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How can I create characters if my vocab is so limited?

R

RealJasonBourne

How am I supposed to create characters with unique personalities if I have a limited vocabulary? I'm not smart (as in I didn't pay attention in school, I was only interested in passing.)

Is it even possible for me to create the dialogue of a character like an 18 year old girl? To know what they would think/say/react?

I'll give an example, this is from vampire diaries:


STEFAN (V.O.)
It seemed like a good plan.
Let go of who I was.
Create a life as someone new.
Someone without the past.

ELENA (V.O.)
Without the pain.

Stefan and Elena’s voices join.

STEFAN/ELENA (V.O.)
Someone alive.


ELENA (V.O.)
But it’s not that
easy. The bad things stay
with you.

STEFAN (V.O.)
They follow you.


STEFAN (V.O.) (CONT’D)
You can’t escape them.
As much as you want to.

ELENA (V.O.)
All you can do is be ready for the
good, so that when it comes, you let it in.
Because you need it.
(beat)
I need it.




These starting lines: "It seemed like a good plan. Let go of who I was."

I don't think that's something I would have come up with because a line like "Let go of who I was" is something I have never thought of or said to myself or anyone else.


I don't want my script to be bland and boring, what are your thoughts on this?

If my vocab is just basic will I not be able to write a unique script?
 
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Enriching your vocalubary is always good.
Reading some literature/great books is a good way to do so. It will also enrich your thoughts.

Some great books (IMHO)

Foucault's pendulum - U. Eco (mysterious, confusing and exciting book)
The Dinner - H. Koch (written by a fellow Dutchman: lots of conversations)
Street Station Perdido - C Mieville (steampunkish fantasy written in a poetic style of prose)
The S.t.n.c V.rses - S.R. (fill it in yourself: some people still want the writer dead. Surreal, insane, poetic)
Gardens of the Moon - S.Erikson (great fantasy. Complexer and richer than Game of Thrones. On my wishlist to adept one day :P )
The Etched City - KJ Bishop (starts like a western and becomes more magical and surreal as the story progresses.)

Reading all this can take some time, since all of them have many pages.
(BTW, after you read this you'll notice I like surrealism, magical realism and poetic stories with a crazy edge...)

But it will surely enrich you.
 
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Nobody watches movies to hear enriched vocabularies. Just ask Quentin Tarantino; he'd tell ya he's made a fortune with broken english, slang and cussing. Write what you know, forget trying to impress.
 
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RealJasonBourne said:
How am I supposed to create characters with unique personalities if I have a limited vocabulary? I'm not smart (as in I didn't pay attention in school, I was only interested in passing.)

Is it even possible for me to create the dialogue of a character like an 18 year old girl? To know what they would think/say/react?

I'll give an example, this is from vampire diaries:


STEFAN (V.O.)
It seemed like a good plan.
Let go of who I was.
Create a life as someone new.
Someone without the past.

ELENA (V.O.)
Without the pain.

Stefan and Elena’s voices join.

STEFAN/ELENA (V.O.)
Someone alive.


ELENA (V.O.)
But it’s not that
easy. The bad things stay
with you.

STEFAN (V.O.)
They follow you.


STEFAN (V.O.) (CONT’D)
You can’t escape them.
As much as you want to.

ELENA (V.O.)
All you can do is be ready for the
good, so that when it comes, you let it in.
Because you need it.
(beat)
I need it.




These starting lines: "It seemed like a good plan. Let go of who I was."

I don't think that's something I would have come up with because a line like "Let go of who I was" is something I have never thought of or said to myself or anyone else.


I don't want my script to be bland and boring, what are your thoughts on this?

If my vocab is just basic will I not be able to write a unique script?
Click to expand...


Read books and listen to people. Your mother may have told you that it's rude to eavesdrop, but it's actually very useful for writing. If you want to write like a smart 18 year old girl, then go and sit in a university coffee shop and listen to the patterns and vocabulary the students use. Speech patterns are far more important to authenticity than vocabulary - most people use very simple vocabulary day to day, but the structure and style and slang of a particular group's speech is what makes it unique, and that's why it's so startling when a writer gets it right.

