Friday, December 16, 2011

DÉJÀ VU - Stepping Into Your Character's Shoes

Today, I'm participating in 
Nicole Ducleroir, and Lydia Kare
 
Everyone who signed up is posting an old blogpost.

Here's my post from July 4, 2011.
 I picked this post because it's insane and funny!

If the shoe fits . . . well, it sure makes it easier to step into the role of your character. What if you're a male writing about a female? Stepping into her shoes might be difficult.



It can be tricky to balance, especially in spikes. At first it's awkward. You might fall. Dust yourself off and get back up on those heels. You'll soon find yourself strutting or prancing through your plot.


Does your character need to move with the poise and grace of a prima ballerina? Impossible? Not if you practice, practice, practice.

There you go. Much better!

Venturing into a new genre, exploring terrain your psyche never dared to conquer before? Those magic shoes could carry you off into mysterious, mystical realms. Try them on.

Don't forget to pay attention to little details. Does your teen female curl her toes when Dreamy Dude flirts with her?


What if you're a female stepping into a male character's shoes? What kind of stance does he have? Are you taking note of his features, like those hairy legs? With a little creativity (and some black eyeliner - yes, those hairs are drawn on), you'll be on the right track. 


Whether you're a female writing about male characters or a male writing about female characters, in the beginning you might have to tighten the reigns to head them in the right direction. Once they come to life, you could find yourself wrangling with the keyboard to keep up as they gallop down the trail, daring to leap off the edge of the page. Whoa!


So, what are we waiting for? Let's get to work!

How do you find a good fit filling your character's shoes? 

"Creativity often consists of merely turning up what is already there. Did you know that right and left shoes were thought up only a little more than a century ago?"   Bernice Fitz-Gibbon


If you're participating in the blog hop, there isn't much time to leave a comment if we're going to visit all the sites. A simple "Hello Weirdo" is cool with me! 


Since this is a DÉJÀ VU Blogfest, have you ever experienced a real DÉJÀ VU? Care to share?





