Character Rhythm And The Great Villain

"...Not everyone can create a great sound. I mean, everybody and their grandmother
has home recording studios in their homes, but they're not all out there making
Sergeant Pepper right now, are they..?"
-Rob Zombie

Back once again, the PLANET GRIFFIN WEEKEND EDITION swings back into orbit with a piece from the archives of yours truly, the Infamous RodBuddah. When it comes to creating a character, I don't view it with a specific actor/actress in mind, like, say, Bryan Hitch. While the idea of someone like SAMUEL JACKSON 'playing' the role of a character I create would be cool, I tend to consider the 'sound' of a character in order to create a visual. Let's use Jackson as an example:

In PULP FICTION, the character of Jules, portrayed by Jackson, is a highlight of the film. Instantly quotable courtesy of Tarantino's deft style of smashgenre writing, the dialogue has a sort of 'sing-song' rhythm to it, making the film something you can listen to without even watching it... You already know the characters and the scenes, therefore you can visualize it in your own mind. The 'rhythm' of the character can be as important as the character itself.

In the creation of something new, especially in the writing phase, I tend to find a rhythm in the storytelling in order to come up with a visual for the character. Now, I'm not saying, 'Go listen to PULP and imitate the dialogue'--- No, no, no... I'm saying that, as a creator, you essentially have to 'become an actor' yourself in order to flesh out your storytelling, and in effect, your character visuals as well. When I initially began writing my personal project, FIERCE CREATURES, I began to study 'dialogue rhythm' before I set out to create the character visuals... It was in finding that rhythm during the creation of the 'Great Villain' that I managed to create the piece above... Y'know, that 'bad guy that's hard to hate' motif.

Of course, not everyone can follow such a metaphor... Much like a musician creating a new sound, you've got to find that rhythm before you can carry a tune. The same can be applied here, from music to movies to books of all types... With that said, I say to all of you up and coming creator's out there: Let's take it to the stage and create our own 'Top 40'... Or rather, our 'NEXT 100' ...LOL... This is the PLANET GRIFFIN WEEKEND EDITION.