The Evolution of Words

Card of the Day:	Reversed Temperance
Interpretation:	What am I forgetting to balance? What am I ignoring in favor of other things?

I love writing. It's a way to create a world without having to utilize my mediocre, at best, artistry. Of course, one needs a way with a words to be able to create such a world with writing, and hopefully you've realized by now that I do, in fact, have such a talent. Of course, I might just be pompous, but I do believe that my writing is at least sufficiently developed.

The thing I am discovering, though, is that I'm not very good at world creation. Remember, I have been doing a lot of role playing recently. What I'm learning is I'm not all that interested in the worlds that my characters explore. What I'm really interested in are the people. Worlds are merely places in which characters interact.

That said, the most important character when playing (not GMing) an RPG is your own. I have developed a strange (at least, I think it's strange) way of creating my characters. When I first create a character, I have barely an inkling of who he is supposed to be. I mean, I've got all sorts of stats written down so I can play the game mechanically, but I don't really know who my character IS yet. It's like meeting someone for an interview. You know what they're capable of, but you don't know who they are. But as I play them for a bit, a personality and background begin to form.

As an example, last night we started a D&D 4e campaign. I went in thinking that I was going to play a Half-Orc Warlord, but for some reason, my character is now a Hobgoblin Bard named Kol. I haven't a clue why (ok, so he's a Hobgoblin because of +2 Con +2 Cha, but a BARD? Huh). So, my newly created character needed a personality. I got as far as, ok, he's a Hobgoblin, so gruff and tough, before I ran out of pre-game ideas.

Somehow, "gruff and tough" became "military man", probably because I, for some reason, am playing a Bard that has no training in Diplomacy (I've got Intimidate instead) and no instrument. Yelling and singing are Kol's forte. Why? Well, I only started him last night. I don't know yet!

And thus the crux of my writing strategy: I do not write my characters. I come up with a basis for them, maybe a single aspect or two. I then start playing them and watch them evolve. A well-written character is its own living, breathing entity. I don't write my characters. I meet them, then I get to know them, like an acquaintance that turns out to be a good friend. Yes, I technically am the one that decides how the character reacts to any given situation, but in all honesty, it doesn't feel that way to me.

This is why I like role playing. Watching characters come to life is awe-inspiring, especially when they grow and change like a living being. I have no idea what is in store for Kol, but I'll be right there with him as he learns and discovers the world around him.

Yesterday's Card:	Reversed Ten of Wands
Reflection:	The burden is LIGHTENED. As in, it's fallen off. Whew.