1.Lydia K57.Today's Working Woman113.Empty Nest Insider
2.Nicole Ducleroir58.Mish114.Priyanka
3.Creepy Query Girl59.Lisa Ann115.Laugh Quotes
4.Francine Howarth60.Hywela Lyn116.Kibitz Spot
5.Laura Pauling61.Gloria Richard117.Fiona Faith Maddock
6.DL at Cruising Altitude 2.062.Donna K. Weaver Weaving a Tale or Two118.Botanist
7.Jessica Bell63.Jennifer Shirk119.Far Away Eyes
8.Sarah Fine64.Jo120.Tim Snider
9.David King65.Nancy S. Thompson121.Better is Possible
10.Javid S.66.Melissa Sugar122.Jeremy [2Thumbs]
11.Gina C.67.Sandra Ulbrich Almazan123.Elisabeth Grace Foley @ The Second Sentence
12.cluelesseve68.Nicki Elson124.B. Taylor aka the Under Cover Waitress
13.Julie Dao69.Brenda125.A Nudge in the Right Direction
14.April Plummer70.Em Dashes and Ice Cream126.Julie Dorris
15.Connie, A Merry Heart71.Sarah Ahiers127.Allison (Geek Banter)
16.Haven72.Donna Hole128.shelli johannes wells
17.Liza at Middle Passages73.Sylvia van Bruggen129.Robyn Engel
18.L.G. Smith Bards and Prophets74.That girl from around the bay130.Kari White
19.Ellen Brickley75.Colin Smith131.Alison Miller
20.Em, 35JupiterDrive76.Angeline Trevena132.Commutinggirl
21.Bossy Betty77.Sheri Larsen133.Civil War Horror (Sean McLachlan)
22.Erin Jade Lange78.Jossie Marie Solheim134.Stu
23.Shannon O'Donnell79.Donna's Real World on Writing135.Tizzy @ Creative Therapy
24.mshatch80.Kristina Atkins136.Clarissa Draper
25.Nia Raie81.Over Yonder137.Andrea Franco- Cook
26.Brinda Berry82.Green Monkey138.Steven Symes
27.Carrie- Anne83.Donelle Lacy139.Katy Upperman
28.Chippy84.Jennie Bailey140.Medeia Sharif
29.Alex J. Cavanaugh85.tara tyler141.Sophia Chang
30.yvonne lewis86.Amy Lunderman142.mybabyjohn/delores (Feathered Nest)
31.Tammy Polen Manocchio87.M. E143.Becky Povich
32.L' Aussie Denise88.Charity Bradford144.mybabyjohn/delores (Youngish)
33.Heather Day Gilbert89.Mary Pax145.mybabyjohn/delores (Tormented)
34.Dianne Salerni, In High Spirits90.Carla Ecland146.Margo Kelly
35.Jemi Fraser91.Man O' Clay147.Heather Arundel
36.Jennifer Hillier92.Scarlett Stokes148.Ms. Persevere
37.Theresa Milstein93.Julie Flanders149.Cold As Heaven
38.julie fedderson94.J Larkin150.Jessica Salyer
39.Tracy95.Tim Brannan151.Juliann Wetz
40.Wendy S. Russo96.David Brawley152.Jules @ Trying to get Over The Rainbow
41.Amy L. Sonnichsen97.Pearson Report153.Sue Travers @ traverselife
42.Catherine Denton98.Helen Ginger154.Melodie @ Forever Rewrighting
43.Elaine AM Smith99.Stephen Tremp155.Vicki Rocho
44.Sarah Pearson100.Laura Marcella @ Wavy Lines156.Lynn Kelley
45.Spunky L. Diane Wolfe101.Enid @ SteamyFantasy157.Nisa
46.PK Hrezo102.Belle Unruh158.Laurel Garver
47.Swagger Writers103.The Golden Eagle159.SJ Driscoll--Come sit by my fire
48.Jennifer Wilck104.Len Lambert160.Coleen Patrick
49.Jenn105.Rhonda Eudaly161.Amie McCracken
50.Leigh Moore106.Holly Stacey162.Margo Berendsen
51.Kelly Dexter107.Callin163.Chris Phillips
52.Arlee Bird108.Blogging from A to Z164.Julie Hedlund
53.Accidentalwriter109.Rafa165.Karen Peterson
54.J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer110.Melissa Ann Goodwin166.Operation Terrible Idea: Parkour Master
55.Fabulosity Reads111.Carol Kilgore167.Sarah Allen
56.LD Masterson112.Alana Garrigues168.

67 comments:

Laura Pauling said...

Very cute! I love the pictures. And I'm so glad those hairs were drawn on b/c they were pretty scary! :)

Old Kitty said...

LOL!!!!! Shoes! My favourite topic! I'm terrible - I don't care if the last pair of gorgeous shoes in the shop doesn't fit, I'll make them fit, darn it - they're mine, hands off! :-)

Love your pics!!! Yay! take care
x

Coleen Patrick said...

Those pictures are priceless, especially the ballet shoes! So funny. Isn't this blogfest idea cool? I'm doing it too.
Love this post Lynn.

Anonymous said...

Very funny post! love it!
I missed the memo about Blogfest - :(

Heather Kelly said...

Wow, a good gang of bloggers blogfesting!

I love the quote about the left and right shoes!! Fabulous.

Heather Day Gilbert said...

I'm number 33 on the blogfest! Nice to meet you, weirdo! Aren't we all?

Golden Eagle said...

LOL. I love all the different shoes!

Francine Howarth said...

Hi,

Fun post and great analogy of stepping out in character shoes!

best
F

Brinda said...

I was startled by the hairy legs and then breathed a big sigh of relief that you were being theatrical and costumed. :) Cute post.

Luanne G. Smith said...

Those pictures are...disturbing. LOL.

I have to admit, it takes a lot more effort to figure out those male characters. I usually have to run my stuff by the testosterone-o-meter, AKA the men in my life, to see if I've nailed the male POV right.

Liza said...

