10 Days of Character Building: Possessions
October 22, 2007 by J.C. Hewitt
This is Day 3 of 10 Days of Character Building
The possessions that a character chooses to surround themselves with can reveal a great deal about the way they lead their lives. Directors and actors frequently use possessions as a way to study their characters. They decorate the character’s room, office, vehicle, locker or any other common places the character would use. They also determine how the character would dress, often shopping for clothes that fit the persona of the character. You can determine many things about a character from their possessions, including:
- Cultural background
- Social class
- Wealth
- Intellectual interests
- Emotional interests
- Artistic interests
- Level of organization or disorganization
- Favorite colors
- Age
- Secrets
Here are some common areas in which you can explore a character’s possessions:
- Clothes
- Bedroom
- Living room
- Bathroom
- Kitchen
- Secret or private room
- Closet
- Office
- Cubicle
- Desk
- Pockets
- Purse
- Backpack
- Locker
- Hope chest
- Vehicle
Here are some questions you can ask in addition to describing their possessions. Remember that any of these questions should be followed up by asking Why?
- Does the character have many possessions or few possessions?
- Does the character hide any of their possessions?
- What condition are the character’s possessions in?
- Does the character have any possessions that are broken or unfinished?
- Does the character’s possessions differ significantly from place to place or according to who will see them?
- Is there a particular order to the possessions that the character keeps?
- What are the character’s most valued possessions?
- Are there any possessions that the character keeps hidden?
- Is there any possession the character doesn’t have that they want?
- Is there any possession the character has that they don’t want?
- What is the effects of other people’s opinions about the character’s possessions?
- If the character was packing for a trip, what would the character take?
Ahhhhh !!!!! I need help with this any suggestions? Anyone
I started this by trying to imagine the character in his own house. You can visualize the things around him. Is it a fancy house in Hollywood, or a shack in South America? Then decide what fits in with that setting and your character. Remember that you can go back and read it again to see if it makes sense.
The Genie
He nodded his head slightly to
the big one at the head of the table,
and also to the woman whose
Handcrafted jewelry had trapped his great
Blue eyes, startling in themselves in the black face,
In an almost rude stare, their cool opaqueness
Confusingly at home on the islanders features, as natural as
the sheen of the dreads deftly coiled
about his head. He was comfortable on the
East side of the round table, his long stemmed
Bronze cup stationed in the upper right
Quadrant of the damask cloth embroidered
With triangular lines and worn shapes
The woman noticed his cotton tunic, it’s
Variegated shades of green vanishing into
The hand stitched seams, and again his intense
Eyes, strong, steady, meeting her inquiry
With confident self-awareness, sensing her
Motive and admiring the audacity of her intent
He was no less motivated, and as he addressed
Her, the deep resonance of his mighty voice
Perhaps New England, rather than the islands
Was different from the local flatlanders, but
Truly, unidentifiable, he welcomed her
And blessed her presence in the name of the
God, for he said She was always anxious to
Know her children
He busied himself opening the carved wooden box in the
Center of the damask cloth, removed
an amber stone, an incense burner and
Vial of Chalice water, from the well at
Glastonbury. From long years of habit
He admired the charms and relaxed as
He greeted other guests arriving for the
Event. The great blue eyes, the warmth
of his smile and the absolute luxury of his
Attire was a great comfort
And so it was that Abram Shawa became
Known among the seekers of Abramalin
Michael,
Thank you, that really helped I have some ideas that will come together eventually. So far I’m sorta scatter brained. Oh- I just had a wonderful Idea. Thank you Thank you!!!
Connie,
Your amazing!!
Oh my dear, it is not I that am amazing, but this awesome world we live in . . . just to have the honor of observor is enough
Connie,
Yeah, you know your……your right. I guess when you think about it, correction, when I think about it just regularly in life, your totally right. You just made me realize something, this world is amazing and the way the world works. Like how things happen and how people get put together, yes its amazing. Sometimes I guess it makes you feel amazing, a blind, dizzy, sickning mizerable mess, but enjoying every minute of it amazing.
Sorry off topic, yes connie your right. Thank you
Michael,
(is this kinda like what you meant?)
Josh Sulkers,
Does this sound ok?
