Into the Fire

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Passionate: right or wrong. Writes love stories with a passion. Raw Romantic Redemptive

Fun-loving . . .

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You know those people. The ones who organize "fun" things like game nights, Super Bowl parties, concerts, weekend trips to exciting places. Fun is number one to them, and they're darn sure going to be doing or finding something fun to do most of their down time. Accompanying those fun activities are lots of laughs, food, and experimentation to make the fun even grander.

So. Think of those fun-loving people and translate them to a fictitious character. Do they come off as shallow? Maybe slightly self-centered? How do you create a worthwhile fun-loving character? Is he – or she – clever, determined, sarcastic, giggly? What's the reality in his/her life to make them who they are?

Most of us enjoy fun times and participate willingly in events we enjoy. But some of us are more of the serious types and don't spend a lot of time focusing on fun until we finally realize we're depriving ourselves of some much-needed pleasure – even if it's in small doses.

So. Is it hard to write a fun-loving character? Is it more difficult to write that serious one? What about quirks? Easier to put them into the fun-lover or the serious character? What kind of character do you prefer to read about or create?

And who are you? Fun-lover or the more serious type. I know. Most of you will say "in between", but I know you lean strongly one way or the other. 'Fess up. Which is it?

 

Father, you designed us with differences. We have the freedom to exercise our character traits in the arena where you put us. Thank you for your love in spite of us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

 

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5 responses to “Fun-loving . . .”

  1. BK Jackson (@BKJacksonAZ) Avatar
    BK Jackson (@BKJacksonAZ)

    I’m very intense, and the “goof off all the time” person drives me nuts in real life, so they would be hard to write in fiction as well. Thinking about the few novels I’ve written so far, I may have a few characters with a fun-loving personality (notably NOT main characters), but I have a hard time with them because thinking in their thought processes is completely foreign to me.
    Serious characters lend themselves well to the printed page, but they’re hard to write too, because of the variety of depth you’re trying to bring to the page.
    I don’t know why, but there’s this one particular character, more of the fun-loving side, who’s a secondary (not even a major) character in my Genesis novel. There are many reasons I’ve been sitting on that book but one of them is because, for whatever reason, I’m not satisfied with how I’ve brought this team member to life on the page. I just feel like I haven’t hit my stride with him yet. Even his name, Cash, has been stuck in my head since the beginning, and I’m waiting to give him his full due in that book. He will be my test of writing the fun-loving yet nuanced character.
    Thanks for this topic. That character always gives me the warm fuzzies when I think about him so it’s good to be reminded of the fictional people trolling about in your head. (Well, most of the time. LOL!)

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  2. Nicole Avatar
    Nicole

    Brenda, let me give you an atypical example of a fun-loving person. Who knows? May help you with Cash. This friend of ours is a high-intensity man who works very hard, is an engineer, but if you ever want to plan an event or anything fun, he’s the go-to guy. A couple of years ago he organized (and bought our tickets!) an evening concert event which began with he and his wife picking us up and going out to dinner. This because he found out we enjoyed a similar artist. Last weekend he and his wife staged a game night for a few friends which we couldn’t make. He’s a hunter in the fall, always taking two weeks off to go with guy friends. He’s not shallow at all, but it’s not easy to get him into a deep conversation unless it’s just you and him or he and wife. Hope that helps because I often think of a lot of silliness when I think of “fun-loving”. Not always so. (And I’m the serious, passionate type who loves to laugh but is content to be home alone a lot.)

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  3. BK Jackson (@BKJacksonAZ) Avatar
    BK Jackson (@BKJacksonAZ)

    You’ve hit it exactly with your friend’s example. Fun-loving, but a lot bubbling underneath too. That’s what I want for Cash.

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  4. Brenda Anderson Avatar
    Brenda Anderson

    It’s far easier for me to write serious, introspective characters (my novels are serious too), so I really strive to create some fun, yet authentic quirks. My favorite female character is actually very quirky–but hopefully realistic too.

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  5. Nicole Avatar
    Nicole

    I’m with you, Bren. Serious writing. Not a lot of humor. A few quirks. I’m sure your favorite character will translate to your readers’ favorite character. It’s hard not to enjoy a character in whom an author has invested so much.

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