Let's talk about characters. They are one part of the life’s blood of any story we offer our readers. Good, bad, every character is important to telling the story, however, not all belong in the spotlight. But all deserve the same care and consideration when being created.
Writing believable characters is a challenge, whilst avoiding the typical cliches we all too often see. There are a number of ‘cliche characters’ we are all familiar with - the brooding Rebel, the reluctant hero, the Plain Jane, The mad scientist, the list goes on. But what makes these characters so predictable and boring to today’s reader?
These characters are interchangeable, you can put them in any situation and they fit with little effort on an author or reader’s part. Let’s get into a bit more details including some examples to clarify what I mean. First, we’ll look at a few of these cliched characters we’ve all read.
The first one is:
- The Brooding Rebel - he’s the quiet, taciturn, loner. Brisque and standoffish he is slightly anti-social, going out of his way to avoid contact with other people.
- His personality changes when he or she meets the man or woman of his/her dreams then he becomes a different person. We get to see the softer side of him, the more sensitive, emotional man.
- We’ve all seen such a character in a book or movie, Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights for example. Personally, I think Wolverine from Xmen fits in here as well.
Next of course is the:
- The Plain Jain - the quiet, plain, unassuming man or woman everyone overlooks but at the end of it all he/she’s the smartest, kindest, his/her inner beauty is exposed.
- The ultimate ugly duckling. She’s the woman who doesn’t attract men’s attention, yet when the hero falls in love with her he’s astounded anyone could consider her to be plain. He’s the guy nobody notices - but once you get to know him his charm and wit is exposed and the heroine questions why nobody noticed it before.
- The seductress - beautiful, sexy, a woman with a mind of her own who is interested in only one thing. Her own advancement. She isn’t shy and makes no secret she’s willing to do whatever she must.
- An example of this character is the woman Sharon Stone played in Basic Instinct. Perhaps a little over the top but ultimately she is a femme fatale.
- The Reluctant Hero - A simple man looking for peace and quiet who finds him or herself tugged along on a journey full of excitement and adventure. Typically they rise to the occasion given to them because they must, not because they desire to.
- A prime example of this is John Wayne’s character in Eldorado. - A great movie, where he played a gunfighter who got caught in a range war...but he wound up on the underdog’s side. I’d highly recommend it if you haven’t seen it yet.
There are more than these few, and we’ve all seen them...perhaps we’ve even written them. I know I have, without even realizing I’ve done so. It’s not unusual to write characters we are familiar with, and we are very comfortable with these ones. Many if not all of these characters are classics, which inspired writer after writer to model their character after them and thus we have become so used to them they’ve become the cookie-cutter model. There isn’t anything wrong with starting with some of their personality points, though if you can expand on them, give them more depth it would be a good idea. Remember, the trick is to learn and adapt and make your characters three dimensional and unique. Playing off the typical cliche characters' strengths is a step onto the path but not the whole journey.
So how do we make a character interesting while avoiding the cliche trap?
Well, the first step I believe to doing this, is to know your characters. Knowing everything about them is vital, and I mean everything from their favorite food to what cut of underwear they like, what are their fears, their dreams, their desires.
Before I start any project, I take the time to do a major character interview of the two main characters. These can range anywhere from 5 pages up to 15 if I feel it is necessary. Other characters get a more basic interview so there is some awareness and knowledge of the subsequent characters. Even if a character has only a couple of lines, I believe it is a good idea to do an interview with them as well. You never know when a minor character may shift and become much more active and play a more invested part in the story.
There are some excellent interview questions you can get with a simple google - I’ll put some links in the description box for you.
When you’re creating your characters, one thing to keep in mind. Never think small, consider every detail, think outside of the box when it comes to questions about your characters. You may find you don’t use every detail but having them at hand will make your life much easier.
Your main characters need to be three dimensional, so the reader feels like they’re getting to know an actual person. One thing you want to avoid when you’re writing is leaving the characters blank. Describe them, as you go, so the reader can picture them. Paint their image for the reader and really allow the reader to connect with them. When you’re lacking a description, or you leave your character’s image ambiguous it has an effect on the reader’s enjoyment of the book.
Don’t just tell the reader what the character looks like in one massive information dump. This is jarring and creates a passive description in my opinion. You want to sprinkle it into the book. Think of each interaction the character has as a chance for you to show the reader a detail of the character, from the Point of View of another character. You’ve given the reader the same information but in an active manner rather than simply telling him or her.
Remember we don’t spend a lot of time in the mirror saying to ourselves: I’m this tall, weight this much, my eyes are blue/green and so on.
You can show a reader details about the character’s personality as well in the narrative where they’re enjoying their hobby or a particular food or whatever the detail is. Weaving in these character features may seem to be a lot of work, but the end your character is well rounded and identifiable to the reader. Not only as the main character in your novel but as an individual.
A great resource you can utilize is Pinterest. Creating a board for inspiration for your book is a huge time saver. You can have a visual representation of your characters, your setting, your plot points, all in one place. This will make things much easier for you as you go along.
Just as important as knowing your character is understanding their Goals, Motivations, and Conflicts. For example you have a heroine who hates relationships - she has no interest in them… why? What are her reasons for her beliefs? Name a goal of hers which could create conflict be it internal or external? Having parents who died is often used - and if you’re going to do so you will need to ensure the spin you put on it is unique and original to avoid another cliche.
What motivates a character to do their job? To be a playboy or a seductress? Are there secrets out there which could influence how others see them? Motivation is a huge part of every aspect of life and writing a character with little motivation to do anything leaves the reader with a bad feeling of the book and can ultimately kill the reader’s interest.
Be creative with your answers, think outside the box. Perhaps your heroine is a serial killer and uses sex to kill her victims… how would that impact your story? How would it impact her ability to have a relationship?
Remember your hero/heroine can be the anti-hero/anti-heroine. They don’t have to be pure, innocent, heart of gold people. There must be conflicts within themselves to allow for growth as a character. If character A is perfect and a wonderful person - it lends a certain boredom to the reader’s experience. Having flaws, bad habits, and such do not detract from an amazing character, rather it adds a layer of depth and life to your characters.
Characters are, in my opinion, one-third of what makes a great story. You can have a wonderful story idea, a great setting, but if the characters are boring - the book won’t be read. Can you imagine Harry Potter without Harry Potter?
No, he’s as much a part of the storytelling as the location, as the magic, and it shows. Readers are looking for an escape when we pick up a book. A character we can identify with, even if it is to love to hate is still interesting and 3 dimensional and will keep the reader hooked. Think of your characters in your books as individuals, with identities, experiences, feelings when you’re writing. Engage all their senses, I want to feel what they feel, hear, smell, see… for those moments when I’m reading, I want to experience the story through the eyes of those who are ‘living’ it.
