Professor McGonagall Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 Well, let's get right to it. Characterization of prewritten characters can get fairly contentious, so I apologize if I seem a bit one-sided. I won't deal with explaining how it's structured (most of it is pretty obvious) besides two questions that I'll put to each character: 'How do I write ____'s dialogue (which deals with dialogue and manual quirks) and 'What are [their] motives?' (which is beyond a simple MO analysis and delves into their personality) First off is: Dumbledore! Albus Dumbledore Dumbledore is a strange mix. He's presented in a wide variety of ways, that I've noticed. He's an eclectic bohemian, a frighteningly Machiavellian with little regard for anything but his own power and legacy, and as a grandfatherly mentor figure, like Gandalf to Harry's Frodo. The second portrayal I described, of Dumbledore being a Machiavellian figure, isn't entirely true. It is true that Dumbledore has issues with entrusting people with vital information, particularly when he feels that it would cause them pain, distress, or discouragement. It is not true that he's a sociopath with a grandiose god complex. Dumbledore, out of all the canon characters, has been in 'the game' the longest. He's battled dark lords, (three if you're counting bodies), been chosen for high office on more than one occasion, discovered magical processes and delved deep into almost every branch of magic, both theoretical and practical. How do I write Dumbledore's dialogue? Firstly, he's not a fan of contractions. I can't remember if he's ever used them. He also refers to people by their first name, regardless of how they introduce themselves to him. Example: Harry, Ron, and Dumbledore each have to go to the bathroom. 1. Harry: 'I'm going to the bathroom' or 2. Ron: 'Popping into the loo, d'you mind? 3. Dumbledore : 'Excuse me, I am in desperate need of the lavatory' or 'Do you mind if I use the loo?' He has a formal construction, almost never in passive voice, but has the tendency of using short words that are easily read or understood by a character. He doesn't use his very words to confuse people, he is rather direct in his construction after all. It's the meaning of the words that can trip up his peers as they search for deeper meanings in the rather simple words. Dumbledore is always presented as rather serene unless in dire circumstances. For example, if he doesn't care for someone, he doesn't say it to their face, he tells them through his meticulously chosen mannerisms and gestures: looking over his spectacles, leaning forward, whispering. Dumbledore says far more in his actions than in his speech. Example: Take the quote 'I have no words.' 1. Dumbledore folded his hands and looked over his spectacles. He frowned slightly through his beard at her. "I have no words," he said serenely. He said nothing else. 2. Dumbledore laughed, his blue eyes a merry glow. "I have no words," he said, opening his arms as if to welcome her back to Hogwarts. In conclusion, write Dumbledore's lines as simple, long declarations or questions. Don't waste time with unnecessary words. The key to Dumbledore's dialogue is the punch of power, not the wave of grandeur: he expresses that with his ideas about life. What are his motives? Dumbledore is first and foremost concerned with the downfall of intolerance and corruption in any way. As he's a master of diplomacy and tact, he can often see into the very hearts of someone through their everyday actions. He sees forgiveness and love as any remedy, and very rarely sees anyone as completely lost and undeserving of a second chance. He gives everyone a fair second chance, even if they hurt him badly. Remember that before he dueled Voldemort, he pleaded for him to change his ways. He wishes to spread his influence in a positive, constructive way. He lets others decide what path they take before guiding them either back to the light or on their path to glory. He doesn't thirst for power for himself after he saw what it did to his relationship with Ariana and Aberforth. He rarely tells people what to do, only gives them a snippet of what he knows or what they need to know before they form their own conclusions, knowing that Dumbledore will continue to watch over them from a distance. Example: Take Harry and the Mirror of Erised. He doesn't tell Harry directly not to go looking for the mirror again. He only tells Harry that it is being moved, what it does, and why it's dangerous. He asks Harry to not look for it. After that, he praises Harry, personally, after Harry wins the Quidditch match. His motives, of spreading love and forgiveness, stems from his love of Gellert Grindelwald and how Dumbledore watched this similarly powerful individual waste away because of his hatred of Muggles. It may have also come from his mother, and less so his father, when the both of them protected Ariana Dumbledore. Albus saw or at least