Writing prompts thought

Writers have to think about the characters they create, in many ways to a greater extent than voice actors do. For many projects, voice actors are limited to the one perspective they receive in the copy, which may be that of the cheerful young woman trying to minimize the side effects of a medication for an ad, or the traditional Voice Of God compelling the listener to find the movie more exciting than it is. Writers, meanwhile, have to see those characters in relation with each other and their environment.

I was recently reminded that I have a Tumblr login. Since I tend to use it more for entertainment, if I use it at all, I won't link anything here. However, when I logged back in, I was prompted to select several topics that were of interest to me. One of those I selected was Writing.

What resulted was a myriad of blog suggestions from poetry to journalism, but one type of blog stood out in particular; those that offered writing prompts, specifically those on characters' reactions to given situations. Questions posed were along the lines of how a character deals with a literal or figurative sore (does the character keep picking at it or otherwise?) and what reaction a character has to physical touch, or the need thereof.

Even without using these as prompts for actual writing, they're a fine exercise in character examination; not just for your own, but for others that may be implied in the copy you've received. Does the woman speaking to entice a listener to buy a vacation have to have a sexy voice? Can it not be interpreted as a woman with a partner, both of whom have busy lives, seeking to reconnect through that vacation? Or is the interpretation of 'sex sells' the only one you want to see? Just sayin'.

What do you say?