| Characterization Tips and Ideas Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image." He saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. Writing a novel is just plain fun. For me, nothing is more enjoyable than turning dust into delightful characters. Sometimes they create themselves. But in the end, seeing what has been created, it's a great feeling to say, "It is very good." Here are some ideas and suggestions to help as you shape your dust into imaginary people readers will love. |
Before starting to write your novel, your main characters must be alive and very
real to you. You must be able to see them in your mind's eye, feel their presence,
smell them, like or dislike them strongly before writing a single word. It is much
harder to go back and make changes later, as the story develops and your love for
these characters grows.
This is why I believe a writer should start the entire process with their
characters. You may not even have a clue what their story will be, but picture
people, either from magazine photos or clearly in your mind's eye, and allow
yourself to fall in love with them. Let their story develop after that attachment has
developed. It is so much easier to go back and recreate the story than it is to go
back and recreate the characters. Consistency becomes a real problem. Start with
characters first; the story will change on its own as the characters want their story
to change—they will make the changes no matter how you've structured the story's
outline. That tension, that struggle between the author and her characters is what
makes writing a novel so challenging. But it is also what creates a powerful story.
Any time an author is fired up, is passionate about her story and the characters
living that story, the story will reflect that passion, and the reader will be drawn
more deeply in. It's the passion, the indecision, the stepping back, letting the
characters take over their own story, letting them decide, that makes novel writing
so intense, and so immensely rewarding. Downright enjoyable. (In my opinion.)
You must sit down and get to know your characters. Talk to them away from your
desk. Look at the world through their eyes, see life the way they see it. Ask their
opinion. Actively be a part of what they are going through.
Does this sound frightfully like a mental illness? You bet. Listen to the voices in
your head. Talk to your imaginary friends. Laugh aloud and break the silence. Go
ahead. Create. Imagine. Let it overtake you. Pace the floor arguing with someone
only you can see. See them follow you around the room, arguing their point. Weep
for them in the middle of a pleasant spring day. And don't be shy about it. Just say
you're a writer, and people will understand.
It's that writer's mental disease called imagination. Passionate imagination.
Passionate creative imagination. Is there a muse involved? I prefer to blame it on
the One who created us. The original sufferer of Passionate Creative Imagination.
The One who is Love.
When developing a character, don't dwell too heavily on any one feature as you
write your story. For example, don't overdo the fact she has beautiful blue eyes. I
know this is an amazing real-life feature—a good friend of mine has the most
gorgeous blue eyes I've ever seen. They seem to sparkle. It's okay to draw your
character with unbelievably gorgeous blue eyes. Just don't overdo the telling of
this in your story. It goes back to the idea of remembering how your reader reads
your story. They read fast, 1001% faster than you wrote it. It may have been
months since you last wrote about Melissa's unbelievably gorgeous blue eyes, but
the six scenes where you mention it may only be about ten minutes apart for the
reader.
Keep in mind "olive skin" and "almond-shaped eyes" really are tired clichés. Try
to come up with original descriptions, or focus more on the look in your
character's eyes. The flash of joy, the glare, the surprise.
Also, avoid having your characters biting their lips, or knitting their brows, or
throwing their eyes across the room. Little dumb things, I know.
If your novel is going to have a picture of your main character on the cover, it is
crucial to specifically describe her in the story as she looks on the cover. Readers
will periodically stop reading to look again at the front cover to see the picture of
the person they are reading about. They want to see that the description in the
story matches the picture exactly. This endears the character to them. If the pix is
not exact, the descriptions in the book will only distract and disappoint them.
When the front cover of your book is being drawn up, provide a picture of your
character if possible. Where do you find a picture of your character? Look
through magazines. I found the perfect image of my just-for-practice-novel's hero
in a Mervyn's flyer. Yes, it's good to create real characters, and not all characters
are model material. But not all models are perfect. Some look like real people.
Remember how stories are told: they are either story/plot driven, or they are
character driven. Both elements are crucial, yet usually either one or the other
drives the story.
The stories shown every week on the television show Law and Order are story
driven. We obviously care about the characters, but we care more about the story
being told. Yes, we enjoy the dialogue and interaction between the cops, but we
never follow them home; we never learn much about their personal lives.
Halfway through the story we are given an entirely new set of characters, and we
don't even mind. The story carries us. The show always ends with the verdict and
the lawyer's final reaction to it. This style works because the stories are so
powerful. Courtroom drama is a perfect vehicle for this type of work. Would it
work anywhere else?
Can you think of another strictly story-driven TV show?
Most shows are like Third Watch. The stories are great, but they are more
character driven—I care more about the people than I do about the stories being
told. I love the characters on Third Watch more than I love the ones on Law and
Order because I get to follow them home; I get to see more of what makes them
real. Remember the Third Watch episode when both fire and police stood on-call
guarding the kitchen for the governor's debate just after September 11th? That
show didn't even tell a story; we simply followed one character, then the other,
then the other, seeing their interactions with each other and hearing their opinions
about political matters. The entire show played out at the kitchen; they didn't even
roll out on a call until the very end of the show and we never did get to see where
they went—the story ended. Let another TV show try that. A show about nothing?
