Character Sketches

[Julie]

Hey Ryan, when you're in the process of writing a story, do your character sketches come first, or do you create them as you are writing? I loved the character sketch you recently put on FB... do you use different formats for them? Thanks! Julie

[Ryan]

Hi Julie. Thanks for the question. This is an important one because the characters are what carry my interest in the writing. The plot might be high concept, the drama might be interesting, but if the characters aren’t real people with hearts hammering in their chests and dreams swirling in their heads then the story isn’t worth telling. I do most of my character work before I begin writing the narrative, using many different techniques. I might do timed writing to dig into their childhoods. I might write from another person’s point of view about the characters. I might compose poems from their pain, similar to the one you saw on my Facebook page. I also visit with them and talk to them, promising to tell their story as best I can and to respect their place in the new world I’m creating. They become like friends, or even children. Even my antagonists. My inspiration to write usually comes from a character idea. A curiosity about how someone with a certain set of motivations might handle a dilemma. I have many more characters lurking in my notebooks than I have stories for them to inhabit. But I know that when their stories do appear, I’ll know those characters well enough to write them the way they should be written.