A New Kind of Character Sketch

I have decided that so far out of the few books I’ve read on the subject that Deng Ming-Dao is my favorite author as far as Taoism goes. I can understand what he’s talking about and I’m constantly finding new ways to apply it all to my life. I find myself remembering little quotes and such more often when I need them. I suppose that’s the point though.

Anyways, I found two Tao teachings/quotes that fit my two main characters in my current project. *big grin* So of course I felt the need to come and share them with you.

The first is titled Smallness. It makes me think of my meeker character Emily.

"You may be capable of great things,
But life consists of small things."

Emily is capable of great things- she just doesn’t really know what great things are. She is often the weakling of the story and she hates being that way. She wants to be able to stand up for herself and protect others.

She sees these as great things, and they are- in a sense. They are great in spirit but not in difficulty like she believes they are.

Little by little (with extra emphasis on little) she starts speaking out and doing what she can. These are small steps but they are still great.

She is the gentle heart of the story.

And the second is titled Chameleon which reminds me my more complex character Hope.

"If I don’t want to be known, I cannot be known.
The best actor can divide role from self.
The best liar can dive truth from falsity."

It never ceases to amaze when I do character exercises for these two how much more I often end up writing for Hope. It’s as if she’s purposely complicated in all ways.

The first line is exactly something I would have her say and it would be the truth. She’s not an outwardly honest person, she won’t divulge anything unless she wants to. There is a large part of her she tries very hard to keep unknown.

She is an actress by nature. She wants to keep the world away from, not to get close to anyone. Even though she is acting though- she’s constantly thinking about who she really is and why she is doing what she does. She does not delude herself.

She has ulterior motives throughout most of the books. She’s not an outright liar but she won’t tell the truth unless she both wants and has to. She is always hiding something, as such she can tell when others are hiding things and blunt as she is she doesn’t hesitate to pull open their chests and reveal the facts in their naked souls.

She is the rebel of the story.

Both passages on these quotes/teachings are separated by a single page with the teachings of Friendship and Bravery on either side. This makes me smile in an odd way I’m sure only I can understand. I do believe I’ve fallen in love with the personal growth of my characters as they progress from one scene to the next.

*giggles suddenly* I suppose this means my characters are Taoists now too? Lol. No, I suppose not but nonetheless I can’t help but smile to think a philosophy I’ve only recently discovered I love and am still learning has helped me create a short and random character sketch of sorts.

I might have to try this with more Tao teachings. I wonder if that would help me understand each even better? As each character is a part of myself… and while I was writing it was the attributes I most identified with that I pulled out of the them for this. Perhaps I’m reading too much into it all. After all I’ve been awake since 10 am yesterday and it’s 8 am today. Maybe I’m just way too interested in the workings of my own mind. Then again, that reminds me of another quote:

"Since we are destined to live out our lives in the prison of our minds, our one duty is to furnish it well"

-Peter Ustinov

Alright. Five posts is entirely enough for one night. I’ve been at it since I got home from work. I guess I just had a lot to say which is good. I’m too full of words on a normal day- it’s nice to release them  back into the universe so I have room for my muse to burrow between my fingers and inside my heart. I wouldn’t want her to get too crowded by all the randomness or memories or just rambling.

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