heard about his father attacking the two Muggle boys, and would have been shaped by that event: that hatred and cruelty oft beget hatred and cruelty. His second duty is to protect his students. He is furious when Fudge brings Dementors to Hogwarts in search of Sirius. He tries to find a way for Harry not to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. He shuts himself off from Harry because he thought it would spare him more pain after Cedric dies. It fits in with his indomitable sense of forgiveness that he would want to protect and advocate for as many students that he can: Newt, Hagrid, Harry (on more than one occasion). Dumbledore has been likened to a distant God-figure, only coming down from his office when he feels his help is needed, not wanted. He is above all able to keep a close watch on everyone from afar, intervening when only he feels he can guide them on a safer path. He is fueled by his passion for acceptance, his regret at not saving Grindelwald and all who could have been redeemed, and his desire to see the world be a better place. For all. Example: Here are the quotes that I feel sum up Dumbledore's philosophy best. 1. "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." 1b. "It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be!" These two quotes reflect Dumbledore's great value of personal choice. 2. "We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided." Dumbledore wishes, through whatever means he can, to help make wizardkind a united front 3. "Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all, those who live without love." Love above all else is the cornerstone of Dumbledore's philosophy. In Conclusion... Writing Dumbledore is a balancing act. He's a master of image and poise, so he is rarely caught off guard or in a telltale mood unless he wants to appear to be. Anyone who writes him has to be careful not to make him too neglectful or too careless, or on the other hand not overbearing or dictative. He also appears to enjoy to catch others off guard, with offhanded declarations about his knee scar that looks like the London Underground to prove a point, offering sweets to diffuse a situation, or appearing almost as soon as someone was about to make a poor choice to guide them. Though he is direct in his words and language, he may throw in a personal anecdote or sudden question to guide the conversation. Above all other injustices that fanfic writers have put Dumbledore under is portraying him as a cold, evil person. He is not evil; holding too many cards and unwilling to lay down a full house, perhaps, but not callous. We must all face the choice between what is right, and what is easy. What is easy is to portray Dumbledore as a calculating figure. What is right is to portray him as someone who has been hurt by power, unwilling to see anyone else go unredeemed, and who has been at it the longest, and acts accordingly. Alright! There's Dumbledore for you! What do you think? Who should I do next, if anyone? Was I on point or is their something that you found wrong/lacking? Let me know and thank you for reading! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireOpal Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 Wow, this was really great! Very insightful, especially the part about dialogue and speech patterns. I'll definitely come back to this if I find myself writing Dumbledore in the future! (I might lean a bit more towards the "manipulative!Dumbledore" side than you do, though, heh...) I'd love it if you'd do Hagrid next, he's another one of those characters that people always mention being afraid of writing because they think they'll get him wrong. : ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor McGonagall Posted December 17, 2016 Author Share Posted December 17, 2016 Thank you! I agree that it's easy for Dumbledore to be manipulative. However I think the main point is that he's not inherently evil like most people write him as. So Hagrid, eh? Very well. Rubeus Hagrid Hagrid is one of the first characters we meet in the Harry Potter universe. He is the epitome of a gentle giant, repaying kindness with absolute loyalty and devotion. I find that most authors, as FireOpal mentioned, don't choose to write Hagrid. I don't think it's because he's an unapproachable or particularly challenging to characterize, but the way he talks can be quite difficult to write. Hagrid was Harry's first introduction into the wizarding world, escorting him and the reader through the magical world of Hogwarts. Through the series, he remained a stout supporter of the Trio, Dumbledore, the Order, and Hogwarts. Though his physical appearance may be intimidating, his heart of gold shines through from every page he's in. How do I write Hagrid's lines? Unlike Dumbledore, Hagrid enjoys and frequently uses contractions. He also, for lack of a better word, tends to slur his connective words (ter an' fer, for example) and drop off ending or