You've got to leave the reader with more than just a name and a costume - they need to know who the character is, what they're like, what kind of attitude they have, what sort of role they play.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I think the key is to give the reader characters they not only care about, but identify with, and to never take away all hope.
I'm very much into the costuming of any character that I portray and it's one of the great things about making movies is it's a collaborative art form so you get all these artists who are looking specifically about for this instance your character's costume and what that might tell about your character.
I always want the audience to identify with my character in some way. I mean, sometimes you'll get characters that aren't very identifiable. Sometimes you can't relate to your character at all. I think it's important to keep the audience interested. But the best advice that I've gotten is to live in the moment.
The reader is going to imprint on the characters he sees first. He is going to expect to see these people often, to have them figure largely into the story, possibly to care about them. Usually, this will be the protagonist.
You want to feel that your reader does identify with the characters so that there's a real entry into the story - that some quality speaks to the individual.
When a character bears the same name as the author it's just an invitation to have some fun.
All characters come from people I know, but after the initial inspiration, I tend to modify the characters so they fit with the story.
That's the way I will write characters, put a fair amount of myself in them, and then everyone else who was like that person, I will pick and choose.
Costumes are the first impression that you have of the character before they open their mouth-it really does establish who they are.
The right costume determines the character, helps the actor feel who he is, and serves the story.