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TIL my old 'character flaw' list was useless compared to giving them a specific, weird object
I used to write a paragraph of traits for every character, but after a workshop in Portland last month, I now just decide one thing they'd never throw away, like a single mismatched oven mitt from 1997, and the story builds itself from there, so what's a mundane item you've given a character that unlocked them for you?
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reese_garcia9d ago
Oh man, that totally reminds me of a guy I wrote who carried a single, slightly melted green army man in his pocket. It was from a cake his kid brother made for him years ago... just having him fiddle with it during conversations told me everything about his guilt and nostalgia.
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sageellis9d ago
Used to think those small details were just filler, but that melted army man thing really shows how much they can say.
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