Also be aware that NOBODY talks like movie voiceovers :)
 
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laughingcrow said:
Nobody watches movies to hear enriched vocabularies. Just ask Quentin Tarantino; he'd tell ya he's made a fortune with broken english, slang and cussing. Write what you know, forget trying to impress.
Click to expand...

Allthough true, the level of your vocal expression is depending on your mastery of the language.
This is known as the Theory of relativity of language.

I'm not suggesting the conversations should become poetic prose.
 
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RealJasonBourne said:
How am I supposed to create characters with unique personalities if I have a limited vocabulary?

Is it even possible for me to create the dialogue of a character like an 18 year old girl? To know what they would think/say/react?

If my vocab is just basic will I not be able to write a unique script?
Click to expand...
A: Are you writing to direct/produce yourself or writing a spec screenplay?

B: Get the fundamental story structure down tight and the actors will likely bring a lot of ideas to the set.
 
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If you want to create characters, it is more important you can enter their world and make that world part of you as you write.

Some writers use visual aids of the characters and their world to stimulate their imagination to bring the characters and their world to life.

Syd Field recommends writing character sheets on each character in your script. The character sheet should specify the character's age, sex, ethnic background, religion if it plays a part in the story, and what the character wants and what or who is stopping the character from getting what they want.

This will help determine a character's speech pattern and how they will talk.

I disagree about what actors will bring to an amateur film. They don't want to put the work into developing a character a studio or union actor would do. The more you give them about the character the better.

Look for as many films and TV shows that have characters you are looking to create for reference as possible.
 
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And, if you want to get to know your characters better write a detailed report of a make believe visit to the characters' bedrooms making a list of everything in their bedroom from the type of furniture to the objects hanging on the walls to how tidy or messy they keep their rooms.


You'd be surprised how much this tells you about a character.
 
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laughingcrow said:
Nobody watches movies to hear enriched vocabularies. Just ask Quentin Tarantino; he'd tell ya he's made a fortune with broken english, slang and cussing. Write what you know, forget trying to impress.
Click to expand...

The difference here is Tarantino is intelligent, well-spoken, and very talented; RJB is just (hopefully:D) intelligent and we'll soon find out how talented. He's already shown he's smart by asking for help. Oh, and Tarantino knows how to craft the broken english, slang and cussing in a way uniquely his own, he gets to direct his own scripts, and he has nice budgets, not to mention the actors ain't too bad either.


I agree with broadening your literary horizons. What you really need to do is to go on an "intellectual" Magical Mystery Tour. Dive into history for a couple of weeks; maybe pick a decade/era like the 20s or the Renaissance. Then go crazy on "literature" for a while; You can pick a few from this list - http://www.thebest100lists.com/best100novels/ . After that pick a pre-1950 director and watch a wide selection of his films. Next could be a Tech & Sciences binge. The whole point is to expand your knowledge and vocabulary, which will give you more to write with and to write about.


Here's another exercise... In ten words or less, what is your film about? It can be as simple as "It's a comedy" or more focused like "It's about making choices."
 
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Thanks a lot^^!! A while ago I didn't even want to get into script writing at all (I was probably too lazy.) All I was focusing on was cinematography (camera angles, not lighting). But now I realize script writing is probably the first step as a film maker and something you can show skill for $0.

I watched a ton of film courage interviews just to get in the mind frame of a writer. Now i'm reading a few scripts just to get an idea of how the professionals do it and after a few more videos of advice from writers I'm going to start.

The only thing is I don't want this to take a while to get into it. I will look at your links for books and history and try to read a little on the side.

TY!
 
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Watch BTS of studio productions on the same DVD or Blu-ray movie you buy of movies and TV shows. I like the filmed production meetings with the writers and crew where they have maps, toys of characters, cars, trucks, storyboards, and scripts to discuss how they will shoot scenes and episodes.

If they plan with visual aids, why should we?
 
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