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Hi everyone! As the analogy I used in my last list post seemed to make sense to everyone, I’ll be using it again here, in a craft post on character building.
First of all, it’s crucial to think of your characters as real people. Everyone you meet has a story, has quirks and habits and stuff going on far beyond what you see when you bump into them on the street. It can be easy to forget that when you’re writing, especially when a character is minor.
You shouldn’t forget it, though.
Think of your character like an iceberg. There’s what you see on the surface, the physical and whatever traits they display regularly and openly. They have quirks and compulsions and (I’m sure) fascinating histories. The real trick is knowing what to include and how to include it.
I find it’s helpful to do a sort of character profile before I start writing. Maybe you’ve got a character that needs a little depth, so you’re trying to flesh him out and make him more interesting. Think about what makes him different. Sometimes it’s not big things; maybe he hates bananas and refuses to wear black.
So WHY does he hate bananas and refuse to wear black? Did his mom used to make the same banana pudding EVERY NIGHT for dinner and so he just can’t stomach them anymore? Did he eat one once and then become violently ill? Does he hate black because that’s the color he was wearing when he fell off his bike and broke his arm or because he had to attend his best friend’s funeral and wearing black gives him flashbacks?
I know this stuff seems nitpicky, but it’s important. It may not belong on the pages of your novel, but it WILL inform your characters. Odds are, he’ll react a little differently to having to wear black to a funeral if it’s because he can’t help remembering his best friend’s funeral than if it’s just because he thinks it’s unlucky and something bad (like falling off his bike) will happen. Some of that backstory should be included – leave the rest of it up to the readers.
What does she carry in her purse? A bunch of used, wadded up tissues or a laminated list of medications? What brand of lipstick does she use, NYC or Chanel? What would he pack for a weekend trip, three books or his Gameboy? All these tiny little details tell us an enormous amount about your character without overloading the reader – for all the tissues you’ve mentioned in her purses, leave out the unwrapped cough drops and stolen restaurant breath mints. Let the reader imagine them. Just give them what they need to get started!
I’m working on this kind of thing myself just now; I let myself get so bogged down in the plotline that my characters got a bit lost and indistinguishable from one another. If you’re in the same situation and at a loss for what to do, creative-writing-now.com has some great character profile questionnaires to help you get started. Good luck!
