Characterization

Apr 27, 2012 08:30

If you heard a squeal Saturday morning, that was me.

Cut for squeal explanation )

musing, story cubes challenge, writing process, ncis, original fic

Leave a comment

taylorgibbs April 27 2012, 12:51:23 UTC
I have the worst trouble with Ziva and Vance in the NCIS realm. Ziva because...well, it is multiple fold. I don't feel like *I* the viewer know her character any more. What we learned with her original means for coming to NCIS had me questioning her authentic feelings toward Gibbs and Vance. It could be, too, that I don't feel that I understand her background history as much as I do the other characters ( ... )

Reply

sunsaralyn April 27 2012, 14:35:33 UTC
Me too. I struggle most with Z because of several reasons. Mostly because they've not been very consistent with her character, and because they make some very ... American assumptions about what it means to be an agent. Mossad is very different than anything we have in America, and knowing that, it's difficult for me to reconcile CdP's portrayal.

In my original fic, I think the hardest thing is finding the interactions between the minor characters and getting them to fit just so. it's easy for me to listen to the main character and his brother, and to a little lesser extent, his ex wives. However, when it comes to his brother talking to a friend or Main talking to his, boss, I guess, it's a little harder. Because I know everybody's interaction with other people is unique. I relate to DH differently than anybody else and not just because he's DH. (If that makes sense).

Also, both of youses. congrats on the Hinkys. :D

Reply

taylorgibbs April 27 2012, 20:36:01 UTC
Completely get what you're saying on all levels!

And thanks, hon :)

Reply

colorguard28 April 29 2012, 01:59:08 UTC
One of the things for me that's helped is my Story Cubes challenge. Because the cubes often pick the setting, characters, etc., I often end up with oddball combinations in a story that illuminate both characters in a way I hadn't thought of before. The first one I did ended up being Chris and Becca - story's on my Exeter blog - and Chris had a scar and I wondered where it came from and that led to Thrown Out. And, again, voice for me is key. I can't get a handle on a character until I can find his/her voice.

And thanks! Congrats on yours, too!

Reply

colorguard28 April 29 2012, 01:49:27 UTC
Maybe it comes from coming into the series in S7, but I've never had much issue with Ziva, though I don't tend to write her as much. Jimmy was the one I really struggled with early on - I think I got second for him mostly because he doesn't have a big role in as many fics. Less competition. ;) For me, with them, getting a handle on the dialogue and sound of the character makes a big difference. The more I do that, the more their voice comes, and the stronger I feel their characterization is ( ... )

Reply

taylorgibbs April 29 2012, 14:19:12 UTC
Jimmy and early McGee are hard but kind of fun ;)

Dialogue, for me, is the thing that crystallizes a character. And it is one of the things, especially in fanfic, that yanks me out of a story.

Reply


Leave a comment

Up