Friday, January 10, 2014

Shy Characters

I am a very shy person. And in most ways, that seems like a disadvantage. I feel very uncomfortable in unfamiliar social situations--at times to the point of breaking out in a sweat and quickly leaving the room. Sometimes, it even makes me frustrated with myself.
A sketch of a random shy girl....

There are things I can work on to lessen my shyness, but at the same time, I can't forget what my shyness has done for me. My overall uneasiness with interacting with people has helped me to create interesting and motivating characters.

In a story, how easy is it to relate to a character that is 100% confident all the time? By having insecurities and fear, a character seems more human, and the story is way more interesting.

Who knows about insecurity and fear more than a shy person?

Creating characters who are a little awkward in conversation or in the way that they handle things comes easy to me because I know what it's like. I face that every time I go to social events when I'm not comfortable with everyone there, or when I try to be more engaged, but end up sticking my foot in my mouth instead.

I do a lot of things that make me embarrassed and think, "Did I seem mean to them? I didn't want to seem mean...I was just scared. I hope they didn't see how much I was sweating when I was talking to them. They must have seen it--they must think I'm really weird. Why do I have to be so weird?"

The best thing about using my shyness to create characters who are insecure is making a story where they rise above their awkwardness--when they succeed despite not being fearless socially, like society wants us to think that everyone should be naturally.

Some shy people feel a lot of self-pity because of their social fears. I don't. Instead, I'm very proud of myself every time I overcome them. And I'm proud of my characters when they overcome their social fears too.









*Support the Artist♥ Purchase Wings Part One♥Purchase Mascara in Print*

2 comments :

  1. I am very proud of you too! You and Hubby are very special to me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thankyou! And we think of you and your family as very special friends of ours :D

      Delete