Classroom Exercise
What’s in Your Bag?
by Lindsay Price
Characters come alive in the smallest details: a favourite food, a favourite type of music, a fear of spiders, an allergy to plums, a scar from a fall at two years of age, a love of reality television.
These details make a character three dimensional and human. They make a character specific. The details may seem mundane, but think about what defines you as a person. Is it the grand events in your life, or the day to day?
Small details add a layered richness beyond the world of the story. Sometimes you’ll find a place to work them into your writing, and sometimes you won’t. But coming up with details have to be a part of your character development process when working on a play. The more you know about your characters, the deeper the well you have to draw from, the more specifically you can write for them.
This character development exercise will allow you to create the details of the small for your characters.
What’s In Your Bag?
Empty out the bag you use most regularly, whatever you take with you when you go out. If you don’t carry a bag, think about how you carry what’s necessary – what’s in your pockets?
First, look at the bag itself.
Write a short paragraph about the bag.
- Why did you choose it?
- How long have you had it?
- Do you need a new one?
- Secondly take out all the items and lay them out on a table
- What’s your opinion on the amount of things you carry every day?
- Is everything functional in your bag?
- Is there anything in your bag that shouldn’t be there?
- Do you carry anything that comes with a memory or an emo tional attachment?
- Lastly, analyse three items in your bag.
- Why do you carry this item?
- What purpose does it hold in your life?
- Is there any emotional feeling or memory attached to this item?
- Why or why not?
Once you’ve answered all the questions, look back at what you’ve written. What does your bag say about you?
Are you surprised by any of your answers?
Why or why not?
Apply this exercise to a character
Now, apply the same process to the main character. It could be a character in a play you’re studying, or a character in a play you’re writing.
Give this character a bag.
Describe the bag.
- What does the bag look like? How old is it?
- Why does the character carry this bag? Is this character the type of person who can’t leave the house without a huge bag?
- If the character definitely wouldn’t carry a bag, create the reason why.
- Once you’ve established the bag itself, make a point for list of the items in the bag.
- What does this character carry on a regular basis?
- Is there anything job related in the bag?
- Based on what you know of the character, what items are expected?
- Think of one unexpected item that would be in the bag.
- Take three items and analyze them.
- What does the item say about the character?
- Why is it in the bag?
Is it functional for the character? Why or why not?
Does it have an emotion, or a memory attached to it?
Look at what you’ve written. What does this bag tell you about this character?
Bonus
If you want to go further, write a monologue or scene that takes place in the world of your story involving this character and their bag.
Exploring the world of the small in your characters is always going to give you a wealth of material to work with.
Celebs Tell Us: What’s In My Bag?
By Us Weekly Staff
July 1, 2014 Buy now
What’s in My Bag?
Gwen Stefani, Denise Richards and other stars tell Us Weekly what they stash inside their purse Money, cards, keys, a phone, and tissues are the essential things to bring with you wherever you go. But some stars seem to bring a lot more than is necessary. Some of them even carry a shark toothin their wallet, which is not quite that unusual, as it can serve as a lucky charm. And some celebs go even further and put a device that blocks radiation in their bags, well, just in case.
We at Bright Side have found some celebs who surprise everyone, even those who know them well, with all the bewildering items they carry in their bags. Emma Watson really has a lot of different things in her bag. Her friends even call her “the bag lady.” She predictably has a book and diary with her. But among the most surprising things, there is a hot water bottle, a vegan deodorant, reusable make-up pads, and... Nutella!
No doubt Miranda Kerr cares a lot about her skin and health. She’s a supermodel and has actually founded the natural skincare brand, Kora Organics. It would be no surprise to find some of these or similar products in her bag. But instead of these, she has a device that blocks radiation in her bag. “There’s a thing I put on my phone, Tilys Biotech, that’s supposed to help with radiation. You can put this sticker on to help with the electromagnetic fields.”
It’s no surprise that people have many different cards in their purses or wallets, and the Australian model is no exception, well, almost. “I carry an old passport photo of my husband,” the model admitted. “I also have the first card that he gave me when he sent me flowers.”
Well, it seems like it’s really hard to impress Tyra Banks with the art of cooking. That’s why she carries sesame seeds and salt in her bag — it may really come in handy. “I go to this burger joint, but they don’t season their meat enough. I put seasoning salt with sesame seeds in a plastic bag and bring it to the restaurant to put a little on it,” she said in 2018.
Ariana Grande carries around some perfume, including a small bottle of men’s cologne. She explained, “It smells like somebody I tend to miss a lot when I’m on the road.” Besides that, she has a small pebble with “serenity” written on it. Well, who doesn’t carry one of those around at all times?
Oprah Winfrey is really good with pasta. But she’s obviously obsessed with truffles. So it’s no wonder we may find some related products in her bag. “I’m a truffle freak. I walk around with truffle salt, that’s on my rider for the hotels. Truffle salt, truffle oil.”
