Cure for Writer's Block: Character casting

[THETA]

I just found a fabulous cure for writer's block.  I'm the type of writer who needs everything set up in advanced before really digging into the meat of the story.  I usually start with a simple idea or scene and then i layer on more and more plot and development until i have a complex and complete story, so my process is often times long and susceptible to writer's block or simply having trouble on major development decisions.  This leads to frustration and avoidance and coming to hate what i'm working on.  Doesn't that sound familiar?  But i have found a fun way to fall back in love with your work.

Choose models for your characters.  It's like fantasy casting and it helps a bunch.  It helps to better determine a solidified personality for your characters and it can revitalize your work.  I was actually excited cruising pictures on google images trying to find the right face for the characters i had sort of vaguely and at the same vividly swimming up in my brain.  For my main characters i picked two to three different faces and for more secondary characters i just clicked and saved pictures and distributed them later. 

One method, use www.models.com.  Top 100 models, men and women, featuring the hottest people in the world.

Method number two, just use google images with the search description of what features you want.

Third method (and my favorite) when you don't want insanely beautiful people and just want normal people, type in the name of your character, like "Chloe" on google images and find the right person.

After that, pin them up on a cork board or glue them into your writing notebook so you can stare at them for reference or inspiration.  I hope my advice leads you to a successfully cured writer's block.

[IronKite]

Yup, true story. 

Sometimes I'm just picturing the characters, how they're talking and whatnot... but I find that before I write a single thing, I gotta draw them.  Or at least find their mug shot...

If a character doesn't at least look *like* someone in your head, how do you expect other people will imagine them? 

[Kiriath]

This is part of why I grabbed a City of Villains subscription. Because of the character creator I could finally see the faces of my people in detail.

[Spectacular Sameth]

Yeah. And there's other ways to create characters. Superhero creator (which is free), Sims, etc. I made my webcomic characters in Sims just to see what they'd look like more realistic and some to see what they'd look like human.

[konstantine23]

I have had a few friends over the past few years that are aspiring writers. All but one use role play in breaking their block. Seems to work quite nicely for them.
...Most of them being highschool boys writing about exploisons and gun fights though...

The other has bought a year book at a thrift shop, cut out photos, and pinned them to his cork board for a writing exercise. He said that it was the best cure for the block he'd ever come up with, and it turned out to be an interesting story.

[LizW65]

Unfortunately all the people in models.com are too modern looking for my story, which is set shortly after WW2, but I did find a Vargas illustration and an image from an old Sears catalogue which almost perfectly embody my protagonist.

Does anyone else "cast" their characters with living actors?  I cast Jack Black and Dean Stockwell as a couple of secondary characters, but I'm afraid to do that with my protagonists as I feel it will be too limiting.

[THETA]

Does anyone else "cast" their characters with living actors?  I cast Jack Black and Dean Stockwell as a couple of secondary characters, but I'm afraid to do that with my protagonists as I feel it will be too limiting.

I haven't yet gone for an A-list actor, but for my most current work i've chosen two smaller, somewhat known TV actors.  Hell, by doing so i solidified who my characters were.  Before i choose names i call my characters by a certain archetype or their plot function like "goofey boyfriend" or "chatty bad guy", but when you associate a face or an actor with your character its more easy to go, "Oh yes, they're like this person, but this is what makes them mine".  They can never be copies.  Their motivations will be different and backgrounds, so i don't find it limiting.

[Starbeam]

Unfortunately all the people in models.com are too modern looking for my story, which is set shortly after WW2, but I did find a Vargas illustration and an image from an old Sears catalogue which almost perfectly embody my protagonist.

Does anyone else "cast" their characters with living actors?  I cast Jack Black and Dean Stockwell as a couple of secondary characters, but I'm afraid to do that with my protagonists as I feel it will be too limiting.

I don't exactly cast my characters, but more I take notice of actors that fit the description in either looks/attitude, and keep that in mind.  It helps me get a better visual, and  then if I can't figure out how to describe something, I can look online or at movies they were in.

I have had a few friends over the past few years that are aspiring writers. All but one use role play in breaking their block. Seems to work quite nicely for them.
...Most of them being highschool boys writing about exploisons and gun fights though...

Don't know if you mean role play as in table gaming/mmos, or as in acting out the action they're trying to write, but the latter seems to be a common thing.  Patricia Briggs and a few other authors have said they do that, and at the panel, they asked the audience, and a large number of em raised their hands.  It's a real good way to get an idea of how well something will work out.  Which reminds me, I need to get my sword outta my car for that kinda thing.