How to do characters - what do we as writers need to consider?

[Dennis]

Who would think that an author would bother doing a how to? Naturally, many blog about “the craft” but that’s because there is simply no fast and true rules about how to do some of the more intangible things in writing. Yes, there are always writing mechanics and basics of plot structure, but what about things not so quantifiably measurable? What do writers, film makers and children have in common? We all create characters! And, it is characters that usually propel a story and give it life! Let’s begin!

The first thing to do is understand what is meant by a character. In other words, what aspects go into making up such a figure? Let’s be strategic here! A character needs a gender – it is either male or female – unless the character is gender neutral. The male or female is easy. However it is that you envision a character tends to determine it. Sometimes the nature of the plot demands a particular gender. As for gender neutral? Well, if you have an inanimate object or a person with gender identity fluctuations then you have more creative freedom. Still, even those things tend to fall to one side or the other. If you have a female robot, you are generally breaking the mold for the immediate idea of what a robot is and, likely, what it will look like. A female robot is likely to have sleeker curves and a more slender build. Either way, you need to pick a gender for your character.

The second step is giving the character an age. I have found that this can fluctuate and is LARGELY based on the plot. If you have a story about coming of age or school bullying, then you need a younger character. If your story is a life reflection of glory days on the gridiron or hockey rink, then you will likely have an older character. If you have a lot of serious action then the character is likely old enough to be a serious adult but young enough to still be believably capable of such ferocious action.

The third step is developing a background. Everyone needs a life! this includes things such as education level, socioeconomic status, family members, things the character has faced or endured and the successes they have found. Sometimes these things are determined by time period. For example, if you are writing about a woman in the Elizabethan era she may either act, or at least be treated, differently than a woman in the modern era. A character could be a loner, have a huge family, be rich or poor. They could work in retail or fast food or be a billionaire business mogul. This step is the most wide open and allows your creative juices to flow!

We can then move to step four! this one encompasses race. So far, we have a gender, an age and a family/work background. However, race is often over looked or assumed. Sometimes it is determinant by setting or plot. For example, it might be a First Nations person on a reserve, an inner city black youth or an older white man in an affluent community. What do the above examples have in common? They fall in the realm of stereotypes. It could be argued that certain stereotypes exist because there is a hint of truth to them. However, you might be looking to break the mold and spin it on its head. Or, perhaps your setting is fantastical and your characters are pieces of fruit. In that case, your creativity is even more widely expanded. Most often, novice writers will base characters on what they know. If you are a well off black youth, then your first character will likely reflect that. If you are Hispanic and live in Asia then you might have a character reflect that. In my experience, it is always wise to diversify characters. The world is made up of so many kinds of people – embrace that, play with it, make people question and wonder. If your plot revolves around something specific, say a refugee from a certain place, then race might already be set up. Or, your setting might dictate that someone has to be a particular race.

Step five revolves around personality. Sure, you have a gender, race, family, work, education and age – but what is your character like? Are they funny or serious? Sinister or kind? Smart or a brooding bruiser? Is your character a leader or a follower? Chatty or quiet? Does he or she have any phobias? Eccentricities? Exceptionalities? Are they bitter or encouraging? I ask several question there because they are all pertinent. People are made up of the tapestry of life events. Characters are no different. They have a “life” and it is full of…stuff – good and bad. Most often, a character has lived a good many years before we are introduced to them. They will already be a certain way. And, yes, hopefully the character evolves and learns as a story progresses. However, even that will be based on where they came from and the person they have become. if you have one type of character, try to vary it with others. For example, in The Everything Factor, Jep is generally serious and thoughtful, yet Tyberius is mysterious and closed off. Jeana is strong willed and fiery while Darren is confident and a bit arrogant. Jason? Well, Jason is most often comic relief! In my upcoming novel, Furious Ambition, the Man of Blood is sinister and hates being touched, yet intelligent and cunning. Tan is calm and strategic. Joy is emotional (and understandably so!)

The above steps, in truth, end up meshing together. You don’t often think about one aspect or another, you think about them all together in concert. Writers do it. Film makers do it. Children do it. I did it growing up as I created comic book characters for fun! I do it now in my adult writing. I also do it on my Youtube channel. I am developing an alter ego there, GotBot, to embark on having some fun with one of my hobbies, transformers collecting.

Characters, like real people, have many dimensions. By allowing your characters to shine in multiple ways, you allow yourself to shine too! Be creative! Be brilliant! and , shine brightest!






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[Cynthia]

You have articulated the basics of character very well. It's funny because I am constantly asked how I create my characters because some people think I'm good at it.

I have a generic Create-a-Character method I generally refer people to and I did use it at one point in my career. It can be very helpful if you are stuck. I like questions.

The truth is, it is not how I create my characters at all. This week I am trying to write a blog post about how I actually create character and am finding it very difficult. I call it Character Bubbles.

I found myself going back to thought games I played myself and with my siblings when I was a little kid to explain it. I've tried to teach it in classes and I usually get the big ol' huh?

We seem to agree on the basics. Here is a link to Create-a-Character:
http://franklywrite.com/2016/03/23/cr...

[Kelly]

Dennis wrote: "Who would think that an author would bother doing a how to? Naturally, many blog about “the craft” but that’s because there is simply no fast and true rules about how to do some of the more intangi..."

Alien was scripted to be gender neutral, to which Ridley Scott cast the character of Ripley to be female to mix things up; and Sigourney Weaver did an excellent job. Do so worked well for James Cameron to write Aliens.

But on that note, interesting write up on character creation. For a minute there, I was wondering if this related more to a specific genre, but then I thought about characters for one of the shorts in my book (Of Lords and Ladies) and realized I did it, too--for alien based characters. :)

[P.D.]

I would start with personality or quirk before gender, age, race, etc.

My character questionnaire is much shorter than Cynthia's. I've never been one to figure out everything about the character before beginning the story.

My character template is:

• The character's name -
• A one-sentence summary of the character's storyline -
• The character's motivation (what does he/she want abstractly?) -
• The character's goal (what does he/she want concretely?) -
• The character's conflict (what prevents him/her from reaching this goal?) -
• The character's epiphany (what will he/she learn, how will he/she change?) -

Along with this, I have a picture, and have the character give a first-person one paragraph introduction of themself.

[Cynthia]

In the post I don't recommend using the whole thing and advocate only using it at all if you are stuck. I have found that some new writers need prompts as detailed as mine. Hmm... Not sure detailed is the right word.

I think you will like Character Bubbles if I ever get the post finished. I have never had such a hard time writing a blog post.

[Kelly]

Now that I think about, character development generally rides shotgun to the story/plot/theme. Thus, a specific character with specific traits is "cast" for the role. This begs the chicken or the egg question, does it not? Then again, is character creation and character development two sides of the same coin or something completely different?

[P.D.]

Sometimes stories are plot-driven, and sometimes they are character-driven. Sometimes you're casting a character to fit the plot, and sometimes you are plotting the story based on the character.

[Dennis]

I totally agree that sometimes story is plot or character driven. What suggestions wer enot a be all and end all but a possible template among many base don my own experiences. I think the fun part is we all have our methods and can mix them up if we want to try creating dynamic, interesting or even uncomfortable characters. For writers kinda starting and wondering hmm, where could I begin? Hopefully I have at least given food for them to think about. Thanks for all the feedback, I love it.