LG's Writing 101: It’s the Character That Counts

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1/20/16 – It’s the Character That Counts

 

There’s a long list of attributes that make a story attractive to readers. Everything from an intriguing cover, to critical acclaim, to simple popularity. People will pick up a book for so many reasons. But what makes someone reread a book? Stick with a series through the long haul? Sit up nights thinking about what they’ve read? Send an email to the author? The connection the reader feels with the story’s characters.

 Everything I’ve ever written has started with the characters. Sometimes one, sometimes several, as I seem to prefer juggling lately. My process is organic and inexact, often difficult to articulate. It usually begins with an image: Mercy reclined back at the picnic table where he and Ava had their afternoon run-in in Fearless, his eyes wounded behind the protection of his shades. Michael standing over the fresh grave he’s just dug. Sam checking her sweater in the mirror and making a face. That first oft-referenced iconic glimpse of Maggie, hair snarled in the breeze, cigarette and red lipstick, jailbait. Those first few images turn into dozens, hundreds. Snapshots, like quick scenes from a movie trailer. Without plot or reference points, only this impression of a very vivid human seen in snatches.

 

 Once I know their names, then it’s time to get serious. Ages, favorite flavor of Jolly Rancher, liquor of choice, what beautiful looks like in their eyes. Sometimes I know everything in one great rush, like with Ava and Mercy. And sometimes they’re shy, and they reveal things more slowly, like Tango, until I’ve finally learned it all and say, “Oh, poor baby, come here.”

 

 When I know who they are, and how they’re related to one another, the story begins to take shape, monolithic strokes of abstract painting in the background. Some scenes are scripted from the beginning, others not. But I don’t ever worry about that too much if I know my people, and I can trust them. Generally, personality is the most accurate predictor of plot there is. If you know your characters, you know what they’ll do when you throw them a curve, and your audience will love that the characters proved trustworthy to them, too.

 

 Okay, so you’ve been journaling and practicing, and you’re wanting to work on something a little more substantial. Ready to write a story full of your own original characters? Some character-writing suggestions:

 

Ø  Write characters you find interesting. That seems like a no-brainer, but there’s plenty of flat, what I like to call “Cardboard Characters” out there. Write about people who are complex, interesting, realistic, and flawed. Note: not all characters have to be loveable. But fascinating is a must. You yourself as the writer should enjoy exploring his or her head; your fascination will shine through in the writing and the readers will become hooked, whether they want to hug or punch your character.

Ø  Know what your character wants. Everyone wants something, whether it’s as complicated as saving the world, or as simple as getting through a long day at work. At the beginning of the story, your character should have a goal. Goals may change in a superficial sense, but the motivation that drives the character will be more constant.

Ø  Characters should have dynamic relationships with those around them. They won’t like, love, hate, or dislike everyone to the same degree, so make sure it feels natural.

Ø  Characters do have epiphanies, but make sure growth is organic and occurs over time. Learning and adjusting to circumstances rather than doing a magic one-eighty.

Ø  Don’t write a self-insert character who is an idealized version of yourself, who is super perfect, loved by everyone, and desired by all men. Don’t do it!!!

Ø  Make sure a character’s personality quirks make sense, and aren’t simply there to manufacture a “flawed” feel.

Ø  Make sure your characters aren’t all carbon copies of one another. (Mercy is fun, but you wouldn’t have a whole club made up of Mercys. It takes all kinds of kinds, to quote Miranda Lambert)

Ø  Treat every character like he or she has the potential to carry his or her own story, even if they are only secondary. Don’t use fluff characters to fill slots, but ensure your background players all feel real.

 

The ultimate goal is to create fictional characters who feel one-hundred percent human, and not fictional at all. There is no checklist for writing a strong female character (Scarlett and Mellie in Gone With the Wind). Hot messes can be completely endearing and captivating to read about (Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series). We don’t all excel in the same areas (The Lord of the Rings). Keep it as real as you can, and your readers will appreciate the effort. Characters who leap off the page are, for me, the single most important aspect of any story.

The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,

The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes,

Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,

Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,

Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from

Slipped by the terrace, ma

And seeing that it was a soft October night,

Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.

The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,

The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes,

Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,

Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,

Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,

Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,

And seeing that i

Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.