Fun and clever post! I'm blogfesting! Nice to meet you!

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

This made me laugh, loved the post worth re blogging it.

Thanks for your visit and comment.
much appreciated.

Yvonne.

Julie Dao said...

What a great post! I love those cowboy boots, by the way - sooo cute. What a clever connection between shoes fitting on one's foot and characters fitting you/your story.

Krispy said...

Brilliant idea! Thanks so much for reposting this!

Jennifer Hillier said...

Loved this post, and what a great analogy! Glad I got a chance to read it.

Happy to be a new follower!

Dianne K. Salerni said...

Great pictures!

My last completed project had a male MC -- the first time I've ever attempted that. It took me awhile to grow into his shoes. (And once I figured out how his shoes fit, I had to go back and re-write the beginning chapters to match the voice I eventually developed.)

It takes time to develop your character, whether you are cross-shoe-wearing or not. My advice is don't be afraid to explore, but go back and revise once you get it down pat.

April Plummer said...

OMG, I swear I have those cowboy boots! I love shoes myself! I have over 50 pairs of heels. 4 pairs of boots. 2 sneakers only. Haha

JENNIFER WILCK said...

Love this post--so cute!

Jemi Fraser said...

That's awesome! :)

Lydia Kang said...

All I could think about when reading this post was, "Those poor feet. Ouch."

Thanks so much for joining the Blogfest!

A.L. Sonnichsen said...

Ha ha ha! I thought that leg hair looked kind of strange. My first thought was, "Those are SOME freckles!" LOL!

Nice legs all round, by the way!

Jennie Bailey said...

You had me at SHOES! Great analogy.

Empty Nest Insider said...

This was so clever and a lot of fun! I hope the model had a nice foot massage afterward! Glad to meet you thru the blogfest, and thanks for following me! Julie

Nancy Thompson said...

Do you think it's weird that I much prefer writing from a man's perspective than a woman's? I've always understood men much better than women. Though I also wrote from a woman's perspective in my book, I am much more comfortable with the guy's POV. My next book will be all male.

Pearson Report said...

Very funny pictures! You've got a very "helpful" set of man legs in those heels!

I enjoyed this Do-Over post (my first time seeing) - it made me laugh.


Jenny @ PEARSON REPORT

dolorah said...

Pure creativity :)

I love this concept.

.........dhole

Hywela Lyn said...

What a fun post! Really enjoyed this! I love getting into my main character's shoes and so usually it's a 'she'. I love writing from the male p.o.v. too and my next book is divided almost equally between the hero and heroine - so should I wear one man's shoe and one women's? It's futuristic, so I can be inventive! :)

(Thanks for your comment on my own blog by the way - I left a reply but in case you don't get chance to go back, don't worry, my husband or myself visits the horses every day to check up on them and feed them, they're just too far to ride as much as I'd like.)

farawayeyes said...

Hello weirdo, nice to meet you.

Love this post. I really need it today. In my current WIP I'm having trouble writing the woman. They guys I seem to have down fine, but this girl eludes me. (She is not like me a all.)

I either need to get into her shoes, or let her slip into mine. Thanks.

I'll be back.

Connie Keller said...

I love this post and the photos are great! It's great to meet you, weirdo.

Melissa Ann Goodwin said...

Fun post - I'm glad I got to see it. I know I've deja vu moments, just can't think of them now. Great advice for developing characters too!

mshatch said...

great piccies to accompany the post :)

Author A.O. Peart said...

Great subject and fun photos to go with it - so glad you reposted it.

erinjade said...

LOL! these photos cracked me up. great way to illustrate a point. good choice for the deja vu fest. :D

Tara Tyler said...

you always crack me up!
great replay!

Sarah said...

The pictures really are perfect. I was sort of freaked out by those leg hairs before I read they were drawn on, though! Hilarious. Great choice for a re-post!

DL Hammons said...

I loved this! So creative...and relevant! Thank you for selecting it for re-posting! :)

Tracy Jo said...

