<span style="color: #0000ff;">Characterisation</span>

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:

<em>A young man with dishevilled, longish hair and a days beard growth. A half smile, there's life behind the eyes. He is bare chested.</em>

<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>

<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>

<em>He isn't muscular; has Calvin Klein underpants showing above his jeans; probably bites his nails.</em>

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

Our next task was to give this person a voice:

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.

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 Julie with me me; chances are her brothers would come and find us - then what?

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:

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.

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...

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.