Thing one lives in a normal home in a gated comunity but wishes to live in colorado out west. It’s way more beautitul. Thing one enjoys cloths but doesn’t wish to spend the money on them, thing one likes getting things on sale. Thing two is the same, he loves good clothing but hates spending the money on them. Thing two wants to live out in colorado. The western life is what they like to surround themselves with, mountain colors. Kinda like the zen look.
Rianon,
Sounds To Me Like Thing One And Thing Two Are A Perfect Match For Each Other Being That They Are Almost The Same In Every Way And They Are Gonna Have A Perfect Life Together.
Yes…….They are
I have found that two people who are very much alike are rather boring. If they don’t ever disagree, then one of them is probably not even necessary. Just a thought, and it’s kind of off topic.
I’m no expert at this, but it sounds like you are on the right track to develop your characters.
Michael,
Thanks, I agree, two people should have some things that are different and have some disagreements. I think they will but they will be able to handle it. Do you have any suggestions?
Rianon, I suggest looking at each character individually. Visualize them in front of you and then describe them so that we can see, hear, feel touch them. Use the five senses, the basic 5 Ws. Thing One and Thing two don’t give me a very pleasant feeling about them . . . when I don’t like something, I say, “get this THING away from me.” To me, thing is non-descript, almost de-humanizing. I need to see their physical characteristics as well. I had a character in a short story once named Ned . . . he had always wore a red plaid western shirt with mother-of-perl buttons. He had a slight beer belly that hung over his favorite silver belt buckle and he wore real levies and brown suede Justin round toed bootts. He had thick wavey dark hair and brown eyes and smiled with a smirk. He was an uncommitted womanizer and never wanted children. He had bad dreams because he suffered from PTSD. I just gave you a physical description, his choice of clothes, what he was about in life, and where he had come from. I don’t really do this kind of writing very well, but if you sort of follow the outline, it works real well for a start.
Connie,
Your right thank you, I guesse I just wasn’t sure on how to explain them, so that’s why I put thing one and thing two. I think I’m ready to explain them now. I know how too, just sometimes I have problems with too much description and soemtimes too little. I’ll write tonight and post tomorrow. Thank you so much!!!
Henry Jarvis doesn’t have many possessions, but the possessions he does have are all of high quality and are well cared for. Most of his possessions are less than a year old. He tends to replace the few things he has very regularly. When he does replace them, he almost always gives the old items to charity or to people he knows whom he thinks have a need.
1 suitcase, just small enough to adhere to airline carry-on standards. When packed that suitcase contains the following (minus one outfit to be worn)
2 pairs of blue dress socks
1 pair of gray athletic socks
1 light blue long-sleeved button up shirt
1 light blue short-sleeved button up shirt
1 light blue polo shirt
1 medium blue t-shirt
1 pair of dark blue dress pants
1 pair of dark blue casual pants
1 pair of blue jeans
1 pair of blue shorts
2 pairs of dark blue underwear (jockey briefs)
1 pair of blue swim trunks (blue and green)
1 tie — light green paisley
1 brown leather jacket
A bathroom kit with a disposable razor, small shaving cream, nail clippers, needle & thread, travel shampoo & conditioner
1 hand towel
1 pair of leather dress shoes
1 pair of cross-training athletic
1 Rubber tension strap (for isometric exercise)
Passport
2 $100 bill in a hidden compartment
1 computer travel case, which when packed contains
17-inch screen laptop computer (Always the latest model with the best equipment). The computer is loaded with programming applications, business software, presentation software
Various connection wires and a trackball mouse
MP3 player that contains meditation music, atmospheric recordings (waves, rivers, storms)and both old and new light rock with musicians such as Paul Simon, Chris Isaak, James Taylor and James Blunt.
1 Soduku book (black belt level difficulty)
1 notebook
2 mechanical pencils
1 red pen
1 blue pen
1 black pen
1 yellow highlighter
1 digital camera
1 light-reading book (varies)
Brown leather wallet
1 Personal credit card $50,000 limit — no monthly balance
1 Business credit card $100,000 limit — no monthly balance
1 Arizona driver’s license (Expires in 2032)
1 Medical Insurance Card
At least $40 in cash
2 $100 bills in a hidden compartment
Henry does not own a car. When he travels to a new city, he generally rents a car long enough to get a feel for the area. He prefers to stay in places that are within walking or bicycling distance of anywhere he needs to go. If that isn’t possible he prefers to use public transportation.
