The Catholic Writers Guild

 

“The moment comes when a character does or says something you hadn’t thought about. At that moment he’s alive and you leave it to him.” – Graham Greene

Last week we started the process of creating a character. Hopefully, this is a character that you can use for your next book or short story. We started by creating our character’s appearance. This week we will delve into the personality traits of our character. Every person is unique and your character should be also. You may ask when you will  know enough about your character to write his story? The answer is when your character becomes so real to you that they take over the story and change or tweak  your original plot. When they become real in your mind, you are probably finished. After all, if your character doesn’t seem real to you, why should they seem real to the reader?

Now here are some questions that will help you meet your character. You may not use all the information that you learn about your creation. You may just emphasize one or two personality traits in your work. But first you have to meet him.

Is your character controlling, dominating, or a bully? Or is he easygoing, or even a doormat?  Is he generous or cheap? Is he generous to his children, but cheap with his co-workers? Does he wish luck to all or is he covetous?  Is he critical or supportive? Does he have an inflated ego or is he humble? Does he talk non-stop or is he a listener. Does she belittle people or praise them? Is she harsh or kind? Is she self-centered and ambitious, or always thinking of others? Is she a gossiper or someone who can be trusted? Is she a leader or a follower?

Is your character stubborn or pliable? Is he opinionated or open-minded? Is he a believer? If so, what faith do they follow? Are they Catholic, Christian, Muslim, or  Hindu?  Or are they just spiritual? Are they a hardened atheist or a troubled agnostic?  Is she neat or messy? Organized or always losing things? How about honesty? Is he an outright thief, or just an opportunist? Would they steal a tip off a table or rob a bank? What are her principles? Are they firm or do they change with the times? Does she follow her virtues or follow the mob? Is she a taker or a giver? Would he lend anyone money? Would he forgive a debt? Does he lie? White lies? Is she overly emotional or very calm? Does she have a temper or is she peaceful? Is he moody? Does he make others uneasy? How about speech? Do they speak like an English professor or a truck driver? Is your character a genus or slow? Are they a savant? Is he lazy or always full of energy?

Remember – your character – whether the villain or the hero – should be a mix of good and bad characteristics. He may be honest but cheap, or she my be a gossiper who spends her time feeding the poor. A character, like the people you know in real life, must be multi-layered to interest the reader. Remember the detective Colombo. His appearance was in direct opposition to his mind. He was rumpled, wrinkled, and messy. However, his mind was sharp and orderly. Flat one-dimensional characters may be all-right for children’s books, but I think even children deserve flavorful characters.

Are you getting a better picture of your character? How would this character behave in different situations? Now that we have uncovered your character’s appearance and personality you may feel that we are done. We are not. Your character needs a profile – a job, family, home etc. That’s for next week!

If this all seems like too much work – remember that once your character takes over the plot, you will just have to follow. Here’s a quote from a great novelist:

“It begins with a character, usually, and once he stands up on his feet and begins to move, all I can do is trot along behind him with a paper and pencil trying to keep up long enough to put down what he says and does.” – William Faulkner