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A REBEL'S VIEW ON CHARACTERIZATION
By C.J. CarmichaelI’m about to start writing a new book. I have this great idea. I want to write about a late night radio host who makes a special connection with two of her listeners. One is the man of her dreams. The other is a definite nightmare.
Sounds like an interesting premise, with lots of possibilities, right? So what’s my next step? Should I create character charts? Interview my hero and heroine? Make sure I know everything about them from their birth dates, to their favorite colors, to their political affiliations, even though these things will not come to play in my novel?
My answer to all of these questions is: No. Dreaming up characteristics for protagonists and antagonists is a waste of time—unless they are linked to the story I want to tell. The true character I wish to reveal. In my view, a perfectly crafted story reveals everything you need to know about the characters and not one detail more. The plot and conflict are so entwined with the characters that one cannot be “discovered” by the author without the other.
The journey to a story of perfect equilibrium—where the story could not exist with different characters and where the characters could not have emerged from any other story—is difficult. Whether you begin by attempting to nail down characters first, filling in the plot as you go, or by nailing down all plot elements, then inserting characters as you go, you are bound to encounter set backs and reversals in the writing journey.
So where to start, then? What works for me is to create a framework of my story from each main character’s point of view. Using the example from the first paragraph, I have three: (1) radio host as a main character, (2) the hero (one of her listeners), and (3) the villain (another listener). Before I start writing I want to know the following information for each of them:
· What do they think they want at the beginning of the story? And what do they really want?
The different answers to each of these questions represent the character growth, or arc, that will develop in the story. My job is to create a plot that will ensure conflict is applied in exponentially increasing increments so that the true character of all three is revealed by the closing chapter.
At this point, I could start writing, trusting instinct to take me along the correct path, being willing to go back and revise as necessary when missteps occur. Or, I can do some more planning. If I want a clearer idea of where I am going, I need to plan the main points of the plot/character development. For me, these main points are usually:
· What is this character’s “regular world”?
· What change or inciting incident is going to propel this character into the story? How does this problem challenge the character’s self view and personal goals?
· Once the story is in action, what event can occur that will up his or her personal stakes?
· What plot twists or turning points will add surprise and complexity to the character’s journey?
· At what point will my character have been tested to his or her fullest potential?
· How will the test be resolved, leading to fulfillment of the character’s goal (in the case of hero/heroine) or subversion of the goal in case of the villain?
Again, the above questions must be answered for each of the main characters. Then I am ready to write my first draft. Once that is complete, guess what? Now it is time to hone the characters in my story. Why should you wait to polish and hone your characters until after you have finished the first draft of your novel? Because, only now do you really know them. If you tried to peg them down too early in the process, there’s a good chance you’re going to end up either (1) wasting your time creating characters who won’t work in your story; or (2) sabotage your story trying to make it “fit” your characters. Once you’ve completed your first draft, you know these people! And you understand their role and purpose in your story. Now you need to make sure they are fully motivated. You need to round them out. Complete them.
- Back-story...does
it fit the character and provide the necessary motivations for
her actions in the story?
Can you tweak any details to make her motivation stronger, to make
her more sympathetic or
interesting? Can you use material already in your story and make
it stronger?
For example, in my story of the radio host, the hero has a needlepoint
cushion of his deceased wife’s in
his apartment. At revision stage, I considered what that cushion
meant and how I could use it as a
symbol to show his gradual acceptance of his wife’s death.
- Character
traits…do they fit? In my original vision of my
story, I pictured my heroine as shy in real
life but bold and seductive on the radio. This seemed like an interesting
complexity to me—but I didn’t
get very far before I realized that it wouldn’t work. The
hero is a man with hurts from the past, a man
who has cut himself off from meaningful relationships because he
sees himself as fatally flawed. If my
heroine is shy, what chance does their relationship have of even
getting started? Besides, in order for
my plot to unfold, I needed the heroine to be bold and strong.
No, much as I had initially liked the idea,
shy just wasn’t going to cut it.
- Dialogue...make
sure the character speaks in her own voice. Does she have favorite
slang expressions?
Does she speak a lot when she’s nervous...or grow quiet?
Do her inner thoughts tend to differ from her
verbalizations? Does she favor longer sentences, or short...
- Make sure everything you reveal about your characters is relevant to the story. If she does karate for a hobby—then let her use these skills at one or more of the story’s turning points. If she needs to drink hot chocolate in the rising action near the end of the story, establish the fact that she likes hot chocolate in an earlier chapter. If she has a ditzy great-aunt, make sure that great-aunt impacts the plot in at least a couple of different ways.
Working with your characters at revision stage can be a deeply satisfying experience. Here is where you add the layers and connections that will be meaningful to the reader—because they are meaningful to the story.
The book based on the story idea used as an example in this article will be published by Harlequin Superromance in November 2004. SEATTLE AFTER MIDNIGHT will be C.J. Carmichael’s seventeenth novel..
©C. J. Carmichael 2004
