Writing Process – Characters
Now you have your story and plot. Next you must get to know your characters. How do you do that? Well you write about them of course.
Take a page or two and write about what they look like, what they are good at, their personality, etc. Most important, write about what made them the way they are. Don’t just say they grew up poor, dive into it, get specific. Did their parents die causing the poverty, were they abandoned, did their best friend get molested. You name it, the sky is the limit. They are your characters so be creative, and remember the more exotic the better.
For example, think of a pirate. A bloodthirsty thug with an eye patch will fill the role, but consider how interesting it could be. Jonny Depp’s character Jack Sparrow, from Pirates of the Caribbean ,was over the top outlandish. He stumbled around acting drunk and gay with eye shadow on. He was weird, but also interesting (unforgettable actually) and discovering the reasons for his eccentricities made for great plot development too. The pirate from Peter Pan had a hook which made him unique. Captain Ahab from Moby Dick had a peg leg which provided the quintessential conflict in the novel. Unique characters with deep and colorful backgrounds hold a reader’s interest and can often times dictate where the plot of a book goes.
Don’t short change them because they will help carry your novel. If the prospect of writing a 500 to 1,000 word back story on a character seems excessive or a waste you should just stop now. You don’t want to be an author because you can’t shortchange them. If a character will appear in more than just a chapter or two, take the time to get to know them before telling their story.
Next up: The First Draft
Take a page or two and write about what they look like, what they are good at, their personality, etc. Most important, write about what made them the way they are. Don’t just say they grew up poor, dive into it, get specific. Did their parents die causing the poverty, were they abandoned, did their best friend get molested. You name it, the sky is the limit. They are your characters so be creative, and remember the more exotic the better.
For example, think of a pirate. A bloodthirsty thug with an eye patch will fill the role, but consider how interesting it could be. Jonny Depp’s character Jack Sparrow, from Pirates of the Caribbean ,was over the top outlandish. He stumbled around acting drunk and gay with eye shadow on. He was weird, but also interesting (unforgettable actually) and discovering the reasons for his eccentricities made for great plot development too. The pirate from Peter Pan had a hook which made him unique. Captain Ahab from Moby Dick had a peg leg which provided the quintessential conflict in the novel. Unique characters with deep and colorful backgrounds hold a reader’s interest and can often times dictate where the plot of a book goes.
Don’t short change them because they will help carry your novel. If the prospect of writing a 500 to 1,000 word back story on a character seems excessive or a waste you should just stop now. You don’t want to be an author because you can’t shortchange them. If a character will appear in more than just a chapter or two, take the time to get to know them before telling their story.
Next up: The First Draft
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