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Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Vader and Bugs....

Vader and Bugs.

My boys. 

Vader, my oldest, is a huge Star Wars fan-and as he is thirteen and often hides his wonderful, sweet, loving, kind-hearted self behind a bossy robotic exterior, I think his nickname fits him well. Bugs, my ten-year-old, is mischievous, hilarious, and always full of questions. Holy cow do they make life awesome!! 

Boys are so much fun!

Little girls don't despair. I'm not saying that you aren't fun, but seeing as I have none and didn't grow up with sisters, I can't say I have much expertise. I am referencing the fact that I have two young boys, and grew up with two big brothers, and spent more time with the neighbor boys than the girls. So to me, boys really are a lot of fun.

When Vader and Bugs have finally had enough they punch each other (no I'm not okay with it), and then five minutes later they're playing together as if the incident never happened. In my limited experience with girls, if I would have punched my friends when they ticked me off--we wouldn't have been friends afterward, ever, and possibly a few of them would have spread horrible lies about me because of it.

Maybe this is why the girls in my stories are not shoppers, aren't obsessed over their hair or makeup, don't mind getting dirty, and are often interested in auto mechanics; and the boys in my stories don't mind being friends with them. The one difficult point I have noticed in my own life about girls like this--its not always easy to find a guy who isn't threatened if you know more about cars than he does, and doesn't get squeamish when you squish spiders with your thumb. Luckily, my best friend, whom I married, knows more than I do about cars, and doesn't mind one bit about the spiders(as long as I wash my hands after I squish one).

I'm so glad my boys (including my hubby) and I love hanging out together. We build things, fix things, drive tractors, watch movies, read books, make up ridiculous stories to study for tests.... I love watching them and seeing boys through not just a buddy's eyes, but through a mother's eyes as well. It's amazing how much character development I achieve for my stories just by watching my amazing children. Everyday they teach me something new about life, unconditional love, patience, friendship, and paying attention to the details while not sweating the small stuff. 

Thank heaven for little boys!!

Does interacting with your family and friends help you with your character development? Or when you read a book do you often see someone you know in a character's habits or behavior?
Can you create characters that you don't relate to on some level? Can you enjoy a book that you don't relate to the characters in some way?
I even have to relate to my antagonists (the bad guys) on some level or they don't feel real. Is it like this for you?

Who are some of your all-time favorite characters?

Some of my personal fav's: Albus Dumbledore, Samwise Gamgee, and Lucy Pevency
 

4 comments:

  1. Life gives me tons of inspiration. And I think some of the fun of creating characters is being someone you're not. :)

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    1. I totally agree! I love it when I can be someone else, someone powerful and exciting! Thanks Emily!

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  2. While my characters tend to have aspects that are close to my chest, they also have traits I wouldn't ever imagine having. It's like inventing an alternate reality of yourself. :)

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    1. So true and freeing! I never thought of it like that. Thanks David!

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