Inspired from “Character Profile” by Patrick Scalisi in the November issue of The Writer magazine. Interview your main character or supporting characters.
If you have a fictional character, you can work with that.
If you are writing about something that really happened, you can use those people as your characters.
If neither of those work, use a photo . . . develop a picture into flesh and blood characters.
For your fictional character: Interview him or her as a journalist would. . . but not at the age they are in your story. If they are older . . . interview the younger version of your character. If they are young. . . imagine what they might be like as an older person.
For your real-life person: Same thing. . . have an imaginary interview of him or her. . . you can pick the age. . . younger if you know them as an older person. Older if you know them as a young person (someone from school no longer interact with, for example).
Same with the photo . . . whatever age the person appears to be . . .interview him or her as an older or younger person.
Prompt: Interview character. Main or supporting fictional character. Someone from real life. Or a photo.
Arlene Mandell and Joey, “Scenes from My Life on Hemlock Street,” published by Wordrunner echapbooks
Arlene L. Mandell is a retired English professor, formerly from New Jersey, now living in sunny Santa Rosa, CA
Do you have a photo you would like to post? Contact Marlene: mcullen – at – comcast.net
Pingback: Your character has a surprise secret – Prompt #7 |
mcullen Post author
Hannah Mae is a fictional character I wrote about from around 2005 until around 2009.
The following is an interview with Hannah Mae — who didn’t have a last name until a story about her was published — and that’s a story for another time.
When were you born?
HM: March 4, 1920
Do you have siblings?
HM: April, born 1918. June, born 1929
So, your parents named their three girls Hannah, April and June. Why didn’t they name you May? Or Mae?
HM: My creator will have to answer that. Note from Marlene: I’ll post a freewrite about that sometime.
Tell us about a significant event from your childhood.
HM: When I was 9, I went to Salt Shaker. That’s a summer camp. President Hoover said us under priveleged kids could go there for free.
Can you tell us more about that?
HM: I could, but I think my creator would get mad. She’s saving that story for another . . . what does she call ’em? Oh yeah, freewrites. Whatever that is.
What did you do for a living?
HM: I would love to talk about that, but I’m getting a bit tired. I think I’ll just set here and take a little nap. We’ll talk more later. I’ll tell you everything. All in good time.
Pingback: Who will you interview? . . . Prompt #320 – The Write Spot Blog