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Jennifer discusses character...
We all have our favorite characters that we read or write,
our “book boyfriends” that we can’t stop dreaming about long after we’ve
finished the book. I have several characters that I still think about and
further develop, even though I’ve told their stories and they should get out of
my head to make room for others.
When asked to describe them, we usually start with their
physical traits—eye color, hair color, muscle tone, etc. But what about their
“character”—their internal traits that make them who they are? Those are the
things we need to “show, not tell” so our reader can experience the full
personality. Sometimes, though, those traits are harder to describe.
I’m currently filling out a form for my agent, called a
Character List. I have no idea how prevalent these are, but I’ve never had to
do it. It seems quite simple on the surface—a list of names, whether the story
is told in their POV or not, their career, their story function and a physical
description.
As I fill it out, I realize I have way more characters in my
story than I thought. It sounds funny to say, but I forgot about some of these
people—they’re minor townspeople, who flesh out the story, but don’t move the
plot along much. Still, every character, no matter how minor, needs to be
listed. And after I’d put it aside and checked it off my to-do list, I realized
I still forgot a few that I have to go back and add.
I wish there was a spot on the list for character traits, as
I’d love to describe the “whys” that give my characters depth. I guess whoever
reads the list will just have to find those out when reading the book!
That sounds like an interesting exercise to do. My first thought is that all my named characters contribute something to the plot, or at least give another character information that they might not otherwise know, but now I'm wondering whether I've included any that don't fulfil any real role in the story!
ReplyDeleteOkay, I don't mean that I have useless characters, but for this exercise, everyone with a name needs to be entered. So even the waiter and the bookstore seller. They do something necessary for the story, but aren't "necessary" like you're thinking.
DeleteWhat about a very minor character who only has about 3 lines but you name them because you don't want to write 'the blonde woman' or 'the thin man' every time?? :-)
DeleteI think I'm supposed to list them, but just write "only mentioned" and then I don't have to do anything about them.
DeleteAh, that's seems fairly sensible LOL! Otherwise you could have a whole cast of 'extras'!
DeleteIt would be interesting to know what your agent thinks is the optimum number of characters in a book.
I'll let you know if/when I find out!
DeleteInteresting sheet to fill out for your agent, Jen. I've read where some authors deliberately give skimpy physical details for characters and focus strictly on their other traits.
ReplyDeleteI like to do that as much as possible because I want readers to imagine things in their heads. But for this sheet, I just have to mention what I do say in the story. I don't think the goal is to see who I haven't described well enough and then fix it.
DeleteInteresting sheet to fill out. Now that I'm going back and writing some stories based on 'filler' characters from the main books in my Corral series, I wish I would have a list like that. I'm constantly flipping through the books trying to figure out what I names this or that waitress, or the bartender, or the DJ. Or what occupation I gave to my hero's brother.
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem. I think it will be useful for things like that as well, Debra.
Delete