Heres a list of Characterisation forms. It might help or it might not, but i desided it might be useful. It's from Uncle Orson, reworded and summerised by myself. What makes a Character? (Order in general importance) (I will slowly reintroduced my better version, yet will be slow as i have other things to do, so bear with me. I have left headings, i doubt they're some sort of infringement.) A character is what he does (content coming) Motive (content coming) The Past (content coming) Reputation (content coming) Stereotypes (content coming) Network (content coming) Habits and Patterns (content coming) Talents and Abilities (content coming) Tastes and Preferences (content coming) Body (content coming) Source: Elements of Fiction Writing, Characters and Viewpoint, Orson Scott Card, Writers Digest Books (1988) And that's about the extent of it, thank you Mr Card. Hope it helps folks.
it's nice of you to share this advice, but did mr. card give you permission to fiddle with/post his stuff? or, is it totally 'paraphrased'? either way, you should include a link to the original and a proper citation...
Well its not totally paraphrased, most of it is though, it came out of a book; i did say the source at the bottom, ill expound on that. Edit: hmm, it does say i need permission to reproduce this... but i've always got the idea that if its sourced its fine...hmmm, anybody know a bit more? Edit2: I'm thinking i'd better totally paraphrase it. Edit3: oh, i was summerising also, OSC does alot more writing in between. (but i dont think that matters)
I just use a batch of my notebook and my list goes like this ex. of random characteristics: DOB: 6-6-1992 (That's not my birthday) DOD:4-23-2045 Eyes:Blue Hair: Red Powers (if any): Munipulate Time Parents: Hermann and Alyssa Turner Siblings:None Spouse: Stan Simpson Children: Louis and Clark Full Name: Corinne Alexandrie Turner Simpson Timeline of Life: ... but that's just what I do, I don't know about you guys.
Having those details are fine, but are they characterisation (do they make the character real?) or are they just technical details? The powers part is charactorisation, as it is part of what your character can do...
You should really, REALLY not give out personal information--especially the names of family members--on the internet. (edit) whether it's made up or not, it's a terrible idea
Whether it's made-up or not? Does that mean we shouldn't roleplay? Anyway, I wouldn't worry too much about being sued for not giving Orson Scott Card full credit for a post you made on some random forum... Suing kids in general is usually non-profitable and bad for your personal reputation.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please summarize in your own words rather than paraphrasing, and provide a proper citation of the source, or I will be forced to remove this thread. You are skating pretty close to copyright violation here. Paraphrasing doeen't absolve you where you are retaining the content and organization of his work, and the quantity of material exceeds fair use. A link to his online material would also be a good idea. Whether or not he is likely to litigate is not the issue. This forum requires adherence to copyright restrictions and supports the proper use of others' intellectual property. If the post is not amended within 24 hours, the thread will be removed.
paraphrase: "a restatement of a text or passage giving the meaning in another form, as for clearness; rewording." - Dictionary.com I fail to see the difference...
Simply rewording Orson Scott Card's paragraphs retains the same overall organization. Changing a few words around is still plagiarism if you don't acknowledge the source and the source is still recognizable. Even with the source acknowledged, there are limits on how much material may be presented and for what purpoise (Fair Use). Altering the source by paraphrasing can actually make it worse, because you risk misrepresenting the original writer's meaning in the process. You are on much safer ground if you say you read some material by Orson Scott Card, point to it for reference, then summarize what your understanding of it is. If he summarizes completely in his own words and organization, and reports his source adequately, that would be acceptable. In other words, to learn the concept, and then explain it in your own words is not the same as rephrasing section-by-section. Dictionary definitions are inherently shallow, particularly where legal requirements are concerned.
Good that I copied it to my journal, then! (lol) But seriously--the next time that one of my neighbors disses me for being out directing traffic on the highway with my pants around my ankles, I'm going to make him read this! xoxo
Alrighty, what do you mean by propa citation by the way, what form should i write in...? I'll get to changing it then.
Author and title at least. A link to the online page, if any, would be good too. Chapter name or number might be good if it's a hard copy source. If it's a magazine or ezine article, then specify the volume and edition (and page numbers?) of that as well. You could follow APA or MLA citation guidelines, but we don't require that much detail here. Just identify it well enough that we know exactly where you got it from. But you really can't quote or even paraphrase a passage that long.
i'm glad to see you on this, cog!... infringement of copyright is too serious to let it slide, especially on a site for writers, most of whom would scream to high heaven, if their own work was used without their permission... love and hugs, maia
