Know Your Character

Long after the intricacies of a fictional plot fade from a reader’s memory, the characters linger with an almost physical presence, a twinkle of personality, unforgettable actions, and their happy or sad fates. Character, not plot, is what chiefly interests the reader because he or she translates and feels the character’s actions, desires, and passions from his/her own databank of experiences and emotions.

To create unforgettable characters, you need to explore, brainstorm, and borrow (a bit) from characters you love. Why did certain characters stay with you long after you finished reading the story?  Rely on your memories and observations about human nature and quirky people you’ve met over the years. And, of course, slip into your character’s skin.

Writing fiction that catches an editor’s attention requires taking risks, especially when you embroil fascinating characters in an unbearable situation. While creating your main characters and especially villains, keep this in mind: While you’ll shape characters based on what you’ know or have experienced, your characters will always range much farther than you. They will have more adventures and deeper sorrows, their desires will burn flaming hot, their desperation will cause them to resort to trickery and deceit and their failures will mean a personal  doomsday.

And don’t only write about characters you’re fond of.  Don’t impose your own values, thoughts, and beliefs. Write about story people who screw up way more than you do, take much bigger risks.

To write unforgettable characters you need to know them with the intimacy of a longtime lover. Even if this   Here is a checklist that might help with this knowing.

Techniques for revealing character:

• Conflict with their environment–workplace, family, country, culture.
• Action
• Dialogue
• Self-discovery, self-realization, change
• Reactions of other characters
• Relationships with other characters
• Pets and vulnerable co-stars.
• Goals, desires, motivation
• Making hard decisions and choices, especially moral dilemmas.
• Epiphany
• Attitudes
• Values
• Possessions including car, home, office, yard.
• Contrasting characters
• Profession

Character tags: identify and define

• General appearance
• How does your character enter a room?
• What sort of first impression does your character make?
• Walk, posture, body language, way of being in the world.
• Voice, reveals the character’s roots, include favorite expressions and tone
• Mannerisms, gestures, body language. Fidgety? Gestitculates? Makes eye contact?
• Hairstyle
• Clothes
• Accessories
• Habits–fidgety? Gesticulates a lot

Questions for character development:

Obviously as you start out, you’re not going to know all there is to know about your main characters, but over time, they’ll start whispering to you, surprising you, maybe shocking you.

• What is your character’s worst fear? This is often what’s most at stake in fiction.
• What secrets or parts of himself or herself would your character prefer to hide?
• What is your character’s emotional bandwidth–as in highs and lows and in between?
• How does your character act when angry?
• What regrets does your character have?
• What is your character’s basic temperament? Even-tempered and imperturbable?
• How would your character describe himself/herself in one sentence?
• How does your character react when snubbed or overlooked? Slandered? Misunderstood?
• What does your character do with his/her hands when he/she talks?
• How does your character feel about his/her body?
• Are his/her clothes well made, high end? Eclectic thrift store finds?  Do they fit well? Snug? Baggy?