IMG_0047 (1) - EditedWhy start with creating your characters?

If you write fiction, you know that there are two kinds of fiction. There is action-driven fiction that is fast-paced and all about the plot. Then there is character-driven fiction which is what I write. While the plot is slower, the characters and the changes that the characters experience are the story. I enjoy both kinds of fiction but like most readers, I remember the characters I love more than I remember a gripping plot. So when I write, I start with fully developed characters and a somewhat fluid plot. It seems that as the story develops, the characters and their unique personalities take over. They often surprise me with how the plot develops. And while the basic plot may flow out on my laptop as I envisioned, it will take twists and turns that complement the personalities of my characters.

Where do your characters come from?

They live inside you – just waiting to be born. They are combinations of all the people you knew in your past and present. Often they are two or three people you have blended together. For example, what if that gossipy neighbor looked like your grandmother and lied like your old boss? What if that little girl looked like the only kind girl you met at the new school you just started. Strangely she looks like your sister but is addicted to sweets like your best friend?

In order to create characters, you have to be a people watcher. A writer is a writer even when they are not sitting at their laptops. I carry a little notebook around with me. When sitting in the park, I see unique characters walking past. I write a description in my notebook. I listen to the mother chastising her child, her accent, tone, and inflections. I watch the mannerisms of the large man walking his wife’s toy poodle. Does he look out of place? How does he show his embarrassment? I watch the teenagers joking and showing off to each other. I observe how they move and write it all down. Sometimes characters come from deep within. They are the woman you wanted to be or the woman you were afraid you could become. Sometimes they seem to come from nowhere but that is never true. In my novel. Down Right Good, I didn’t realize that my main character—a girl with Down Syndrome—came from a childhood experience from my old neighborhood. I spent some afternoons talking to a boy with Down Syndrome. I never saw him. He was behind a tall fence and hidden as people used to do with special children. I would talk to him until his grandmother chased me away. When I read the final draft of my book, I suddenly remembered him and knew why I set my character free to roam the streets of the little town she lived in. Watch and listen to people everywhere you go. They may just end up in one of your books. 

How do you ‘see’ your character?

Once I decide on a character I need more than an image in my mind. I scour magazines and Google Image for them. I may be looking for a red-head boy or a blond girl. I may be searching for a wrinkled, elderly woman or a tough, bald man. The image of my character can be sealed in my mind or just a wispy illusive idea. I will find who I’m looking for. I will know him or her when I find them.  Sometimes an image of a person will hit me and my vision will change. Other times I will find just the character I am looking for. Why? Because having a photo or drawing of my character makes them real to me. They become real people in my mind. Once they are real, I feel guilty if I don’t tell their story. It makes me write. I can see them in my dreams and know that they are just waiting to come to life. The only way they can come to life is when my fingers are pushing the keys. My characters become so real to me that they haunt me and I hope they will haunt my readers. I want my characters to be as real to my readers as they are to me. I print out the image of my character for my storyboard. Ah! But storyboards are a lesson for another blog! Just know that your characters need to be fleshed out fully. Most of the things you know about your characters will be hidden beneath the surface. However, who they are will seep through in their movement and motions, in their dialog and words, in their actions or inaction. Your reader may only see twenty-five percent of your character’s traits, but you need to know them one hundred percent. Especially your main character. You should know them better than you know yourself.

Who are the characters in most books or stories?

There are five main types of basic characters for every genre and book:

  1. The Main Character, POV (point of view) character, or orphan character.
  2. The Best Friend
  3. The Teacher
  4. The Adversary
  5. The Villain

In our next few blogs, we will go over each character in detail. It’s important to know the role of each of your characters and what part they play in the plot. To follow this series go to  http://blog.catholicwritersguild.com/?s=Learning+the+Craft

Karen Kelly Boyce lives on a farm in N.J. with her retired husband. She is a mother and grandmother. She is the author of “The Sisters of the Last Straw” series published by Tan Books. You can see her work and learn more about her on her website: www,kkboyce.com