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One of the hardest things for a writer is making our characters come alive for the reader. I’ve heard people talk about cardboard characters and I know what they mean. The secret is getting right inside your character’s head. Knowing that person as well as you know yourself.
I invariably do a character study. For instance in the book I’m currently working on, as well as knowing what my heroine looks like, I know her age, her birth sign, her temperament. I know what boyfriends she’s had in the past, why they haven’t matched up to her ideal. Some of her ex’s would say she’s cold and unemotional, that she will probably remain a spinster all her life because no man wants a woman who doesn’t have feelings.
The truth is her parents are divorced, as is her older sister, so she thinks it’s fatal to take men at face value. She does want to get married, though mainly for security reasons. She thinks true love is idealistic but not probable. She would like to meet Mr Right but really doesn’t think it possible.
My hero on the other hand has declared he will never get married. He loves women, what man doesn’t? But a man in his possession (rich and successful) has to be careful. He can attract women without even trying and finds this disappointing. Most of them want something, and it’s usually marriage. Or simply someone to take them to places they could never afford. He’s become a good judge of character, usually able to tell what a woman wants within the first few minutes of meeting them.
Although he’s an only child he wasn’t spoilt by his parents, they made him work for whatever he wanted which has made him into the man he is today. He’s very proud of what he’s achieved and the only thing missing in his life is a woman. He’s begun to think there isn’t one out there who will accept him for what he is and not who he is.
So, I had all this information before I began to write my story. It made everything so much easier. It actually feels like I’m writing about people I know instead of those cardboard characters I was talking about.
Do you use a form, Margaret, or just think things through?
ReplyDeleteI like all these details, and agree wholeheartedly that knowing what made a character into the man or woman he/she is today is essential.
No, Ana, I don't use a form. I simply write down everything I can think about the character, though I guess I do go through the various stages in my head.
DeleteBuilding backstory for our characters is a vital part of writing a book. Without it, yep, we get flat 2D characters that don't seem real.
ReplyDeleteToo true, Debra. We need to know what makes each of them tick.
DeleteI don't 'plan' my characters in advance, but get to know them as I write the first draft. I'm often surprised by what they reveal about themselves and their past lives, skills, likes and dislikes, etc.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds a fun way to work, Paula, and I must admit I have done that in the past. It's surprising what the characters reveal about themselves without us even knowing.
DeleteI love what my characters tell me! To me, it's the best part of struggling thorough the first draft! There are times when I do a double-take at something they say or do, and the nod and think, 'Yeah, that figures!' Strange experience, really, but it's one that I've learnt to rely on.
DeleteI'm trying a new way of writing--write the first 100 or so pages, then go back to the beginning and revise, since I have a better handle on my characters. Then write to page 200 or so and go back and revise, since I know them better. Then write to the end. We'll see what happens. So far, 1-100 seems to be working.
ReplyDelete