<h2><span style="color: #0000ff;">Characterisation</span></h2>
This month's session focussed on characterisation. After the initial warm up activities we had to select a photograph of a person from a selection of postcards and a magazine.

<a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/MG17431.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-4893 size-full" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/MG17431.jpg" alt="" width="154" height="192" /></a>

Our first task was to describe the character:

<span style="color: #0000ff;"><em>A young man with dishevelled, longish hair and a days beard growth. A half-smile, there's life behind the eyes. He is bare-chested.</em></span>
<span style="color: #0000ff;"> <em>His Torso and arms are covered in tattoos of various styles; intriguingly he has Montague and Capulet across his upper body: Is there conflict here?</em></span>
<span style="color: #0000ff;"> <em>His left wrist is covered in a brace indicating he broke it recently. His hands are relaxed; he appears to be comfortable with who he is.</em></span>
<span style="color: #0000ff;"> <em>He isn't muscular; has Calvin Klein underpants showing above his jeans; probably bites his nails.</em></span>

We then had to give our character a name and age. I called him Jim Stansfield aged 27.

Our next task was to give this person a voice:

<span style="color: #0000ff;"><em>Jesus! As if life wasn't complicated enough. As if? She had to go and get herself pregnant. Ok, ok, I know I was there but hey, it's not my fault. It was bad enough when I told my mum I was going out with Julia, what's she gonna say when I tell mum Julia's up the duff? She'll go ape. And that's only the start of it, Julia's dad is gonna kill me.</em></span>
<span style="color: #0000ff;"> <em>I could always leave town for a few months, stay with Joe in Barnsley; but this ain't gonna blow over is it? Jesus! What a mess. I could always take Julia with me; chances are her brothers would come and find us - then what?</em></span>

Finally we had to take write a story about the character which included what he looked like, the personality and convey somehow that this person held a secret. I wrote this:

<a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/3000.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-4896" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/3000-200x120.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="120" /></a><span style="color: #0000ff;"><em>It's a long time since I've been "normal". After a while I forgot who I was and became more wrapped up in how I wanted people to see me. The long hair, stubble and tattoos - oh yes the tattoos, I may have overdone that a bit but it seems to have worked.</em></span>
<span style="color: #0000ff;"> <em>This latest job is an odd one. I'm not sure why I'm here but orders are orders and if the "powers that be" think there's a threat then so be it...</em></span>
<span style="color: #0000ff;"> <em>They're a pleasant bunch really and I've got a great deal in common with many of them - it's not all "save the planet" and tree hugging; sometimes they talk a lot of sense. But that doesn't matter, I've got a job to do. I've become really close to the centre and Cheryl has helped; she's very attractive - I wouldn't say no.</em></span>

The group tutor has asked me to develop this a bit further so if I get time I will think about how Jim Stansfield's life might go forward.