It's Like a Game by Janna Qualman
It’s no secret to writers that inspiration is everywhere. Setting is just out the window, down the road, over the hill. Dialogue, at the neighboring table or behind the kitchen door in your favorite restaurant. Characters are in the toilet-paper aisle at Wal-Mart, across the fence, or hanging out in the room down the hall.
I bought the game Guess Who? for my kids. Do you remember? It’s the one where you try to figure out which character, from a group of twenty-four, appears on your opponent’s card. It’s a process of elimination; a classic game of questions. And as my girls played, calling out descriptors while I listened in, it became, to my writer’s mind, an exercise in characterization.
Is it a man?
He’s not too old, I knew right off. But not too young, either. Middle-ground. Forties.
Is he bald?
Maybe he’s a cancer patient, one in treatment. Or maybe he’s a regular joe, just shaves it everyday because he likes the zip of a razor, the feel of a clean head. Or, no--he’s a skinhead, a supremacist; it’s mandatory, a habit, his way.
Does he wear glasses?
Dark sunglasses, all day, sunny or not, because it gives off edge, power, distance. And he lives all three.
Quickly he became a character with a story I could explore and set to paper. All from a game, who knew? It’s a process, like any other, I suppose.
Maybe you could try it, next time you're developing a character.
Guess who?
Janna Qualman, new to staff at Rose & Thorn, is a freelance and fiction writer. You can visit and learn more at her blog, Something She Wrote .
This is so very true (and well-written/said Janna!)
Anything & everything can become Something.
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...or nothing if your aren't viewing it from exactly the same perspective as yourself. It is about perception, is it not? Ask Uncle Jack.
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Janna, I didn't realize you were on the staff at this wonderful journal! You rock!
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So true...things floating about the air all around us, waiting for us to snag them with our pen/pad or fingers/keyboard! Nice post, Janna.
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Jana this is incredible!!!! I'm so glad I stopped by to check out one of your new homes! You are going to fit in nicely here and this piece was perfect when relating to characters. They truly can be found anywhere!
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Great article! I love your colorful language
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Oh, congratulations, Janna!
LOVE the article! We sound like detectives!!!
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This so true, inspiration is everywhere! And we love that game
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Nice posting.Very creative,thanks for sharing with us.
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Nice post.I appreciate your work.Keep Sharing with us.
Yachtcharter Griechenland
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Guess Who was actually my favorite game as a kid! I loved the characterization and the creative outlet. I loved using my imagination to create a life and personality just based on someone's appearance. As an adult, I now watch faces as I pass them on the street and try to think of what their lives must be like.
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Very true. A writer can find inspiration in any and everything.
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