Young Writers Society

Normally when I read or write I imagine characters in a certain 'format'.

For instance, normally when I write stories I imagine the characters and settings in an 'anime' style. But sometimes I imagine people I know in real life as the characters instead and that forces me to imagine the story in a realistic way.

But, when I had to read Great Expectations for my English coursework I imagined the whole story in a 'South Park' kind of format and I could never take it seriously . This was because I saw a South Park episode on Great Expectations before I read the book so I couldn't imagine it in any way apart from that.

Anyway - I'd like to hear what some people have to say and how it works for them.

Depends, I have very strong images of my characters looking like people out of The Sims 2 sometimes, but I see them as real people too. I think that's because when I come up with characters I always make them in the game to define their features and everything. Helps me to visualise it - I reccomend it actually.

Well, I imagine it like im recalling an old memory. Tidbits here, flashes here, but the whole visulization is pretty much realisitic (Like a movie)

I'm like Elinor - it's like an old memory for me. I can't ever really hold the entire scene in my mind. It's like trying to hold water in your cupped hands: I can see the scene in my minds, but even as I'm looking at it it fades away. Oh, and I can never imagine character's faces for some reason. Weird, right?

I can't imagine character faces either. Reason I hardly ever describe them, unless I'm describing the bloodline's traits. But those are usually plot-determined. I can never picture faces when I'm reading, either, not head-on anyway.

I tend to see things getting slightly fuzzier the more I move away from my MC. I tend to see things in a third-person view (probably a bad thing since I write in first person most of the time) so there's a sharp focus on the MC or whoever she's closest to, I see maybe a foot out from there, and then it's nothing. It's like the camera is always on "close up" and never zooms out.

As for how I see the characters, it's a realistic view all the way.

I imagine them as real people. It is way easier for me to describe them and give them traits and habits and eventaully have a conversation with them on my mind.

I see the whole thing mostly like a movie, sometimes like a memory.

And I very rarely visualize faces. In fact, I very rarely actually cement a character's appearance in my mind. Sometimes they even look different in my head than they do on paper, or shift around.

I dunno... I tend to think of everything far more tactile than visual. Someone gets shot, I imagine their pain and the physical feeling, rather than just visualizing it.

I see the whole thing mostly like a movie, sometimes like a memory

i agree with that...though instead of real people...i imagine like some kind of anime with a simialr theme or mood maybe in death note or fate stay night.

Real people, like old memories. Something I can't see the past our future, small flashes here and there.
Many stories of mine are based on dreams, and I can use the same characters in other settings, I imagine it all. I can see my story play in front of my eyes, but with real people.

Yeah, same here. Real people, old memory type thing. Though sometimes it's more of a feeling, not a thought or anything.

I'm doing the same coursework now. I was supposed to be reading it but got bored and watched it on xepisodes, it's so funny. I loved the genesis machine idea, that cracked me up.

Anyway, I find it hard to pay attention to description, I just form my own idea of them depending on their charecter, like Mr Tiny in the Darren Shan saga, I saw his image on the new covers, and he looked completely different to what I have in my mind. Shamefully, though, main charecters always seem to look a little like me in my mind

I hardly ever describe characters, because I can't visualise them at all. I write them into existence and even then I don't see them. I'm the same in books. I hardly ever see characters.

I think in third person though. I slip into it all the time when I'm not paying attention. It's not another voice or anything like that, I just start thinking like I write. It's a really old habit, and yes, I realise it's kind of insane.

I don't picture my characters like real people, but I don't really think of then as anime/cartoons either - I suppose it's kind of a mixture, like an impressionistic painting.

I do visualize my character's faces. I think a good, healthy physical description can be very helpful in characterization.

I always imagine them from a real person that I have seen: In a random photo, TV personality, Film star. One thing I can't do is make up what a person looks like in my head (if you get what I mean). I always vividly describe my characters though... (:

I tend to act out stuff with my characters out loud, like in a play, or a movie type thing. It helps me to get ideas for what they are like, and I get dialogue quicker then I would in my head. But I never really can see what my characters look like, it's more of just a feeling of who they are, then I describe them as I think they should be.