Lol! Hello fellow weirdo! This is what I love about Blogfests...is finding new, wonderful people out here. Really nice to meet you!

LynNerdKelley said...

Laura - Haha! Yep, those hairy legs are an eye opener, aren't they? Thanks for stopping by.

Old Kitty - I've done that, too, bought heels that pinched my toes but so cute I couldn't resist. I paid dearly for my stupidity! LOL!

Coleen - Yes, I think the ballet shoes pics are my favs. I'm so glad you joined the blogfest because it's fantastic!

Heather K - Yes, a wonderful group of bloggers in this blogfest. I still have some to visit, but I read a lot of posts yesterday and there are some great posts. So cool!

Susie - Thank you! I just found out about the blogfest right before it started, but some people signed up that day, I believe. Sorry you missed it.

LynNerdKelley said...

Heather Day - Hello Number 33 and fellow weirdo! So nice to meet you, too!

Eagle - Thanks! The various shoes made this post fun to write.

Francine - Thank you. So glad you stopped by!

Brinda - Glad you liked the theatrical effect! LOL!

LG - That's great that you have a testosterone-o-meter, the men in your life, to run your take on the male characters by! It can be quite challenging.

Liza - Thanks! So nice to meet you, too, during this super fun blogfest!

LynNerdKelley said...

Yvonne - Yay, so glad this made you laugh. That's what I was aiming for! Thanks for stopping by!

Julie - Thank you! I got those boots at a thrift store! Great deal!

Krispy - Thanks so much for the "brilliant"! :)

Jennifer - Thank you for stopping by, and extra-special thanks for the follow!

Dianne - Thanks for sharing your experience in writing a male MC. I'm glad it worked out for you. I like your comment, "It takes time to develop your character, whether you are cross-shoe-wearing or not. My advice is don't be afraid to explore, but go back and revise once you get it down pat."
This is so true!

LynNerdKelley said...

April - Isn't that something that you have boots like these? And 50 pairs of heels? You are a shoe lover. You should do a post about your shoes, boots, and sneakers!

Jennifer - Thank you. And thanks for stopping by!

Jemi - Thanks! So glad you stopped in! Love this blogfest!

Lydia - Luckily the man didn't have the heels on for long! LOL! Thanks for co-hosting this fantastic blogfest!

Amy - Haha! I guess strange leg hair gets one's attention! I love how it looked like freckles to you!

LynNerdKelley said...

Jennie - Thank you! I'm glad the analogy worked for you!

Empty Nest Insider - No, the model toughed it out with no foot massage! Haha! Nice meeting you, too, through this blogfest. I'm so glad you stopped by!

Nancy - No, I don't think it's weird at all that it's easier for you to write from a male's POV. That's what I love about writers, each is unique. Whatever works for you, I say go for it! Thanks for your comment.

Jenny (Pearson Report) - These pics wouldn't be the same without those great male legs, so I was a pretty happy camper that he cooperated, as long as I promised not to reveal who he is! LOL! Thanks for visiting!

Donna - Thanks so much!

Hywela - That's really cool that you're going to write alternating male and female POVs. Wear one shoe of it in your futuristic setting? Heck, why not? LOL!

farawayeyes - Thanks for commenting. Best of luck to you nailing that female character's voice. So nice to meet you!

Connie - Thank you. So glad you stopped by for the blogfest!

LynNerdKelley said...

Melissa - Isn't it weird when we have a deja vu moment? I had one yesterday when visiting so many blogs, and it was so ironic!

Carol - I'm glad the visuals worked for you. Thanks for stopping by.

Mshatch - Thank you for stopping by and commenting. Nice to meet you!

Angela - Thanks so much for commenting and tweeting! Woo hoo!

Erin - Thanks! So glad you got a chuckle out of this post!

Tara - Thank you! I'll keep trying to make you crack up!

Sarah - Haha! I'm glad you got a kick out of the leg hairs! Thanks for stopping by!

Tracy Jo - Thanks so much! Yes, that's what I love about blogfests, too, so many cool surprises along the way! So nice to meet you!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Are those your husband's legs?