Well, I guess they have done that before, but a drama? Third Watch made it
happen, at least that one time. And I wasn't disappointed at all.
Of course, story is always important.
That Third Watch story about nothing still made me cry. But story is not more
important than developing great characters, and character development is not
more important than developing a great story. The two must balance. Both are
equally important. Think about daytime soaps. Their storylines are pretty much
. . . dare I say (forgive me!) . . . silly? But rabid fans watch them for years to see
what's going to happen next to their favorite characters. They are hooked. And
even when the producers switch actors for characters, after the viewer gets over
their initial disappointment, they still continue to watch.
The danger with writing a strictly story-driven story is what happens when the
story isn't all that strong. The author obviously creates characters she loves, but
she doesn't develop them enough for the reader to love them. The story is more
important than completely developing its characters. This tends to weaken the
story, no matter how strong the author thinks it is.
I love Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon Mysteries. (She's the only general market
author I read.) Nevada loves Anna. I love Anna. Does the story have to be all that
wonderful? No. I just want to see what Anna's gotten herself into this time. Even
if Nevada was to write a story about Anna playing checkers, a story where
nothing happens, I would read it and love it because I love Anna so much, and I
love Nevada’s ability to tell a great story, even if nothing terribly exciting
happens. But Nevada (or should I say, Anna?) always finds a way to stir up some
excitement.
Two more examples. Dee Henderson's Kate O'Malley. I loved Kate so much in
The Negotiator, I was willing to overlook the minor plot twist that left me
wondering. And The Shipping News. Though highly acclaimed, I couldn't see past
the disgusting main character. I put the book down and never picked it back up.
Obviously many readers loved this book, but I can only speak for myself. I can
overcome story for character, but I usually can't overcome character for story.
Disregard the first three or four names that pop into your head for a character. If
you choose the name Joan for your character, what is the first last name that pops
up? Rivers? London? Sorry, both are taken. Your brain will instantly match you
with names you've heard before. Famous names. Allow the first few names to pop
up, but let them go.
Write a complete new scene, or carry out a scene from your favorite TV show or
movie. The characters are already in your mind's eye. Describe them on paper as
you see them, from what they are wearing to how they walk across the room. Try
to capture their nuances in dialogue, too. Totally recreate them, and then see if
you can take them somewhere they've never been.
Find new and interesting characters every day, in every place where people hang
out and interact. Find that specific detail that may set your character apart from all
the other characters out there. Create real and fully alive characters. Then sit back
and let them do what they do best—live and breathe and get into trouble!
real to you. You must be able to see them in your mind's eye, feel their presence,
smell them, like or dislike them strongly before writing a single word. It is much
harder to go back and make changes later, as the story develops and your love for
these characters grows.
This is why I believe a writer should start the entire process with their
characters. You may not even have a clue what their story will be, but picture
people, either from magazine photos or clearly in your mind's eye, and allow
yourself to fall in love with them. Let their story develop after that attachment has
developed. It is so much easier to go back and recreate the story than it is to go
back and recreate the characters. Consistency becomes a real problem. Start with
characters first; the story will change on its own as the characters want their story
to change—they will make the changes no matter how you've structured the story's
outline. That tension, that struggle between the author and her characters is what
makes writing a novel so challenging. But it is also what creates a powerful story.
Any time an author is fired up, is passionate about her story and the characters
living that story, the story will reflect that passion, and the reader will be drawn
more deeply in. It's the passion, the indecision, the stepping back, letting the
characters take over their own story, letting them decide, that makes novel writing
so intense, and so immensely rewarding. Downright enjoyable. (In my opinion.)
You must sit down and get to know your characters. Talk to them away from your
desk. Look at the world through their eyes, see life the way they see it. Ask their
opinion. Actively be a part of what they are going through.
Does this sound frightfully like a mental illness? You bet. Listen to the voices in
your head. Talk to your imaginary friends. Laugh aloud and break the silence. Go
ahead. Create. Imagine. Let it overtake you. Pace the floor arguing with someone
only you can see. See them follow you around the room, arguing their point. Weep
for them in the middle of a pleasant spring day. And don't be shy about it. Just say
you're a writer, and people will understand.
It's that writer's mental disease called imagination. Passionate imagination.
Passionate creative imagination. Is there a muse involved? I prefer to blame it on
the One who created us. The original sufferer of Passionate Creative Imagination.
The One who is Love.
When developing a character, don't dwell too heavily on any one feature as you
write your story. For example, don't overdo the fact she has beautiful blue eyes. I
know this is an amazing real-life feature—a good friend of mine has the most
gorgeous blue eyes I've ever seen. They seem to sparkle. It's okay to draw your
character with unbelievably gorgeous blue eyes. Just don't overdo the telling of
this in your story. It goes back to the idea of remembering how your reader reads
your story. They read fast, 1001% faster than you wrote it. It may have been
months since you last wrote about Melissa's unbelievably gorgeous blue eyes, but
the six scenes where you mention it may only be about ten minutes apart for the
reader.
Keep in mind "olive skin" and "almond-shaped eyes" really are tired clichés. Try
to come up with original descriptions, or focus more on the look in your
character's eyes. The flash of joy, the glare, the surprise.
