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sandandwater) wrote2009-01-26 02:33 am
sandandwater) wrote2009-01-26 02:33 am
Entry tags:
Munday Survey
1. What gender of character do you play more of, male or female? Why?
I happen to have more female primary characters. I say primary because with my OCs and even the canon characters I pick up, I try to write them as a whole person with friends, family, random whonots in their daily lives. This means I write secondary and tertiary characters as well, much as you would for a novel. These beings do not exist in a void. So for example, I have Pippa here. I also write Mike, Alessandro, Marcello and in some instances I will pick up Rory who is someone else's muse altogether to write a prompt or a scene. In terms of the types of voices I will write, I'd say it's about 50/50. Break it down by primaries and most are female.
2. Is this different or the same as your own gender?
Same, with the same caveat as above.
3. Do you find that your gender makes it easier or more challenging to play your characters?
Nope. I tend to write what I know. That rarely has anything to do with gender specifically and more with various life experiences.
4. What sexuality / gender identity do your characters have?
It varies. I have several that are hetero, one of whom (Pippa) has a preference for men who can blur the gender lines. I have one that is more or less asexual and I have one that is gay. All of them have distinctly different views on sex and sexuality.
5. How does your character's sexuality and gender identity define / affect their personality?
I wouldn't say it defines any of them. Help shape their particular world views? Sure. I'll use Laine as an example. She grew up in rural Montana in a conservative Christian family. With a gay brother. On a gut level she would say that it's wrong to be gay. Life has shown her otherwise. She's learned acceptance by circumstance and it's not even her own sexuality there. So it goes for each of them.
6. Do you tend to predominantly play characters of a certain sexuality? If so, why?
Nope. I'll play anything so long as I feel I can do it justice.
7. To what extent to you write / play your character's sexual or romantic life?
Depends on the character, depends on the themes I am playing with. Depends on who I am writing with. I don't shy away from the subject matter but I also don't spend time fretting over whether or not a muse is "going to go there". Some do, some don't. Again, if I can do it justice, I will write it if there is context for the scene overall.
8. How has the character's romantic life affected his character development?
Varies from character to character. Romance or lack thereof plays a part in all of their lives. Some of them are written to explore specific relationships, others are written to play around with other aspects of their lives and the romance is incidental. The thing I keep in mind is that human beings generally need contact with others, relationships and friendships. So they seek them out. Maybe it's only platonic, maybe it's more. Maybe it was more and has cooled into friendship. All of those dynamics are fun to play with.
9. Do you set 'ships' or plan for your characters to be together with other characters, or do you allow their relationships to develop organically? Why?
Sometimes. Pippa was created with a partner in mind. Peter? Haha, part of the fun with him is watching him try and try and try and fail. Sometimes the ships develop out of role play, like Abby's did. Pippa's came about at her inception because I enjoy writing with a specific person.
10. Do you change the gender identities / preferred sexualities of canon characters? Why / why not?
No. They are what they are what they are. If there isn't canon to support it in a reasonable manner then I won't go there. I think, as I said above, sexuality can help shape world views and does affect who a character is on some levels. To arbitrarily change someone's orientation or preference pulls them out of being that character. It's not AU at that point, it's OOC.
I happen to have more female primary characters. I say primary because with my OCs and even the canon characters I pick up, I try to write them as a whole person with friends, family, random whonots in their daily lives. This means I write secondary and tertiary characters as well, much as you would for a novel. These beings do not exist in a void. So for example, I have Pippa here. I also write Mike, Alessandro, Marcello and in some instances I will pick up Rory who is someone else's muse altogether to write a prompt or a scene. In terms of the types of voices I will write, I'd say it's about 50/50. Break it down by primaries and most are female.
2. Is this different or the same as your own gender?
Same, with the same caveat as above.
3. Do you find that your gender makes it easier or more challenging to play your characters?
Nope. I tend to write what I know. That rarely has anything to do with gender specifically and more with various life experiences.
4. What sexuality / gender identity do your characters have?
It varies. I have several that are hetero, one of whom (Pippa) has a preference for men who can blur the gender lines. I have one that is more or less asexual and I have one that is gay. All of them have distinctly different views on sex and sexuality.
5. How does your character's sexuality and gender identity define / affect their personality?
I wouldn't say it defines any of them. Help shape their particular world views? Sure. I'll use Laine as an example. She grew up in rural Montana in a conservative Christian family. With a gay brother. On a gut level she would say that it's wrong to be gay. Life has shown her otherwise. She's learned acceptance by circumstance and it's not even her own sexuality there. So it goes for each of them.
6. Do you tend to predominantly play characters of a certain sexuality? If so, why?
Nope. I'll play anything so long as I feel I can do it justice.
7. To what extent to you write / play your character's sexual or romantic life?
Depends on the character, depends on the themes I am playing with. Depends on who I am writing with. I don't shy away from the subject matter but I also don't spend time fretting over whether or not a muse is "going to go there". Some do, some don't. Again, if I can do it justice, I will write it if there is context for the scene overall.
8. How has the character's romantic life affected his character development?
Varies from character to character. Romance or lack thereof plays a part in all of their lives. Some of them are written to explore specific relationships, others are written to play around with other aspects of their lives and the romance is incidental. The thing I keep in mind is that human beings generally need contact with others, relationships and friendships. So they seek them out. Maybe it's only platonic, maybe it's more. Maybe it was more and has cooled into friendship. All of those dynamics are fun to play with.
9. Do you set 'ships' or plan for your characters to be together with other characters, or do you allow their relationships to develop organically? Why?
Sometimes. Pippa was created with a partner in mind. Peter? Haha, part of the fun with him is watching him try and try and try and fail. Sometimes the ships develop out of role play, like Abby's did. Pippa's came about at her inception because I enjoy writing with a specific person.
10. Do you change the gender identities / preferred sexualities of canon characters? Why / why not?
No. They are what they are what they are. If there isn't canon to support it in a reasonable manner then I won't go there. I think, as I said above, sexuality can help shape world views and does affect who a character is on some levels. To arbitrarily change someone's orientation or preference pulls them out of being that character. It's not AU at that point, it's OOC.
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