Writing a Novel: Character Building (not in the fun way)

This week I want to talk a bit more about character because it seems like a natural next step from the planning blog I wrote last week. Planning can be broken down into all sorts of little stages to stop you losing the will to live before you have even set pen to paper; but for our purposes let's try and organise it a little....

...So you know you want to write a book. You either have a character you already love or you have a rough plot and no idea how to tell the story. This blog will be aimed at the latter group - the plot thinkers - but there might be some take-aways for us character types too.

Characters are Difficult

They're difficult because it is in their nature... because one way or another, a character is always in need of some new adventure to propel them along. Let's face it, nobody wants to read about Bilbo Baggins not going to find the rings and staying at home to have tea and second breakfast, instead. So the character and plot are inexorably linked. If your character isn't right (and trust me on this) you will end up with a totally different story from what you began with. They can have a mind all of their very own... but that's OK, they're supposed to.

Keeping it Real

OK, character pointer number one is to start with a personality. Don't think about names or descriptions just yet. Think about the type of person you would need to be in order to carry out the overarching plot. That's the personality you want. Everything else you add is just chocolate sprinkles.

So if you have a bus full of schoolkids that need saving the alcoholic bus driver might not pull it together in time; but the former firefighter on his way out of town might. There is another little trick that most stories use to build empathy with the main character: they are told that they are the only one who can save the bus full of kids/the earth/the Universe and they refuse the call. Either through self doubt or simply to make them more endearing to us. This is a natural part of 'the hero's journey' and I will go into more detail on that in a later blog.

At the moment let's consider that the character we are trying to develop - be it male, female, alien or talking horse - needs to be real. It doesn't matter if you have dropped them into a fantastical universe or if they themselves are supreme magical beings - they need to have thoughts, feelings, emotions and back-stories just like every other real person you ever met in your life. If they are not real (at least to you) then they aren't worth writing about... and that's the sad truth.

Increasing Levels of Realness

There are loads of little ways to make your characters more real. Just loads. How do you learn about them? Go and sit in a cafe somewhere busy, buy a coffee and watch. A train station is best, or an airport. People rushing tend to reveal all sorts of little personality traits about themselves. Just people watch and see what you notice. Some drag children behind them while others laugh and giggle with their kids. Some fumble and spill their shopping bags, are never organised or trip over themselves. Some have been sleeping on the train and rub their eyes, others hurry to smoke. At the end of your trip to the cafe you should have a whole page full of little personality traits that you can use for your own future reference.

One little tip on personality traits... consistency is important. Don't forget to include a trait because plot has picked up. Keep them going throughout and make them believable.

Another trick is to write a whole short story in itself all about your character. You might never include any of this information in the book but it helps you establish what their motivations are. For example, a character who had formerly lost a child might be reluctant to adopt a child or have a child thrust into their care, which could create friction in a story set around orphaned children. Knowing little facts about your character's background helps you to explain how they react to your plot points, and also helps you develop those reactions in the first place!

Once you have a well rounded, fully developed character on the page before you a name will come. Don't start with a name and shape a character... that's not how we name people in real life, is it?

One Last Thing...

... Not that I condone stealing but a pro author is basically a pro thief. That's not to say we go around ripping off one another's work (at least not deliberately, at least I hope not...) but rather that if there is an interesting personality quirk in your possession we will steal it. We will steal the fact that you constantly push your glasses up your nose and we might even steal the fact that you have had them re-shaped twice now but it's done no good. We will steal your history, your back story, your tales of woe and tales of joy. It's what we do, it's why we were once known as 'bards' and it's what you need to do to create successful, believable and real characters.

So go out there and pinch mannerisms, steal personality's and immortalise the many weird and wonderful quirks that human beings have. Copy your friend's thought patterns, or steal your partners ability to start a fight in an empty room - thieve it all and revel in it... because all of it will go towards creating the best character you ever wrote.

Just remember to change the names. People don't take kindly when you start killing them off...