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Character Development |
| To develop a realistic
character, you need to take your own personal knowledge about any type
of person and change it so that it can become a fictional character that
can belong to a "Story World" - not part of your own
personal real world. Characters need to be based on real people, but not
be actual people. You can borrow their traits, but not use their
names.
For example, your own personal Grandma is most
likely a "nice" Grandma: giving, loving, takes you places,
joyful, kind, wise, friendly, old, bakes, good cook, funny, sweet,
religious, tells stories, gentle, wrinkly, grey hair, smells good,
generous, interested in you, knows a lot, gives advice, valuable, quiet,
calm, peaceful, not lazy, talks slowly, smart, jokes with you, tired,
has cool stuff, naps and maybe plays Bingo.
If you were to use your own Grandma as a
character, you would hesitate to put her into various settings and story
problems, because you are sensitive to her as a person. However, you can
take what you know about your own real Grandma to create Story World
Grandma that you can put into any setting and problem scenario. In other
words you need to create a Grandma character for your stories. Following
are a few examples of a "Grandma"
character.
Likewise, for any animal character, you would
begin from your background knowledge about that animal. Your animal
character would need to be based on that knowledge in order for it to
seem real. Below are some examples of Wolf
Characters.
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What we know about Grandmas -
our personal knowledge:
spoil us, bake, old-fashioned, antiques, kind, immigrated, history, open
heart, respect, outgoing, old, wrinkly, grey hair, wisdom, glasses,
slows down, loss of hearing, forgetful, canes, walkers, responsible,
tired, needs to rest, watches TV., careful, curly perms, tells stories,
overly protective, religious, set in their ways, careless, volunteers,
hair net, dentures, helpful, knits, sews, gardens, reads, talks to you,
smaller home, takes you places, bird watching, clean, supportive,
understanding, gentle, generous, enjoyable
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Athletic Grandma
curling
jogging
boxing
volleyball
keeps fit
biking
Olympics
skiing
snowboarding
camping
water skiing
tubing
croquet
any outdoor games
dancing
walks
rock climbing
horse back riding
roller blades
basketball
hockey
motor bikes
sports gear
sports bags
your best fan
walkmans
sports magazines
TSN
autographs
photographs
jerseys
interesting
rarely sits
open spaces
trophies/awards
likes the outdoors
protein drinks
nutritious
vitamins
hyper
at the gym
sneakers
ribbons
plaques
certificates
drinks lots of water
helmets
contracts
sports glasses
tai chi
yoga
record holder
exercises
bear hugs
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Traveling Grandma
active
travel agents
souvenirs/artifacts
money
prepared
know how to pack
personal hygiene kit
proper clothes
knows about food
brings presents
knows first aide
medication
vitamins
passport
Visa
flexible
travel insurance
luggage
bottled water
lots of photos
knows languages
does research
tour guide
ear plugs
books/magazines
maps/globes/atlas
away a lot
collects coins
footloose
motor home
journals/diaries
brave
friends around the world
pen pals
postcards
exotic clothes
sketches
adventures
no pets
learner
travel tickets
tours
passport
hotels
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Gardening Grandma
vegetables
beet soup
gets you to help weed
protective of plants
prize winning garden
decorating with plants
works with plants
planting
cleaning vegetables
harvesting
never gives up on a plant
patience
green house
plants everywhere
seeds
flower pictures
herbs
homemade pickles
homemade jam and jelly
canning
freezing
preserving
fresh juices
salsa
collects flowers
berries
gardening books/magazines
sore back
gardening tools
gardening shed
pond
big yard
doesn't like winter
plants/pots/seeds
botanical knowledge
natural healing
organic food
unique plants
outdoors
exotic garden
untiring
environmentalist
compost
busy
dirty fingernails
smells good
landscaper
loves countryside
no outside job
shovel
nature CD's
solarium
naturalist
flower painting
