So often, story ideas begin with characters. Writers have a picture in their mind of a character they’ve never met, or a character that’s an amalgam of people they’ve known, or a character that jumps from something they see in real life, and from there a new story is born. How do we create characters that resonate with readers, though? What needs to go into the mix?
First, avoid stereotypes. In a polarized world, this might seem like a challenge, but consider the people you know well. Very few of them are all one thing or another. Consider characteristics that would be unexpected given who the character is on the surface. Readers make assumptions about characters the same way we jump to conclusions about people we meet briefly, or only know a little bit about. A flat character would be a football player who only talks about football, who watches sports and plays video games. An intriguing character would be a football player who listens to classical music, who maybe practices yoga and has a penchant for mystery novels.
Next, remember that all characters are flawed. Nobody is perfect in this world. For your characters to seem real, they shouldn’t be, either. Despite the stories people tell on social media, they have challenges in life they try to keep hidden. What might your character be embarrassed about? How does the image does the character projects contrast with who they really are?
Develop Character And Setting Worksheets
In addition to flaws, strong protagonists also have a wound: something in their past that had a negative impact on them, and affects how they make decisions in the present. The wound could be an experience that informs how they treat others, how well they trust the people in their lives, or how well they trust themselves. The wound should also somehow relate to the story. In a romance, for example, the wound could be the failure of a past relationship, and because of it, the protagonist is unable to fully commit, afraid what might happen if they risk their heart again.
Once you have some primary characteristics sketched out, think about what the character will face over the course of the story. Determine what motivates your characters. Often what they want at the beginning is indicative of their flaws, and pushes them in the direction of what they need to learn. Now, a flat character will have similar reactions to the obstacles they face time after time, then suddenly realize something near the very end. This literally creates a flat arc … picture a flat line on a heart monitor, with a sudden blip of a pulse, then back to a flat line. Flat lines equal boring characters. Readers want to be kept on their toes, surprised as much by how the character handles situations as by whatever twists and turns the plot introduces.
In these scenarios where we see the same reactions in every scene, only to have one major change at the end, when the character’s perspective or world-view changes all at once, chances are we’ve lost interest long before we get there. We need to see a gradual shift that starts to become noticeable around the midpoint of the story and then crystallizes at the climax.
How To Build Stories
—and characters that are flat, boring? It’s all in how you write them. If two writers were asked to create a character using Katniss’s known characteristics, the result would likely be two very different characters with similar traits. Physical quirks, pet phrases, and nervous tics are only one part. The rest—the part that makes characters memorable—comes in how we relate to them.
This is the emotional component, the insight we have to how the character thinks and feels that allows us to empathize with them. By seeing how a character thinks, accessing their direct thoughts (even in third-person narratives) we connect, and put ourselves in their shoes. This is how the character becomes like the reader’s avatar in the story. The more access we have, the more we are transported to the character’s world and experience the events of the story firsthand. If we’re consistently told how a character feels, though, by reading named emotions or seeing only physical details (like Auggie laughed, or Auggie cried) the less connection we have.
To recap, create unpredictable characters. Add the unexpected. Give them depth, show them reacting. And the send them on their slow journeys of gradual changes, showcasing their new and improved selves at the end. And leave your readers thinking about them long after they’ve closed the book.
How To Create Unique Characters / The Beginning Writer
Kristen loves hot fudge sundaes, YA novels, and helping you create your best story. She’s committed to helping writers at all levels improve their craft. When not writing or reading, she tries to spend time outdoors … with at least one book and a notebook in her backpack, just in case.Knowing how to develop a character so your reader invests in them and believes their journey is key to writing great character-driven stories. Try these 7 simple steps to begin creating affecting, intriguing character arcs:
Writing good character development means creating a vivid sense of who your character is at the start of the story, and colouring in details such as background, hopes, dreams, fears, constructive and destructive choices and more.
‘Don’t judge a book by its cover.’ How many times have you heard that? Yet first impressions are often deeply revealing (if we’re alert to what they suggest).
Unlocking The Power Of Chatgpt For Character Development: A Guide For Writers
. The backstory: Milkman is meeting Pilate, his aunt, for the first time. His father, disapproving of his sister, forbids his children spending time with her.
They found her on the front steps sitting wide-legged in a long-sleeved, long-skirted black dress. Her hair was wrapped in black too, and from a distance, all they could really see beneath her face was the bright orange she was peeling. She was all angles, he remembered later, knees, mostly, and elbows. One foot pointed east and one pointed west. Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon(1977), p. 36.
This beautiful description gives a clear impression. Pilate’s ‘wide-legged’ sitting stance suggests a free spirit. There’s a witchy quality to her long, black garments. The idea of her feet pointing opposite directions, east and west, suggests contrariness; opposition.
Creating Characters For Stories And Personal Narratives
As they came closer and saw the brass box dangling from her ear, Milkman knew that what with the earring, the orange, and the angled black cloth, nothing – not the wisdom of his father nor the caution of the world – could keep him from her. Morrison, p. 36.
In one page, Morrison gives us both a vivid visual sense of Pilate and how a main character feels about her on first meeting.
How people speak is full of giveaway signs of their personalities and temperaments. Take, for example, how Morrison develops Pilate’s character further. Milkman’s friend, Guitar, is the first to speak up:
What A Character! Creating Characters In Fiction.
“Hi.” The woman looked up. First at Guitar and then at Milkman. “What kind of word is that?” Her voice was light but gravel-sprinkled. Milkman kept on staring at her fingers, manipulating the orange. Guitar grinned and shrugged. “It means hello.” “Then say what you mean.” “Okay. Hello.” “That’s better. What you want?” Morrison, p. 36.
This dialogue immediately develops Pilate further. Morrison shows us her tough, uncompromising nature. Her words are direct. She thinks before she speaks, and she gets straight to the point. Her clipped, brusque tone suggests wariness. Her immediate leap to ‘What you want?’ conveys a hint of cynical mistrust.
A big part of learning how to develop a character is understanding characters’ drives. What propels them forward? What holds them back? [Get our guideHow to Write Real Characters for practical character development exercises and examples.]
The Story Works Guide To Writing Character: How To Create Characters Your Readers Will Love Or Love To Hate. (the Story Works Guide To Writing Fiction): Winternheimer, Alida: 9780991292394: Amazon.com: Books
, Morrison establishes early that the daughters of Macon Dead and Ruth (Milkman’s sisters) live in fear of their father. The author narrates:
The disappointment he felt in his daughters sifted down on them like ash, dulling their buttery complexions and choking the lilt out of what should have been girlish voices. Under the frozen heat of his glance they tripped over doorsills and dropped the salt cellar into the yolks of their poached eggs. Morrison, pp. 10-11.
This description shows how fear of their father is an animating, driving factor in the girls’ lives. It sows the seeds of further character development. In fact, the dynamic between the girls and their father also supplies tension and desires, as Morrison continues:
Reflect And Analyse Characters In A Story
The way he mangled their grace, wit, and self-esteem was the single excitement of their days. Without the tension and drama he ignited, they might not have known what to do with themselves. In his absence his daughters bent their necks over blood-red squares of velvet and waited eagerly for any hint of him… Morrison, p. 11.
Morrison’s description is a masterclass in how to develop character. Again, in a single page, she shows how the girls’ relationship with their father is both a source of fear and tension
In show-jumping, the moment of tension is when we wonder if the horse will clear the hurdle. Giving your characters hurdles to clear in their story paths creates similar excitement and tension.
0 Comments
Posting Komentar