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Every Monday through the end of April 2018, MYSTERY OF CHARACTER FEATURING SHANNON MUIR focuses on the art and craft of writing, from Shannon’s perspective or that of guest authors. To catch up on all posts, check out the MYSTERY OF CHARACTER FEATURING SHANNON MUIR portion of the website! This week features her thoughts on how a story’s location affects character development.
In a previous installment, I talked about how I find initial inspiration for characters. As I then decide what story builds around this character, part of that process involves deciding where the story should take place.
What may follow is finding that the original intended character profile doesn’t quite work. The local culture may have specific aspects that affect characterization. A character living in a large city versus one in a small town won’t act the same.
Sometimes, the Iocation of a story does not impact character development. In fact, a character raised in one environment and goes to another is a common motif. In this case, the character’s mismatch to the environment impacts story.
With those thoughts, I leave you until next time.