Choosing Character

There are
two basic types of character: the ordinary person and the special person.




The special
person is really good at their job, has skills most people don’t, or maybe even
possesses powers beyond those of regular folk.




The ordinary
person is like you or me.




Once you
decide which type your main character is, the important thing is to get the
reader to see the character as someone worth reading about.




Both types
have certain drawbacks which, while not a problem, need to be addressed.


The ordinary
character often starts off his story with not much going on. It’s necessary to
establish the kind of life he leads, but this can easily become boring. 



There’s
no reason why everyday life has to be a chore to read about, but just
portraying a character’s existence accurately isn’t going to be enough to hold
the reader’s attention.




The risk
with the specialist character is that they will deal with their problems too
easily. The plot can be so well suited to their particular set of skills that
it ends up feeling contrived. 



The guy who was a hero in the army beats up ten
guys, builds a gun out of spare parts and makes an impossible shot to save the
day. Luckily, those were the three things he was really good at.




In both
cases, you need to show the character as more than one dimensional. And to do
so as early as possible. You can do this for both types in a very similar
manner.




The ordinary
character still has to deal with mundane issues before things get crazy, and
how he deals with them will reflect his personality, even if that personality wants
to run away and hide.



The special character can’t use his special skills in all
situations. If a meter maid insists on giving him a ticket he can’t just karate
chop her in the neck.




We all have
to deal with unglamorous problems that have nothing to do with saving the world
or finding love, but rather than rushing through them to get to the main plot,
those are the moments you can use to your advantage.




If you make
those moments socially awkward and difficult to navigate, how your character responds will
establish the kind of person he is very quickly.




If the
character is in a rush and is told to wait, you can show them waiting and getting
frustrated, but that doesn’t reveal anything. If you show how they get around a
minor obstacle in an unexpected way it will show the kind of person they are,
and it will also make the scene more interesting.




The key is
not to allow them to just do as they’re told. Give them a reason why they can’t
wait and then see what they do.




A character
who is forced to cut in at the head of a line when normally they would never
do that will reveal a side of themselves in a dramatic way without the need for
guns and car chases. If you can come up with a good enough reason for why they
can’t back out, the rest will take care of itself. 




And often how the character
handles the situation will surprise even the writer.



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