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Strict Grandma
might yell
grumpy
knows a second language
bossy
gets you to do chores
might pull your ear
makes you do things
wants foot rubs
firm discipline
wooden spoon handy
goes to bed early
crotchety
won't let you do things |
Creative Grandma
decorates
chef
draws
sews
designs
knits
pottery
writes stories, poems
sends letters
paints
carves
thinks
lots of ideas
cross stitch
computer
humor
embroidery
crochet
quilting
games
stitchery
scraps of materials
wood
yarn
string
artistic home
cluttered
decorated
treadle sewing machine
knows shortcuts
tips on crafting
patterns and kits
craft show table
craft club
workshop
takes courses
always has something in her hands
arthritis
teaches courses
bead work
pottery/clay
blisters
carver - ice/wood
stain glass
potter wheel
paint easel
origami
thimble
callused
quilter
ornaments
pens/pencils
papers
scrap-booker
fabric designs
fashion designs
decorator
latch hook
embroidery
macramé
story teller
paper maché
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Rich
Grandma
arrogant
mansion
charity
really spoils you
proper
selfish
has maids
chooses how to spend time
pool
manages money
investment
portfolios
board of directors
huge wardrobe
broker
elegant
jewelry/ gems
designer clothes
knows important people
expensive furniture
furs
diamonds
gets good seats at shows
spends lots
plastic surgery
expensive cars
bodyguards
chauffeur
cosmetics
well-mannered
up-to-date
looks good
chef
fun
vacation homes
greedy
pampered
too much perfume
huge mirrors |
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Dreamer
Grandma
fly - hand gliding, pilot, invent wings, flying carpet,
Jet Pack, experiments
believes in other life - mythical creatures, aliens,
supernatural, horoscope, astrology
superstar
inventor
nontraditional role
psychic
believes anything possible
achiever
lives to the max
imagine...
goal setters
shunned by others
reads
role playing
loner
daydreamer
independent
child-like
lifelong learner
hypothetical questions
dialogues
visions
can see beyond
hallucinate |
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Sick
Grandma
Kleenex
medicine/pills
hearing aids
puffer
oxygen
coughing, sneezing
cough drops
pajamas
nurse/hospital
nursing home
heart attack
stroke
infections
cup of water
medic alert bracelet
IV bags
get well cards
flower
sweats/fever
thermometer
virus
steam
fireplace
cancer
depressed
crippled
confused
toxins
lonely
pale
bedridden
geriatric ward
diabetic
handicapped
worried
fatalism
anxious
prepared
accepting
weak
paralyzed
wheel chairs
infectious
impoverished
soft spoken
frail
arthritic joints
trembling
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Funky
Grandma
skateboard
spiked hair
dramatic hair
dyed hair
radical
Mohawk
extra jewelry
piercing
tattoos
shocking makeup
flashy
teenage friends
dramatic clothes
motorcycle
gold teeth
disco
young at heart
shades
rock music/electric guitar
stands out
concerts
daredevil
Gothic
sports car
energetic
dangerous friends
bully
tough
embarrasses you |
Spy
Grandma
quiet
suspicious
mischievous
private
secretive
hiding/secret places
asks questions
good memory
intelligent
sneaky
disguises
undercover
away a lot
disappears
changes topic
snooping
deceiving
well informed
geography
current events
history
technology
people
risk taker
gadgets
moving
good senses
prepared
confidence
acting
good control
careful
knows where they're going
rank - inspector
focused
detached
law
transportation
protective
international
solves mysteries |
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Mother Wolf
watches pups
healthy
caring
feeding
love/respect
support
responsible
teach them to hunt
teach them to respect
warm
protect
run
imitate
nip at them
pounce
play
bark
growl
howl
keep them close |
Wolf Pups
hide
afraid
playful
wrestle, chase
fight
pounce
yap
tug of war with sticks, meat, bones
nip
yelp
chase tail
wander
curious
explore
annoying
bark
whining
moaning
crying
whimpering |
Alpha Male
protects pack
lead to food
lead to shelter
defends
hunts
demands respect
bites, nips
orders the pack
disciplines the pack
leads
brave
first one to respond
full tail, up
teeth bared
snarl
alert
head - up
ears pricked up
bold
searching
watchful
powerful |
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