Camilla Luddington, the Grey’s Anatomy star, has a rubber duck in her bag. Why? It’s because of her daughter, Hayden, who was teething. “My daughter loves to chew on rubbery bath toys, so I have a tiny rubber ducky in my bag. She teethes on those.”
See page book 1 page 7
The American singer-songwriter, Meghan Trainor, keeps Poo-Pourri in her bag at all times. Wait a minute, a spray for the toilet in her bag? You read that right! “I bring my Poo-Pourri. Everywhere. It should be in every household,” the singer said. It seems like she means in every household andin every bag.
Adele has learned how to cook. She adores a Sunday roast, her son’s favorite. She also loves fry-ups and full English breakfasts. But she doesn’t trust restaurants’ choice of ketchup. That’s why she always carries some of her own in her bag. “I carry little sachets of Heinz ketchup everywhere with me. Beyoncé has hot sauce in her bag...I have Heinz ketchup.”
STYLISH
Credit: Michael Pirrocco; Inset: Rick Diamond/Getty Images
Shakira
The Bag: Fringed Stella McCartney carryall
The Essentials: Her passport, vitamins, and eyelash curler and items to keep her son Milan occupied on the go. “I carry my son’s books and a mini soccer ball to play with. It always reminds us of his dad,” The former Voice coach says of her son, whose father is Spanish soccer star Gerard Pique.
Credit: Michael Pirrocco; Inset: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
Lena Headey
The Bag: Foley + Corinna purse
The Essentials: Multiple lip balms, scarves, an extra pair of underwear for her son, Wylie, and random Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and Power Ranger toys. “It’s so glamorous, my bag, isn’t it?” jokes the Game of Thrones actress. See page book 4 page 9
Credit: Michael Pirrocco; Inset: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Megan Fox
The Bag: Kooba tote
The Essentials: Black sharpie pens, Aquaphor, and spare bills for tips. “I always bring cash for tips, and I never give less than $20,” the mom of two, married to Brian Austin Green since 2010, tells Us. “I used to work in a smoothie shop, so I know the value of a tip!”
See page book 5 page 12
Credit: Michael Pirrocco; Inset: JB Lacroix/WireImage
Malin Akerman
The Bag: Tokidoki Ju.Ju.Be tote
The Essentials: Burp cloths, Livly onesies and stuffed toys for son Sebastian. “My Medela breast-milk cooler is also great for holding snacks for me!” mom adds. “My fave is Muller Yogurt. It tastes like dessert, but it’s nutritious.” Buy now
Credit: David Lewis Taylor; Inset: Michael Stewart/WireImage
Jenna Dewan Tatum
The Bag: Coach Bleecker Legacy Tote
The Essentials: “My Nap plush eye mask from Brookstone blacks out the room and doesn’t squish my eyelashes! I look silly, but I still wear it on planes,” Channing Tatum’s wife tells Us of the luxe item she reaches for when catching Zzz’s. Tatum also totes aquamarine and rose quartz crystals in her bag. “They balance me, especially the quartz -- it was a favor from my wedding reception,” she says.
Credit: Michael Pirrocco; Inset: Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Jessica Alba
The Bag: Honest Company’s canvas tote/backpack Buy now
The Essentials: “Havie gets carsick, so I have snacks ready. A lollipop or a squeezy fruit pouch usually helps,” the mom of two says of her youngest daughter, Haven. Also in mommy’s magic bag: Big crayons, Ore’s kid-sized utensils and Alba’s iPhone, to take videos of the girls when they play at the park.
Credit: Michael Pirrocco; Inset: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images
Jennie Garth
The Bag: Baggu backpack
The Essentials: “My Jus D’Amour, or ‘love juice,’ perfume is a dude magnet. Men go crazy for the earthy, cedar smell, so I make sure I’m ready to attract attention whenever I wear it!” says single mom Garth, who shares daughters Luca, Lola and Fiona, with ex Peter Facinellini. See page book 2 page 7.
Credit: Michael Pirrocco; Inset:Fernando Leon/Getty Images
Tiffani Thiessen
The Bag: Time’s Arrow tote
The Essentials: Bright red lipstick, extra socks and sunglasses for both Thiessen and her daughter, Harper. “I’m a black Ray-Ban girl all the way,” the self-proclaimed “minivan mom” tells Us. “I’ve also started packing pink Babiators sunglasses for Harper to wear. She looks so cool in them!”
Credit: Michael Pirrocco; Inset: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images
La La Anthony
The Bag: Chanel purse, See page book 1 page 9
The Essentials: “Juicy Juice boxes are a must have for my son. Only trouble is, he’ll pop the straw into one and I won’t realize it, then I’ll throw it in my bag. It gets all over everything!” Kiyan’s mom tells Us. Other musts for Carmelo Anthony’s wife include Havaianas flip-flops, and jewelry for every occasion. “If a bracelet is bothering me or I want a midday change, I switch to another,” she says.
