Still working those characterisation muscles, helping to give you core strength as a writer (I can feel a bit of a Pilates metaphor starting to take shape), here is an exercise that you might like to think about over the weekend.
Write a scene in which your central character has a moment of epiphany. This is a classic term for an instance of realisation, or total clarity. The dictionary defines it as a sudden revelation or insight into the nature, essence or meaning of something. In this case, try showing your hero or heroine in a situation where something happens which makes them realise they are not the person that they thought they were. This will give you the opportunity to show two different aspects of their character, a before and after point of view, which will get you thinking about how you can resolve two contrasting or conflicting aspects of their personality and will ultimately lend greater depth to how you portray them. We are all a mass of contradictions and complexities, but we often have a particular narrative to account for the person we've become: I think/behave like this because such and such happened to me. In this scenario, blow that narrative into smithereens and see what your hero is left with, and what they make of it.
April is the cruellest month, after all....
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