Mix and Match for Characters...

Ann Parker here, LadyKiller on alternate Thursdays, pondering what inspires the creation of various characters. Well, like most folks, I take bits here and there. The eyes from a friend, the smile from a stranger, the clueless evil behavior of a boss-gone-bad ... Characteristics and physical traits from the past and the present, the well-known and the unknown. Throw them in a blender, and there you have it! (My clumsy explanation: Think of Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head of yore, with the various noses, ears and lips and extend that to not just physical characteristics but character traits as well.... And I remember when we used *real* potatoes, not these plastic fakey ones that come in a kit...)

I've noted that it's not just writers that do this mix and match. One of my kids is artistically inclined, and I'm always coming across sheets of "memes" for hairstyles, noses, eyes, chins, shoes, etc. etc. ... In fact, I found one just now, for hairstyles, so captured it with my trusty iPhone.

I suppose one could use sheets/prompts like this in a kind of artistic "mix and match" way to develop a character for a drawing. It's fascinating to me to see this process in a different venue from my usual keyboard and screen!

If you're curious about some of the inspiration behind the characters in my Silver Rush series, I wrote a couple of blog posts in recent months talking about the *real* Inez Stannert (here on Gayle Gresham's blog) and some of the real-life people behind Mercury's Rise (on my own, somewhat neglected Silver Rush Mysteries blog right here).

Comments

[Liz]

I remember using real potatoes. Should have realized a plastic version was now in use.

Enjoyed seeing your post on Suzanne Adair's blog:
http://suzanneadair.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/some-wild-and-not-so-wild-women-of-the-west.html

[Ann Parker]

Hello Liz!
Ah yes! I should've mentioned the recent post on Suzanne's blog as well... certainly I "borrowed" some of the characteristics of these real women (and others) who populated the West during my timeframe. I guess we writers are like magpies: stealing bright and shiny "objects" to decorate and create our characters... :-)

[Dani G.]

And what about YOUR characteristics in these imaginary folks? Huh? Huh? 'Fess up! :D

[Ann Parker]

MINE???? None whatsoever. :-} They are all anti-Ann characters (think of particles and anti-particles in physics...).

[Camille Minichino]

Who believes Ann is not a gun-toting, saloon-owning, poker-playing, fooling around kind of gal?

[Ann Parker]

Hi Camille!
As noted, Inez is the anti-Ann. Good thing she only exists in fiction-space. If we met face-to-face, we might risk ANNihilation! (hee-hee!)
And on that note....
(Ann creeps away)

[Dani G.]

And those recurring rounds with the bottle! Man, that gal can tip a glass, can't she? Whew! :D

[Ann]

You're right Dani, she does guzzle it down!