Comments on: Sunday Salon – Do You Visualize Your Book’s Characters When You Read About Them?

By: Linda Gillard

Linda Gillard — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:00:27 +0000

Me again.

I teach writing workshops and use photopacks containing pictures cut from magazines of all sorts of people, all ages. Students use them as a basis for creating characters, quickly and spontaneously, by responding to the photos and answering Qs such as “Who/what does your character want?”, “What has s/he lost?”, “Give him/her a medical condition/an obsession/a secret.”

It’s really enjoyable and creative and beats sitting there trying to work out where your protagonist went to school or what he ate for breakfast. But we couldn’t do it if we didn’t first have the photos to respond to. The creative bit is *how* we respond to them – like the Rorschach inkblots.

By: Andrea

Andrea — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:22:02 +0000

Very interesting discussion! I had not thought of an author using a picture to develop the character. I assumed it was the other way around. I am intrigued by this approach and understand how it could more easily develop a character.
I agree with the initial question/statement posed. Once you see the character you can’t move past that person. If you read the book without a picture in mind you can develop your own idea. My visualizations of characters are shadowy. I dwell more on the persona than the physical. However, Brad Pitt is now forever Louie in Ann Rice’s Vampire series – not how I visualized him.

I may try a new approach for next book which by the way I won on the blog so thank you!

By: Linda Gillard

Linda Gillard — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 07:35:20 +0000

Author butting in again…

The irony was, I didn’t need the visual equivalent for my heroine, I just needed it for me. Because my heroine was blind, her “picture” of him was multi-sensory, so when writing I had to think what he might sound, feel and smell like. (Hawthorn blossom, since you asked.)

It might sound tricky but actually it was mind-expanding and fun!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 03:23:40 +0000

I totally get a picture in my head, but not usually of an actual person. Sometimes I have a really hard time watching the movie version of a book I’ve read because the actor for a certain role doesn’t match what I pictured at all. I would totally enjoy reading “Star Gazing” if it meant I got to picture Gerard Butler while I was reading!

By: gwendolyn b.

gwendolyn b. — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:17:40 +0000

I had a lot to say about this in my own way a couple of months ago. I posted a review of THE RISK OF DARKNESS, but first I discussed what I "need" in a detective. If you've got the time and interest, check it out!

By: BooksPlease

BooksPlease — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:56:49 +0000

I visualise the characters as I read – I don’t see “stars” and I often don’t like a film or TV version because the characters are “all wrong”. So I don’t want to see films of books when I’ve read the book first but if I see the film first that’s OK.

By: Rita Kaiser

Rita Kaiser — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:15:34 +0000

Great post! Yes, I always visualize the characters as I read. I do not read very many books that have a photo or a drawing of the title character on the cover. (I guess I don’t read romance novels). So I use my own imagination to picture the character. Once I see a movie with an actor playing the role I may get sidetracked into that person as the character (but not always – I am stubborn)! I agree with one of your readers – Jude Law – totally wrong! Matt Damon – Jason Bourne??? No, even though I like him!

By: bermudaonion

bermudaonion — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:51:05 +0000

I do visualize characters. If I read a book and then see the movie, a lot of times, I think the character doesn’t look right. If I see the movie first, I visualize the character as looking like the actor who portrayed them.

By: Linda Gillard

Linda Gillard — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 18:03:12 +0000

Fascinating to read your comments.

I refused to see the film of COLD MOUNTAIN (even though I adored the book and am an admirer of Anthony Minghella’s work) because Jude Law just wasn’t anything like my idea of Inman. I couldn’t bear the thought of seeing someone so “wrong” playing that part.

By: Alyce

Alyce — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:38:21 +0000

I visualize the characters using my imagination, and very rarely picture them as people in real life (like celebrities) unless I’ve already seen the movie version first. There are always exceptions to that though. Sometimes a character’s appearance will stump me if it’s not described in a way that I can easily picture it, and then I might try to think of a celebrity to fit.

One character it took me forever to imagine so that I thought she was perfect was Claire from the Outlander series. Jamie on the other hand, well I had no problems picturing him in my mind! ;)

By: Katew

Katew — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 16:50:11 +0000

Denzel! Gerard Butler! Eye candy indeed.
I do sometimes visualize characters in the “Who would Play them?” way.
Yet, at times, once a movie has been made, it kind of spoils my imagination, even if I love the movie. Example: Harry Potter. Daniel Radcliffe is wonderful in the movies, but I have not held on to the pre-movie Harry I once had in my brain.

By: Monique

Monique — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:49:44 +0000

Good Question.

It depends. If I have seen the movie or the cover art has pictures of actual people (not drawings). Then yes, I visualized the characters as they are on the cover or in the movie.

But if the cover is a drawing or has no characters than my mind makes up with they look like based on the authors description.

By: Margot

Margot — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:55:35 +0000

I do the same thing when I’m reading. If it doesn’t have a movie tie-in or a model on the cover, I use my imagination. I just don’t use another movie star or someone I know something about. A good magazine picture or ad on tv helps. Good question, good post.

By: Eva

Eva — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:48:02 +0000

That’s so interesting! I almost never see actual people as characters, although they take their own form in my mind based on the author’s description. It’s a shadowy form, though; I don’t think I’m super-visual with my reading.