Ellen Phethean - ‘Creating Believable Characters’ Workshop Report and Interview
Getting ready to create believable characters |
On a cold January day at York Library,
Ellen Phethean gave an insightful 'Creating Believable Characters' workshop to a keen set of North
East Scoobies (along with a few guests from North West region). Dawn Amesbury reports back on the event and shares her inspiring and in depth interview with the poet, novelist and playwright.
Event Organiser Marie-Claire Imam-Gutierrez cutting a cake! |
The workshop
covered many of the main problems that writers face when trying to create
rounded, believable characters. And without characters, as Ellen rightly
pointed out, you have no story.
The group was taken through a series of
questions and exercises to identify what makes a compelling character, what the
most common problems were when creating characters and how to tackle them.
Ellen showed us a number of ways to avoid making our characters too flat,
passive or predictable and, through the exercises, ensured we understood and
reinforced each technique. At the end she asked us to interview each other's characters so we could identify and discuss any issues we had with our own
characters.
All of the exercises were simple yet
effective and gave us plenty to think about. Ellen illustrated all of her
points with examples and extracts from children’s novels and broke down the
character-making process in a clear, concise way. Personally, I found the
workshop extremely helpful and I think it gave every attendee at least one
useful technique to deepen their characters, both now and in the future.
Interview with Ellen Phethean
Ellen Phethean talking characters! |
Did you always want to be a writer / poet?
I wrote when I was young but I’m not sure where I got it from. At
school I enjoyed English and acting and later studied Drama and English at
university where I wrote sketches and shows. I felt I was mainly a performer
until Julia Darling asked me to join the Poetry Virgins and we published an
anthology. Once I was published, I began to see myself as a writer and a poet
and later became Writer in Residence for Seven Stories.
How do you go about creating your protagonists? Do they just
come to you or do they come out of a setting or a situation?
I tend to see a character in a situation or in a place.
Do you ever hear your characters’ voices in your head?
Sometimes. I like dialogue and I have a theatrical background. And I
like reading in the first person – it gives the reader a more limited viewpoint
than the third person. Perhaps one day I shall write something in the first
person. Patrick Ness does this very well.
Do you ever find your characters take over, making the story
take a different turn?
As I write, the
characters can do something I haven’t anticipated – I write to find out what
happens. I have the overall arc but the story has to be character-led.
Do you ever ‘become’ your characters? - i.e. the method acting
technique.
No. Never. It’s a different way of creating a character. I visualise
them like a film and describe what I see.
Out of all the characters you’ve created, who is your favourite
and why?
They’re all different. ‘The Wall’ was my first attempt at creating a
character and so I have a particular affection for Kylie the teenage girl who
gets pregnant. Ren is a bit different – she’s more of her own person in her own
world.
Who is your favourite literary
character (created by another writer)?
Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea quartet has a wonderful, rounded female
character called Tenar. I also love Todd Hewitt and Viola in the ‘Chaos
Walking’ trilogy by Patrick Ness – those are fully rounded and interesting
characters.
Which author do you think paints characters most vividly?
Michelle Paver creates vivid characters in Wolf Brother
and so does Margaret Atwood. Surprisingly there’s also good characterisation in
‘Little House on the Prairie’ by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Which writers and poets have inspired you the most and why?
Ursula Le Guin is a huge inspiration – I love how she creates other
worlds which give you an alternative way of looking at the world and asking
‘what if?’. She’s a feminist with a political perspective. I also love the
landscapes and people of Kathleen Jamie. Carol Ann Duffy is amazing and
accessible but not simple. Sean O’Brien has a political perspective, is musical
and pulls no punches.
Where do you get your ideas and inspiration – are you a hunter
or a gatherer?
I’m a bit of both. I collect lots of interesting facts about all
kinds of things, from the workings of the moon to ancient names for trees. An
idea comes when I’m bothered about something – when I wrote The Wall I had
teenage boys and was very concerned for them so the idea behind the story was
relevant to me. Someone I know has adopted two Chinese babies and I wonder what
they will do when they grow up.
Which is harder – poetry or prose?
They come from different places. Prose can be a slog and you’ve got
to be determined. Lots of people start something but don’t finish it – you have
to finish and work on to the end. But poetry is different – you accumulate
poems until you have enough for a book.
When writing prose are you a plotter or a pantser?
I’m not really a plotter. I want to get on with it. I do research on
a ‘need to’ basis. If I’m writing and don’t know something I’ll leave myself a
note and come back later with the research. I know roughly where the story’s
going and I have an idea of the ending but not the complete plot. My current
story could go one of two ways – it could have either a romantic ending or a
non-romantic ending!
Do you have a strict writing routine – i.e. every morning for
two hours? - or do you just write when the mood takes you?
I try to write every day unless I’m teaching. I try not to look at
social media when I’m at work. Mornings are best for me but I might continue
into the afternoon if the writing’s going well. I schedule my writing time into
my diary.
Where do you
prefer to write – at a desk / shed at home or your local cafe / library?
I write mostly at home but not always in the same room. I start
writing longhand but once I’m in the middle of something I switch to a PC. I
often start off a scene during a class, while my students are writing.
Do you set a target word count each time or just write as much
as you feel?
If I have a deadline then I’ll set a word count, otherwise I write
as much as I can – maybe 1,000-2,000 words per day, but I don’t beat myself up
if I don’t reach it. I use Scrivener – it lets you set an average word target
for each chapter which can be useful.
Do you prefer pen or keyboard?
I start with a pen and then go onto the keyboard for the second
draft, unless I’m in the flow and want to keep going by pen. When I get stuck
on the keyboard I switch back to longhand.
Do you work to music or prefer silence?
Silence. I can’t think with music on, although being on the train or
in a cafe with background noise is okay.
Do you have any techniques or triggers to get you into 'the Zone’?
I just sit down and write – or procrastinate! I might read the last
chapter I wrote.
In your poems you manage to create a moving, vivid,
extraordinary image in so few words. How do you go about doing this, what
are your thought processes, your word searching?
A lot of editing goes into it. You explore an image in words with
emotion in the back of your mind. For example I wrote a poem about my son
leaving home and I had this idea of the house as a beach with all this stuff
left behind on it which gave me the image for the poem. The poem itself doesn’t
mention my son except in the title.
If there’s one key piece of advice, one gem of wisdom about the
craft of writing, be it character development, re-writing or plot vs story,
what would that be?
Just keep doing it and get to the end. Be ruthless and don’t worry about it being sh*t!
Just keep doing it and get to the end. Be ruthless and don’t worry about it being sh*t!
*****************************************************************
Dawn Amesbury lives in the beautiful county of Yorkshire
where she writes MG and teen sci-fi and fantasy. She’s been a SCBWI member
since 2013 and having completed an epic MG fantasy, is currently working on a
teen steampunk novel. Day job and family aside, she can usually be found: a)
writing; b) reading; c) reading about writing. She also likes cats.
Follow: @DawnAmesbury
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