Henry owns a software consulting company. He has no traditional employees, but instead uses a company in India that allows him to outline projects of various sizes and assigns programmers to meet the project deadlines. As part of his contract with their company, Henry is assigned a Virtual Assistant who coordinates his projects and handles such things as travel logistics, research, purchases, secretarial work, marketing, appointment setting and anything else he requires.
Henry’s clothes choices are designed for utility. He opts for similar colors so that he only has to do single load of wash. He prefers casual dress (jeans and a t-shirt) but dresses to match the clothing choices of his clients. He does not, however, wear a business jacket because it is too bulky to carry easily and he simply does not care to wear them.
Henry does not own a home and has not maintained a lease longer than week-to-week for several years. He generally stays in long-term hotels and prefers hotels that offer room service, heated pools and laundry facilities. Even when a hotel has laundry facilities, however, Henry will frequently hand-wash items out of habit. While he often stays in a city because he is working with a client in that city, just as often he picks a city to stay in out of interest in the city or something that is happening there.
John, wow, this guy is really cold blooded. Sounds like he is running from real life. I would be interested in seeing how he might react to an emotional experience, a family or love interest. How would he deal. Is he a robot ? ? ? or Artificial Intelligence???
Hi Connie,
Thank you for the input. The character isn’t a robot or cold blooded, but that is the first impression that many people would have of him so your reactions are valid. As for emotional experiences, he will have plenty of opportunities for those across the course of the novel. Is he “running from real life”, I doubt that he would think that, but the reader sure might. Lets say that he has found a way to deal with life that he hopes will work for him.
I found this place through the NaNoWriMo site, and I need to develop my main character, so I’m going to jump right in even though I’m not too sure about how this all works.
I don’t want this to be too long, so I’m just going to post my answers to some of the questions. My character is Ty Ledford, a 26-year-old advertising copywriter who lives in Boston. To describe him in a sentence, he’s moderately successful but feels like his life has no direction, and has a big problem with people trying to control him even when they have good intentions.
He doesn’t have too many possessions. Other than furniture and some of his friend Sal’s stuff, his most important things are his old music collection and his bass guitar he hasn’t played since college. He also has a laptop and lots of legal pads and pens for work scattered around. The only thing he hides from everyone is the old binder of song lyrics he wrote a while ago. Most of this stuff is pretty old, as is his furniture because he still has a lot of leftovers from his shared college apartment, but his computer, TV, and leather sofa are all shiny and new because he imagined that having nice things might give his life more of a sense of completeness.
He keeps a lot of random stuff – from a venus flytrap to a miniature trampoline – for a friend who doesn’t have a place of his own. Ty’s girlfriend doesn’t like it – she’s very organized and also disapproves of the shabby clothes and furniture Ty has. He doesn’t personally mind keeping the stuff, though.
Finally, if he went on a trip, he wouldn’t take much. Khakis and button-up shirts to wear, laptop and legal pads for working while he’s away. He might buy a newspaper or book just for the trip because he enjoys light reading, but wouldn’t buy something at home just for the sake of reading it. He prefers the entertainment provided by music and his own mind.
Shirly,
Welcome!!!
Sorry, Typo Shirley,
I type too fast sometimes.
Rianon,
Sounds Like You Have Been Gettin Some Good Input On Your Story And It Looks Like It Is Gonna Come Out To Be Great.
Still Needin Help On Findin Out Where To Go With Mine If You Have Any Ideas I Would Love To Hear Them.
I.L.U.S.M.
Josh
Everyone,
I’m not sure if I can participate in this character building too much because I’m a little distraught. Josh told me that there is a good chance that he will be going to Iraq. Ok he didn’t exactly say that, but I heard it in his voice, he was scared. He has an appointment with the doctors appointment to get a physical to see what shape he is in. He has a knee problem so I was hoping that he wouldn’t have to go because of that, but for some reason I don’t think that’s going to happen. I’m so scared, and it hurts.
But anyways I will sparatically if that’s ok. Thank you and Peace.
Josh,
I.L.U.too
I think that maybe you should have a western theme. I also think that you should have a happy ending, a very happy ending. Also a romantic begining. Starting with something like A man named Stephen comes home from war and Proposes to A woman named Rose. (I like those names) A war story put into a romantic theme, sound good?
