So I have not been living up to the W in YWS as of late, and so I have not been around for a long time (except to blog, but that doesn't count), but during this decompression period I have found very good advice on writing (and creating characters especially) in a very unlikely source. And so, I would like to share this newly acquired wisdom with this wonderful society of which I am supposedly a part.
Anyway, there is a most excellent book that anyone who is willing to pay something like $11 (American - Australian customers like myself will need to pay a tad more) on Amazon should read. 'An Actor Prepares' by Constantin Stanislavski, which is, as the name suggests, meant as a tool to help actors give better performances by evoking their inner creativity and making their parts more realistic. However, I have come to understand that the crafts of acting and writing are not so different. Yes, some things don't apply to writing, such as relaxation of muscles (although it is very calming during breaks) but other tools aimed at getting you to imagine your characters more vividly are definitely worth looking into.
I will not try to summarize the book for you, because it is so comprehensive that there is no substitute for actually reading it, but if you know that you have particular troubles with stagnating plot-lines, 2-dimensional characters, putting the world around you into your work, or just creating in general, I suggest you look into this book. It may not solve all your problems, but it certainly gave me a new way of looking at our art form.
Thankyou for your time, and with any luck I will be around a bit more in future.
-O
