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Character Creation
By: Jeff Heisler
Creating
believable characters is an essential element of fiction. The
story rest on your characters shoulders. If they don't hold
up then your story collapses. So how do you make believable
characters?
First
recognize that different genres of fiction have different needs.
A tightly plotted action or suspense thriller may not need characters
fleshed out in detail
as much as a literary novel. Also be aware that the more outlandish
your plot is, the more important character believability becomes.
Read any Steven King book and you'll see this.
The
reason he can take us on these journeys through strange and
unusual events is his power to create realistic characters.
When we believe the character, we believe what's happening to
them. The process of creating characters is so
varied I suspect there are as many methods as there are authors.
As always, take these tips as guidelines- not law. Every writer
must do what works for him or her. These ideas will hopefully
serve as a springboard to get you on your way.
Here's how I create my characters:
Step
1- Consider the story. In general the more my emphasis rest
on the plot of the book, the more my characters need to serve
that plot. If the story focus is more character based then my
plot needs to serve the character. If I need a character that
will chase down a killer then I better design someone who's
able to do that. Everything from their build to their psychology
must help them get to the killer.
Now
it's important not to make the character a perfect fit. No one
is perfect, that's what makes life interesting. Your characters
should have flaws that make it uncomfortable for them to reach
their goal. For example the character chasing the
killer might have a wife and family that worry about his safety.
This
creates tension- tension drives story.
When
constructing a more literary work then the character should
be in mind already, and the plot forms around them. For example-
a coming of age story requires a young character who will experience
events that will shape their
life. If you don't have those elements you don't have a coming
of age story- so your plot must support your character.
Step
2- Get to know your character. I like to use a form that looks
like an extensive dossier when I create my characters. For supporting
characters the dossier is smaller, but still quite detailed.
Design one for yourself and be sure to include details about:
The character's appearance.
Their habits and mannerisms.
Their motivations.
Their
past.
How the character will change in the course of the story.
Don't make the mistake of assuming the bad guys don't need as
much character detail- they do, particularly in motivation.
Sure a story about a killer is suspenseful and scary, but if
you have a killer who murders because he sees his abusive father
in every victim, well- that's a little richer. Remember- the
bad guys have
motivations that seem good to them. Hitler thought he was a
nice guy- your bad
guy should too. When you finish your dossier you may want to
get creative with it.
I've
spent time leafing through old magazines until I find a picture
of someone who reminds me of my character. I cut the picture
out and paste it to the dossier.
Somehow this makes the person seem real in my mind. I can think
of them as a human rather than a construction when I see an
actual face.
Step
3- Interview your character. Don't let your family see you do
this or they'll call the guys with the butterfly nets. You need
to sit down at the keyboard or with your notepad and interview
these characters.
Ask
them all kinds of questions about the story and their lives.
Why do you need to do this? Because it helps you iron out the
wrinkles in your character's construction. If you interview
your character and they reveal a motivation that just seems
weak to you- great. Now you have a chance to fix it before writing
hundreds of pages.
Step 4- Introducing you character. When you finally sit down
to write you'll wonder how you go about introducing your character.
A few points to consider: Introduce them at a moment of change
in their lives. Don't show how your character was born and raised
in intricate detail- jump into their lives at the moment something
dramatic happens. Instead of beginning your story "He
was born at 2:34am in Lakeview hospital," you can begin
like this- "Marvin had never killed anyone before.
Looking down at the body at his feet he wondered if it would
be the last time."
Whoa! Much more interesting, eh? "Show, don't tell,"
still applies. Try to show your character's nature rather than
tell about it. The exception is minor characters. You can use
some short exposition to explain your minor characters
just to get them moving fast. You don't want to spend a large
chunk of text
describing the Boy Scout who helps Granny walk across the street-
and your reader doesn't either. Just give enough information
about the kid to get Granny across the street- then go back
to Granny's life.
Some authors go for the bullet approach. Decide if it's right
for you. The bullet
approach works like this- when a character is introduced the
story stops briefly and the author spends some time writing
expository information that gives the reader everything they
need to know about the character. This works for some writers-
but I don't recommend it. For one thing fiction has to be hyper-realistic.
In real life we don't get to know people all at once like that.
It's a gradual discovery. Consider your story and consider what
other authors in your genre are doing and decide for yourself.
That's the basic recipe for character creation. I
hope it helps you get your characters off the ground and running.
Remember-
characters are the building blocks of story- don't forget to
spend time on them before you dive into your first draft. You'll
be glad you did.
About the author: Jeff Heisler is a freelance writer and novelist.
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