How DO the bad girls think?
A few days ago, I was stuck on this question. This was my free write from that day:
"I've been stuck on this question for about 45 minutes. Im trying to write a character summary for the bad girl in my new WIP but I can't seem to empathize with her at all.
I'm a homeschooled quiet girl. (Not a "homeschoolER" mind you, just quiet.) So the brain of a rebellious girl who's always putting others down and chasing the hot boys is foreign to me.
I don't even have friends even remotely like this.
It's quite the problem. I know I need to write this summary so I can understand this character and so she isn't a boring shell of a person but I just can't get into her mindset.
I've been asking myself; "Why does she do these things?" "What are her dreams? " "What keeps her from these dreams?" But it's not working too well."
After I wrote the last sentence, my brain kind of exploded. I knew a girl who used to be a little like this. She wasn't mean or anything, just dark. She didn't chase boys either but that's beside the point. All of a sudden I had ideas. I felt like I'd just broken the surface of the water and could breathe.
The character summary isn't quite what I had hoped. It's lacking in a happy ending. I dont feel that bad for her, but I think I understand her better.
The secret was looking at WHY she's like that. (Ana's her name by the way.) Why does she chase boys? Her dad died when she was little and she's starving for male attention in her life. Why is she mean to others? No one is ever nice to her. Her mom was distant and now she's dying. Ana doesn't know what to do. She's at her wits end and the only way she knows how to deal with it is take it out on other people.
As simple as that. But I couldn't figure any of that out until I found someone I had met who I could sympathize with. If I don't have even just an inkling of sympathy for my charries, they end up flat.
And the only way I found that sympathy was free writing. So next time you're blocked, try free writing. Maybe it'll open a new point of view for you like it did for me.
How do you write characters who are the opposite of you?
Oooh, this is hard, but really fun. Usually what I do is, when the character has to make a decision of some kind, I think about what I would do.
ReplyDeleteThen I have my character do the opposite.
Okay, not all the time, but thinking through this helps.
Try writing out your character's backstory--knowing everything about her life might help you when you're writing thoughts, or having her make decisions.
That's a good idea! I'll have to remember that! :)
DeleteI'm actually thinking about writing something for her life. A short story or character journaling or something so I can get into her mind better. She's not that huge of a character though. (At least not at this point. We'll see!)
Thanks for adding your input! I really appreciate it! :)
I've always had a tough time writing in bullies and bad girls and anything else along those lines. They usually end up being cliche, but they work for first drafts. I usually think of some traumatic incident in their life that made them "go to the dark side." That sometimes helps.
ReplyDeleteGood luck! :D
Haha. Mine are ALWAYS cliche. ;) I've always thought that way too! "Come to the dark side..." *cough*
DeleteThank you! :) I appreciate it!