beginning consonants (depending on the word and placement), which can be very difficult to write. He also sometimes gets rid of the contraction (Don't to Don') but this is rare. Hagrid never drops his H's unless it's 'him'. All in all, less is more. A confusing jumble of words will be hell to edit and hell to read. A few hints here and there would do wonders, while completely carpet-bombing the screen with elided vowels and consonants wouldn't. Treat Hagrid's words like glue in elementary school: a drop will do you fine. I'm honestly not sure how to describe it any better. Example: Hagrid tries to get someone to look at something (presumably a dangerous creature) "I've got summat you'd like ter see..." not " 've got sum't you'd like ter see.." "Oi, Ron! C'mere a sec, would yeh?" not "Oi, Ron! C'mere a sec, w'uld ye?" "Here she is. Isn't she jus' beau'iful?" not "'Ere she 's. Is't she jus' be'u'iful?" "Haven't shown 'em yet ter anyone." not "'Avent shown 'm ye' ter any'ne." Hagrid also employs various regional English slang words, which is also very important to use sparingly. Hagrid's dialogue is very informal, bar his use of official titles instead of first names, as Dumbledore or Hermione might, i.e Professor McGonagall or Minister Fudge instead of Minerva and Cornelius. Hagrid wears his heart on his sleeve. If he's mad, he's mad. If he's very happy to see someone, he expresses it. If he hates your guts, he let's you know it. As we've seen in canon, he's terrible at lying so if he is, he'll often contradict himself or stumble over his words. In conclusion, treat Hagrid's colloquialisms and elisions with care. Too much and it washes out what he's trying to say, too little and you don't get that West Country charm JK Rowling envisioned. It is of course entirely acceptable to forego the elisions and all that if it suits you. What are his motives? Hagrid is a follower, first and foremost. He owes everything he is to Dumbledore, and is thus utterly devoted to him and to the 'light side of the Force'. Hagrid is probably the least likely adult at Hogwarts to betray Dumbledore for any reason because of this debt. He is very proud to be considered Dumbledore's man. Hagrid is very touchy about his giant ancestry, perhaps after being bullied during his brief time as a student at Hogwarts. His knack and appreciation for dangerous creatures probably stems from a 'If I'm considered dangerous but I'm harmless, then I should give them a chance' mentality his childhood might have cultivated, which is why it is very hard to tear Hagrid away from any sort of harmful creature, such as Norbert or Buckbeak and why he is their strongest advocates: they were his comfort when humans failed him. He also doesn't have many memories of his mother, and as his father died early in his school career, he would have been utterly devastated and possibly deeply depressed. Hagrid therefore was an extremely emotional individual and known to be aggressive when he or someone he cared about was insulted or attacked. His great courage masked his deep insecurity, as he often asked the Trio if they liked his class or not (not liking it would to him be not liking him as a person). He is quick to trust but slow to forgive. Hagrid is a wholehearted helper, willing to put himself in front of others and just do whatever needs to be done. He is similar to Tom Bombadil from Lord of the Rings: nature-oriented and content in his little world unless he's needed. If a character has made a friend of Hagrid, they have a friend for life.Hagrid's flaw is that he is extremely gullible and indiscreet, particularly if he's been flattered or is flustered. He thinks the best of people unless they've insulted him or someone he cares about (Snape in PS and HBP) In Conclusion Hagrid is a very likeable and very popular character within the Harry Potter series. He is nature incarnate, both a wild man and a gentle soul. The key to writing Hagrid is that he's not stupid because he's uneducated, or trying to put students in danger because of his own fascination with deadly and dangerous things (couldn't see him carrying around a basilisk). He is trying to do the best work that he can for as long as he can in the best way he can do it, without a complete magical education or without much support from a surprisingly large amount of people. Hagrid on a more plot based level could slip a secret or two that is vital to the plot, but don't go out of your way to include Hagrid in every one of Dumbledore's or Harry's plans. He's only one (unfortunately loose-lipped) man after all. In Harry's life, as opposed to Dumbledore, Hagrid was active in a more personal way: sending him birthday and Christmas gifts, having tea with him whenever Harry stopped by (without protest if Harry showed up in the middle of the night), and was after all Harry's first true friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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