John,
You have a great way of explaining everything. I would love it if you could help me on how to do it. Thank you
Thanks for the warm welcome, Rianon. I hope everything will be okay with you and Josh. I’m sure it’ll be fine to just write whenever you feel like it and have the time.
I can’t resist sharing the voice of the Great Mother speaking to the seekers.
The Queen of Heaven
I speak to you now so that you know
The purpose of my calling you to this
Gathering, for I am known by many names
And you will recognize me in the blue of
The evening sky and the golden dawning of
The sun, for my robes are beautiful to behold
Their rainbow colors gather at my heart chakra
And my breasts are warm with your mother’s milk
I have traveled many roads, and will share my
Solitary journey through all the thresholds with
Your desire for knowledge, for my eyes are the
Dusty haze of the twilight and my skin pale
From the moon’s silver crescent beneath my feet
I see and know, and having known, behold you
In your splendor and your seeking, for each one
Of you I hold in my esteem for your thirst for
Knowledge is honey for my cakes
I will tender your search for all things bright
And beautiful, for you will brush the angel
Of darkness before the holy guardian appears
Before you, and only if your eyes are steady
And true, and remain fixed upon me who
Has always been, will you discover your treasure
Have no fear, for love is the law, and for all
Your seeking you will find that to do as you will
Is the greatest elevation of your endeavor
For I tell you that which you are forbidden,
You will desire with all your heart
Therefore, come before me as I see
Your journey and your intent, for I am all knowing
And I will reveal the secrets of the Oil of Abramalin
That you may partake of the blessings therein
Connie,
Your poem made me cry, I love it thank you
and when i say thank you i mean thank you for sharing it with us.
Shirley,
thank you, i think that we will be just fine. i’m jsut scared that something may bappen to him. here is a peom i wrote about him and how i feel about this whole situation:
blurred
uneasy to see
our future uncertain
my stomach in milions of knots
i can’t eat
i went from 125 to 113 in just one week
i can’t stop crying
my body is dehydrated
unable to injest anything.
a fear of losing you
is uncomprehendible
a fear of never seeing you again
rips me to pieces
i can’t see straight
i can’t live
i need him
and he needs me
hard to breathe
nausea arises
bile comes up with every breath
not knowing the inevitable
where meant to be together
where not supposed to be apart
my parents love him
they are also worried
I love him with all of my heart
I know he feels the same
he owns me
my body is his
i feel his warmth
i feel his love
i belong to him
please stay with me
i will always love you
no matter what
i will always be here for you
no matter what
i will always protect you
i will be your shelter
i will be your gaurdian angel
i will be yours forever
Rianon,
Like I Promised You From The Beginning Everything Is Gonna Be Ok… My Knee Is In Pretty Bad Shape And I Hope That It Is Bad Enough. But Anyways I Like The Ideas You Gave Me I Will See What I Can Come Up With. Also I May Be Busy Part Of This Evening But I Should Be Free For The Most Part.
I.L.U.T.T.E
Josh,
Connie,
Thank you, I’m gunna try and write tonight.
Connie: Your Great Mother poem here has immediately become one of my favourites.
R & J: Sending you good wishes.
Shirley: Interesting character.
Rosemary,
Thank you
Connie,
I agree with Rosemary!!!
Shirley,
Ty’s possessions definitely reflect a person who is torn between two lives. He likes some of the trappings of his success, but can’t commit enough to convert his life over to the tidy materialism that his girlfriend represents. He feels he has to hide or suppress his creative side, probably because he has been led to think those parts of him are wrong or immature.
[...] 10 Days of Character Building: Possessions [...]
I think a charcters fashion is defintely a very important stroy lead, as well as the way the eat, what they keep in their wallets or what color they painted they kitchen
I’m new to this site and I’m young, and I wanted to try this out. I’ve been writing and thinking about a story for awhile, and I think this place will help me finish my other stories.
Nazu Komotori
( An exerpt from my story)
I glanced at the seashell clock on the patterned blue walls. It was almost time to be fashionably early. I grabbed my precious pen, notepad, and flashcards and stuffed them in my black and white striped backpack. I glanced around the old, battered house. It looks like grandmother is living in the right home, its exactly like her. I shrugged on my black jacket with white X’s dashed on it, my favorite one. Before leaving I looked back inside the house and closed my eyes.
Maybe today will be different.
Hi,
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Thanks, we’ll come back often.
Thanks again,
Oceans Green