Pernell Rogers – Writer

You know, getting to really know yourself is hard enough, but really getting to know someone that doesn’t even exist…well that’s just crazy! That’s what I do when I get in my character’s heads.

In my last post, I mentioned writing about a person of the opposite gender. I’m still working on the same story with the female protagonist. I must admit, the story has grown from +1700 words to +3400 words, which is what I was shooting for, but my progress has been slow.

I find myself re-reading the same sections of the story repeatedly, then dropping my head back and thinking what does she want, what does she expect, how can she get through this with the least damage. That’s what it’s like to be in my character’s head.

Yesterday, I watched the 1971 movie “Duel” starring Dennis Weaver and directed by Steven Spielberg. I didn’t plan on it. It just happened to come on. If you’ve never seen it, YOU SHOULD! I remember seeing it for the first time back in the late 70s. There’s not of dialogue throughout the entire film, but everything that happens comes from the single point of view of the protagonist, Dennis Weaver. It’s the best of every genre: drama, thriller, horror, and mystery. And the tension that’s built as the movie progresses? Spielberg had it down!

Being stuck in my female character’s head made the movie more relevant to me. External wants versus internal wants were prevalent throughout the movie. I just have to find those same wants with my character.

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