Who is That Character?
By Christine Verstraete
From the mundane and ordinary daily activities, to special interests or tastes, it’s often the little things that help define a character and make them real to the reader.
But that doesn’t mean we need to know every-single-thing that person eats or does. A character isn’t a list. They should be doing something to achieve their goal and solve their problem.
Yes, ordinary activities can be touched on, but keep it light and move on. A line or two showing the character eating breakfast, for instance, or their lack of it, if touched on briefly, can do a lot to show the type of person they are.
Consider: are they a breakfast skipper? They could be someone who is nervous, doesn’t like to waste time, is anxious, or just hates eating in the morning. A hearty breakfaster can be someone who likes to mull things over as they eat, or who is leisurely, calculated, patient, etc. More can be learned by the character’s food choices: eggs vs. Captain Crunch cereal, fruit vs. pancakes. You get the idea.
Other ways to bring your character to life:
* Give them a hobby, a special interest, or collection.
Does it tie into the crime or main story? Does the character’s involvement put them in danger or can it serve as a distraction? How does it further define their personality?
* Make them a pet owner, animal hater or have them fear a certain animal.
* How does an animal define them? How does it define how they do their job or impact their personality?
For instance, their love, fear or hatred of animals can put them at a certain advantage or disadvantage. It can show a different side of their personality, whether good or bad, nice or mean.
* Have their belongings and home, or lack thereof, reflect their social standing.
A lot can be revealed by showing how someone dresses, where they live, and what they own, don’t own, or choose not to have.
* Don’t forget to use the five senses to make the scene and character more alive.
While most of this may seem typical to the writer, as you get involved in the story it is easy sometimes to overlook or gloss over the smaller details.
The sneer of a lip, a smirk, a lowering of the eyelashes, all are actions that combined with a strong plot and a quick-moving story can make that character into someone memorable – a person the reader despises, fears, maybe even adores, but most importantly, wants to know more about. It is then you as a writer have succeeded.
** Christine Verstraete’s latest stories include “The Killer Valentine Ball” from MuseItUp Publishing.
She also is author of the dollhouse collector’s book, In Miniature Style II, and a children’s mystery, Searching for a Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery.
Thanks Shellie for hosting me!
Chris, everything you mentioned are all great ways to make your characters come alive. When my character seemed a little too whiney for my critique group I added a dog and it changed her considerably. The character can reflect on their own life through discussing the dog:)
I really like your blog, Shellie. I love the paper clip!
Your use of miniatures as both hobby and in your writing (which is more than a hobby) is very creative.
One way I make my characters real is by doing a character bio. This is just for my information, most of the information is never shared in the MS. In the bio I write things like their birthday, thier fears, their goals, their siblings, parents, college or not, even things as small as thier favorite color. This helps me get to know them and then I’m able to bring a “real” person to the page.
One of my characters in my debut novel, Concilium, refused to call his love interest by her nickname. He was the only person who used her full name. This was one way I made him more real. Also, I used a personal ‘twitch.’ He always ran his fingers through his hair when he was frustrated or irritated. That way, the reader knew what he was feeling by his action (which was just a few words to explain) rather than me spelling it out for them.
Michelle
Concilium, available July 2012
http://www.michelle-pickett.com
twitter: Michelle_kp
Great writing tips. Good details. thanks for listing these. It’s a really handy list to think about as you develop your characters. Thanks for sharing.
C.K. Volnek.
Thanks all for stopping by.
I like the character bio list too, I do that sometimes.
Love the dog idea! I try to put a dog in most books. What’s life without a pet? ha!
Thanks, CK, I know I always need a list to check against.
Yes I consider writing more than a hobby tho the creativity is about the same (well for me). I put a lot into my miniature creations too. ha!
My pleasure:)
Thank you, Barbara. Chris did a wonderful post. Great suggestions!
Great idea, Michelle. Those little quirks really make a character interesting, don’t they? I have a book I refer to when creating characters (The complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes and Heroines by Viders, Cowden, and Lafever) also attended a great conference this weekend (thus my late replies:) where Jeff Gerke shared another technique for great character creation using the Meyers-Briggs temperament scales. His book is awesome, too…Plot vs Character. Great stuff!
Excellent post, Chris. Thank you for stopping by and best wishes on your release:D.