope this might help someone out if their not sure how a char should react. Have fun!

This is great advice, but it's hard to do for me because I always feel so stupid. Once when I was acting out a scene from a story, my younger sisters walked in and got these really weird looks on their faces, like, "Okay, she's lost it." They asked me what the heck I was doing, and I tried to explain, but they still thought I was off my rocker.

But it's especially good for facial expressions. Sometimes I'll look in the mirror and read a line and see what my face does and it'll give me some ideas.

I do that all the time. Also i do vioces so i know tem exacrly and able to come up with unique dilects. My faverate is Sister's, "Scusee come hewre i weawwy want to sow oo somefink" thats the way she talks.

I do it automatically when I'm writing, hehe. It's strange. So when I'm writing and am on a webcam, then people often wonder about my facial expressions...

Which leads me to the other point. Another good idea is, if you have a webcam, find a YWS member whom you can trust, and then show him your facial expressions and ask him to describe it for you.

Which leads me to the other point. Another good idea is, if you have a webcam, find a YWS member whom you can trust, and then show him your facial expressions and ask him to describe it for you.

I'm not that brave, yet.

I do that all the time. Also i do vioces so i know tem exacrly and able to come up with unique dilects.

Hmm, at the risk of living up to my signature, I have actual conversations, lol. In which case, I have to write or do something to keep them subdued.

This is great advice, but it's hard to do for me because I always feel so stupid. Once when I was acting out a scene from a story, my younger sisters walked in and got these really weird looks on their faces, like, "Okay, she's lost it." They asked me what the heck I was doing, and I tried to explain, but they still thought I was off my rocker.

But it's especially good for facial expressions. Sometimes I'll look in the mirror and read a line and see what my face does and it'll give me some ideas.

I've been off my rocker since birth, lol. But I try to still "appear" sane. Whoever invented locks, should be highly praised.

Amen, LOL.

No way!!! I do that too.

*laughs* I do this kind of thing... I try to have a mirror somewhere in the room when I'm writing, or, if it's dark outside and I try to be by a window because they become very reflective at night. And I talk to myself and listen to how I say things. And when people walk in while I'm writing I quickly turn red and hide.

The one thing I've learned through all this? To be a writer, you've got to make sure you don't mind when people think you're insane.

I have two full-length-and-beyond mirrors in my bedroom (which makes it private) to occupy myself. I've always acted things out in front of a mirror, just for fun, and I don't see much wrong with it. It's a good tool. I used to be in theatre (I got self-conscious *sigh*), and we were told to do that sometimes, to see our expressions. I didn't think of doing that to write, though. I usually draw pictures, myself--I doodle in my notebook. I draw a character, and think about how to describe his/her/its expression, or I draw a map or a place...But a mirror is almost the same thing.

I'm not insane. I'm just creative.

I'm like Snoink, I do it without thinking. Mercifully, I don't own a webcam, lol. Although it would be funny to see how someone discribes my face.

I just watch people- it's awesome, since you get such a range of dysfunctionality and emotion. I have the Driven-Mad-Soccer-Mom expressions down pat from spending a really extremely boring summer volunteering at the children's Zoo.

Watching people is fun. I've also learned to start paying attention to my own facial idosyncrasies. For example, I've learned that I scrunch up my face when I'm confused, and I wrinkle up my nose right before something makes me laugh.

I people watch all the time. That never occurred to me I had loads of facial expressions at my disposal. I always did it for fun, and let me tell you all, that there are some very weird people in my neck of the woods.

I will send you a private message as soon I do it tomorrow telling the results.
Thanks for the piece of advice.
I love to learn.

I don't use a mirror, but I do it without thinking while I'm at my computer or have a notebook open and I'm writing, I make faces and talk to myself. I thought it was just me who did that!

Thank God I'm not as mentally unbalanced as I thought I was...