nano_writers | FSN - Day 11 - Mannerism, Disposition and Taglines (Reply)

Day 11 - 20 days until the start of NNWM

Today Nano Writer, we’re going to do something a little different: we’re going to write a tiny biography based on mannerisms and disposition before trying our hand at crafting a tagline for our main characters. A tagline, according to Wikipedia is…

…a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product (like a film), or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product.

So let’s put on our Ad Man suit and tie, pour ourselves a martini (mock or otherwise, your choice ;-) and create taglines for our protagonist and antagonist that will make our characters memorable…

First, let’s take fifteen minutes to create a list of words that describe our characters’ mannerisms (his or her distinctive style or habit of doing things) and disposition (a character’s usual mood or temperament). And like yesterday, let’s trim this list to one or two “key” words by applying the “premise” test by asking the five “W’s” (who, what, when, where, why) and How.

For my antagonist: The Fairy King, I might describe his mannerism as impulsive and amoral (after all, he offered his own daughter up as a changeling) and ruthless (his plans to avenge his daughter’s death outweigh every consideration) as well as arrogant and uninhibited (his vengeance will be horrific) - an Enneagram Type 8 with a strong Type 7 wing.

So working from my mini bio, here’s my tagline:

He dreams of blood - glittering like rubies in the moonlight.

Hmm, not quite the zing of “Reach out and touch someone” (AT&T) or the brevity of “Bright-eyed” Athena (Homer). Guess I’m not ready for Madison Avenue just yet ;-) but I think that I’ve created an image of the character for myself that I can think about when writing his early scenes, keeping in mind that most characters undergo some degree of transformation during the story - even bad guys.

It can be fun too, to give a character a favorite expression, something to help you get into the character’s head and see the world from his or her perspective. Think of the characters that you might recognize from “shaken, not stirred” or “my precious.”

For my Fairy King (trying to capture his unique perspective of the difference between the "fair folk" and humans): “We live in the moment between now and forever.”

Your turn Nano Writer! Spend a little time today to create short biographies for your main characters based on their mannerisms and disposition. Then try your hand at writing a memorable “tagline” and/or a favorite expression. Both exercises could help you get into your characters’ heads and see things from their unique perspective of the story.

Think outside the box, Nano Writer and never let ‘em see you sweat. Tomorrow, we’ll dig a little deeper… Until then, keep writing!