Also, avoid having your characters biting their lips, or knitting their brows, or
throwing their eyes across the room. Little dumb things, I know.
If your novel is going to have a picture of your main character on the cover, it is
crucial to specifically describe her in the story as she looks on the cover. Readers
will periodically stop reading to look again at the front cover to see the picture of
the person they are reading about. They want to see that the description in the
story matches the picture exactly. This endears the character to them. If the pix is
not exact, the descriptions in the book will only distract and disappoint them.
When the front cover of your book is being drawn up, provide a picture of your
character if possible. Where do you find a picture of your character? Look
through magazines. I found the perfect image of my just-for-practice-novel's hero
in a Mervyn's flyer. Yes, it's good to create real characters, and not all characters
are model material. But not all models are perfect. Some look like real people.
Remember how stories are told: they are either story/plot driven, or they are
character driven. Both elements are crucial, yet usually either one or the other
drives the story.
The stories shown every week on the television show Law and Order are story
driven. We obviously care about the characters, but we care more about the story
being told. Yes, we enjoy the dialogue and interaction between the cops, but we
never follow them home; we never learn much about their personal lives.
Halfway through the story we are given an entirely new set of characters, and we
don't even mind. The story carries us. The show always ends with the verdict and
the lawyer's final reaction to it. This style works because the stories are so
powerful. Courtroom drama is a perfect vehicle for this type of work. Would it
work anywhere else?
Can you think of another strictly story-driven TV show?
Most shows are like Third Watch. The stories are great, but they are more
character driven—I care more about the people than I do about the stories being
told. I love the characters on Third Watch more than I love the ones on Law and
Order because I get to follow them home; I get to see more of what makes them
real. Remember the Third Watch episode when both fire and police stood on-call
guarding the kitchen for the governor's debate just after September 11th? That
show didn't even tell a story; we simply followed one character, then the other,
then the other, seeing their interactions with each other and hearing their opinions
about political matters. The entire show played out at the kitchen; they didn't even
roll out on a call until the very end of the show and we never did get to see where
they went—the story ended. Let another TV show try that. A show about nothing?
Well, I guess they have done that before, but a drama? Third Watch made it
happen, at least that one time. And I wasn't disappointed at all.
Of course, story is always important.
That Third Watch story about nothing still made me cry. But story is not more
important than developing great characters, and character development is not
more important than developing a great story. The two must balance. Both are
equally important. Think about daytime soaps. Their storylines are pretty much
. . . dare I say (forgive me!) . . . silly? But rabid fans watch them for years to see
what's going to happen next to their favorite characters. They are hooked. And
even when the producers switch actors for characters, after the viewer gets over
their initial disappointment, they still continue to watch.
The danger with writing a strictly story-driven story is what happens when the
story isn't all that strong. The author obviously creates characters she loves, but
she doesn't develop them enough for the reader to love them. The story is more
important than completely developing its characters. This tends to weaken the
story, no matter how strong the author thinks it is.
I love Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon Mysteries. (She's the only general market
author I read.) Nevada loves Anna. I love Anna. Does the story have to be all that
wonderful? No. I just want to see what Anna's gotten herself into this time. Even
if Nevada was to write a story about Anna playing checkers, a story where
nothing happens, I would read it and love it because I love Anna so much, and I
love Nevada’s ability to tell a great story, even if nothing terribly exciting
happens. But Nevada (or should I say, Anna?) always finds a way to stir up some
excitement.
Two more examples. Dee Henderson's Kate O'Malley. I loved Kate so much in
The Negotiator, I was willing to overlook the minor plot twist that left me
wondering. And The Shipping News. Though highly acclaimed, I couldn't see past
the disgusting main character. I put the book down and never picked it back up.
Obviously many readers loved this book, but I can only speak for myself. I can
overcome story for character, but I usually can't overcome character for story.
Disregard the first three or four names that pop into your head for a character. If
you choose the name Joan for your character, what is the first last name that pops
up? Rivers? London? Sorry, both are taken. Your brain will instantly match you
with names you've heard before. Famous names. Allow the first few names to pop
up, but let them go.
Write a complete new scene, or carry out a scene from your favorite TV show or
movie. The characters are already in your mind's eye. Describe them on paper as
you see them, from what they are wearing to how they walk across the room. Try
to capture their nuances in dialogue, too. Totally recreate them, and then see if
you can take them somewhere they've never been.
Find new and interesting characters every day, in every place where people hang
out and interact. Find that specific detail that may set your character apart from all
the other characters out there. Create real and fully alive characters. Then sit back
and let them do what they do best—live and breathe and get into trouble!
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| Genesis 1:26-27 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. |
| Genesis 25:25 And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. |
| 1 Samuel 9:2 And he had a choice and handsome son whose name was Saul. There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. |
| 1 Samuel 16:12 Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!" |
| Isaiah 53:2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. |
| 2 Samuel 14:25-26 Now in all Israel there was no one who was praised as much as Absalom for his good looks. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. And when he cut the hair of his head—at the end of every year he cut it because it was heavy on him— when he cut it, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels according to the king's standard. |