Donna K. Weaver said...

I LOVE this post! Those visual aids are perfect!

undercoverwaitress said...

What a fun post! Reminds me of wearing men's shoes for a part in a play many years ago. I had to wear them around campus to get used to them... embarrassing. Anyway, I think the pictures are the icing on the cake for your post.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

I dropping by via the blogfest. Great pictures. I like going barefoot. I guess that doesn't bode well for being able to step into my characters' shoes.

Cheers.

Green Monkey said...

I'm running out of time! yes, I'm a blogfester and I love weirdo's!

Sarah Tokeley said...

This was brilliant, so much fun. Those feet and legs belong to some good sports :-)

Alison Miller said...

Love the pictorial post! And so true for writers!

Carol Kilgore said...

I love this! How in the world did you convince him to pose? Or maybe I don't want to know - LOL!

Spanj said...

Ha ha! Great post. But a very serious point; we do need to experience our characters' lives.

Anonymous said...

I remember this post. Have to admit it was a bit disturbing LOL! Thanks for the repost. I think.

PK HREZO said...

Too cute!! And I even had an aha moment reading this. Lightbulb! My male antagonist is going to receive a nice makeover. ;)
Nice to meet you, btw!

Scarlett said...

Okay, and people call ME sasquatch with the hairy legs!

Funny and true!

Helen Ginger said...

Love the pictures. I used to teach public speaking, so I know good visual aids when I see them! Thanks for all the encouraging words

Julie Flanders said...

What a clever post!! Love the pictures, too funny. So glad to have discovered your blog through the Deja Vu fest! :)

LTM said...

cute stuff! And yikes! Whoa! Those eyeliner hairs gave me a start... LOL! :D

M Pax said...

Thanks for the chuckles. The ballerina shoes look great on you. :)

LynNerdKelley said...

Diane - I'm not allowed to tell whose legs those are! LOL!

Donna - Thanks for stopping by. So glad you liked the visuals!

Under Cover - Oh, how funny that you had to wear the male shoes around campus to get used to them! I bet you got lots of looks! LOL!

Rawknrobyn - Thanks for visiting my site. Going barefoot is good - hang ten!

Green Monkey - Thanks for stopping by for the blogfest! I still have more blogs to visit, too!

LynNerdKelley said...

Sarah - Thank you! The male was quite a good sport, and the female's legs/feet, wearing the male shoes, are mine with the black eyeliner hairy legs! It was a fun photo shoot!

Alison - Thank you, and thanks for stopping by during the blogfest!

Carol - Thanks! He cooperated as long as I promised not to reveal his identify! Haha!

Angeline - Thank you. Sometimes we can learn good details by literally putting the character's shoes on, for sure!

Stephen - I remember that you were disturbed by this post. In fact, your comment made me stop and think about whether I should repost it, but then I decided what the heck?

LynNerdKelley said...

Pk - So nice to meet you, too. How cool that you had a light bulb moment reading the post. Good luck with your male antagonist's makeover! I'd love to hear about it!

Sasquatch - LOL! Thank goodness for razors!

Helen - Oh, thanks so much! Yes, I believe visuals help a lot in proving a point and holding an audience's attention, especially kids.

M. Pax - I wore the men's shoes. My male model wore the ballerina shoes. Kinda. He couldn't really get his foot all the way in them!

Julie - Thank you! Nice to meet you during this blogfest, too. It's such a wonderful blog hop.

LTM - Glad the leg hairs gave you a start! That means my exaggerated hairy legs worked in getting people's attention!

Nicki Elson said...

Hello, weirdo! hehe. Very, VERY fun post complete with LoL-worthy pictures. :)

LynNerdKelley said...

Nicki - Haha! Glad you liked the pics. Thanks for stopping by!

Jennifer Shirk said...

That was totally hilarious!!

LynNerdKelley said...

Jennifer - Thank you! Glad you got a kick out of it!

Anonymous said...

That was fun!

Thanks for stopping by my blog during the blogfest last month :-)