Today I want to talk about shadows. It's sunny here today on Bainbridge Island, and wherever there is sun, there are also shadows.
It's fun to see your own shadow, like in this photo I took of mine. Sometimes your arms look huge and your head looks tiny.
There's another way to look at shadows. Some writers think of shadows as the dark side of a character. We all have a dark side, and so do our characters. We may have a sunny personality, but sometimes we feel moody. We may be truthful, but sometimes we tell a white lie. We may be honest, but sometimes we do things that are less than 100% honest.
If you pay attention to your character's dark side, you give that character depth. No one is ALWAYS sunny, truthful, and honest.
Look at a character you've written about. If your character is too good to be true, can you add one characteristic that may show the shadow side of your character?
Maybe your character is on his way to his friend's when he finds a $10 bill on the sidewalk. What does he do?
Maybe your character is late to class. How does he explain his lateness?
Maybe your character wakes up and remembers she forgot to do her homework. What does she do?
Let your character's "shadow" turn your character into someone believable and true.
