First of all, the book being described appears to be a source of qualities / traits which would seem to provide inspiration for character development. It does not appear to be a set of canned characters. In this regard, I see no reason to scoff at its usefulenss.
As for character development in writing, has anyone heard of life's experiences? By this, I do not mean a defense of those scoffing at the book. Insetad, I am scoffing at those individuals who are probably fairly young, and as a result, do not have a great deal of life's experiences under their belt, and in all likelyhood are not qualified to just fabricate realistic characters from their mind. The book would be a good source for them.
If you look at many of the bestseller writers today, you will see that they have gained success through writing about what they have experienced. Their characters are more than likely montages of people and experiences which they have collected from working in the industry they write about. Most good police procedurals and mysteries are written by individuals who have worked in that field.
As for fantasy, where it is difficult to draw from a real life discipline, the best writers likely draw from other writers in addition to all manner of people they have interacted with combined with research. One form of research could be the book suggested above.
As for the D&D books, I would venture a guess that they are largely written by writers who have not yet made a name for themselves nor have developed a suite of characters or worlds with a unique style yet to establish themselves as the best in their class. In effect, they are nothing more than writers spewing out drivel for a paycheck, rather than creators of inspired novels. Some may venture beyond such boundies and discover their true voice, and others may fade into non-existence.
Edited by - bishop_pass on September 6, 2001 12:12:11 AM
