New exercise: your character from three points of view

I'm posting this exercise for my new online class, but anyone can do it.

This exercise is about exploring your main character. Write down her/his name, and the names of two other important characters in your novel or story. You now have three names on your page.

All of these people will tell us about your main character. We'll see her first through her own eyes, then through the eyes of the other two.

Go to this random number generator. Set max to 60. Get a number. Find that word on the list and write it next to the name of your main character.

Do this for each of the other two characters.

Now set the timer for five minutes and let your main character describe herself. The word next to her name must go in the first sentence.

Do the same for the other two characters. Remember each character is giving their own take on your main character.

Don't think too much about this; just write until the timer goes off. Have fun!

At the end, what have you discovered about your main character and her relationships? How might this inform the next scene you're going to write or rewrite?


1 ice

2 rain

3 light

4 sparks

5 flame

6 crack

7 flare

8 earth

9 alight

10 untouching

11 mechanical

12 sorrow

13 pressure

14 name

15 sweet

16 thief

17 storm

18 early

19 echo

20 bone

21 desire

22 blood

23 salt

24 orbit

25 drive

26 glimmer

27 touch

28 voices

29 flood

30 beast

31 tiny

32 alive

33 human

34 accident

35 eyes

36 liar

37 teeth

38 birds

39 slide

40 snow

41 murder

42 nerve

43 path

44 tunnel

45 branch

46 break

47 begin

48 call

49 lift

50 blaze

51 flare

52 shadow

53 leaves

54 pity

55 doorway

56 moon

57 dust

58 insomnia

59 dark

60 stars