Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The rest of them

Sorry guys for the late post!


4. Speech

What is the tone of the character’s voice? Smooth, or harsh? Quiet, or loud? Do they mumble, or do they enunciate carefully? With a high pitch, or a low one? Are they taciturn, or voluble? How else is their personality conveyed in the way they speak or how talk or think to themselves? Are they kind, or cruel, in their speech? Respectful, or insolent or condescending?

Do they have an unusual accent, or do they try to suppress it, and are they successful all the time, or does the accent prevail when they are emotional or unguarded? Is their general mode of speech an effort to hide or overcome their origins? If they must speak a foreign language, are they fluent, or merely competent, or not even that?

5. Environment

How does a character relate to their surroundings, and how does the person manipulate the environment? What is the person’s dwelling like, and what do the characteristics of that place convey personality? How does their workplace do the same? Is the personal environment functional and practical, or is it expressive of the character? Do their possessions convey a simple lifestyle, or one devoted to acquisition of goods?

A fascinating book called Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You, by psychology professor Sam Gosling, concludes that the way personal items are displayed in one’s home or workplace reveals much about the person, and that there are three general categories: things displayed ostentatiously (certificates, trophies, autographs), things displayed unselfconsciously for both the person and for visitors to see (vacation photos, knickknacks), and things displayed solely for the benefit of the space’s occupant, not its visitors (mementos, notes from loved ones).

Hope that these are helpfull! My particular favorite is #5. It had never occured to me how important stuff is. I'll keep that in mind when my Mom tells me to clean out my room "But Mom, stuff can be so inspiring." :)

-Stoss Cue

P.S I have started a blog called Unread Pages about gardening and just everyday things about life in general. Give it a look!

2 comments:

  1. LOL! Stuff is definitely inspiring. It's a perfect excuse not to organize ;)

    Also, I’m a new follower—wonderful blog! Stop by my blog and follow me too? :) http://rachelbrookswrites.blogspot.com/

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  2. Thank you Rachel! I just followed your blog(:
    If you'd like you can check out and follow my personal blog trueblueabbi.blogspot.com
    -Owner's Don't Knock

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