It’s All About Character
Sherry – I can’t believe it’s August 1st! The summer is flying by.
I was having a hard time coming up with a topic for this post. During a chat with Barb Goffman, she mentioned the Olympics. Which made me think about watching the US men’s gymnastics team. I confess, while I’ve often known the names of the women’s team members, I’ve never paid much attention to the men. I couldn’t tell you who was on the team or anything about them.
On Monday night, my daughter and I had the TV on and tuned to the Olympics. I wasn’t paying a great deal of attention but noticed the nerdy-looking guy with the glasses who seemed to be off in his own little world. I pointed him out to my daughter and asked if she knew who he was. She shrugged.
You probably all know this by now, but a bit later in the program we found out he’s Stephen Nedoroscik from Worcester, Massachusetts. (We always cheer for anyone from Massachusetts.) And that he only does the pommel horse. Interesting.
His big moment finally arrives. He goes up to the pommel horse with his glasses on. “Is he going to wear his glasses during his routine?” I asked and earned another shrug. But no, he whips them off and starts his routine. As I heard someone say, he pommeled the heck out of that horse and clinched the bronze medal for Team USA. By Tuesday morning there were so many tweets and memes about him. He’s Clark Kent with his glasses on, but whips them off and becomes Superman. I saw him compared to Chris Evans in Captain America where before he’s this scrawny little guy and after a hero. Another tweet compared him to Spiderman.
No matter, it made me think of characters in fiction. Stephen is a great example of someone in the background of a story who is a bit overlooked. That person could be the investigator that solves the case or the bad guy who blends into the shadows. It’s an excellent example of why you need to add depth to your characters. All of us are multifaceted and our characters must be to connect with readers.
Jackson Lamb in the fabulous Slough House books by Mick Herron is an excellent example. He’s slovenly, farts, and scratches himself. He cruelly offers alcohol to the recovering alcoholic on his team. Jackson belittles all of his team members. But in the end when it’s most needed, he comes through for them. Not in a big hug/kumbaya moment, but in his scathing way. He’s compelling in his awfulness. And yes, as a reader you root for him while simultaneously wanting to slap him upside the head. I must add that all of Herron’s characters are multifaceted.
Eliza Bennett in Pride and Prejudice is another great example of a character with a lot of depth. To a point she follows the conventional norms of the day – she can needlepoint, play the piano, sing, etc. But she also goes for long walks, gets dirty, and most importantly, stands up for herself.
One of my favorite writing books on character is The Art of Character by David Corbett. There are lessons everywhere for writers – or I’m good at rationalizing taking time to watch the Olympics.
Writers: Any advice on character development? Everyone: Who is a favorite complex character?
