In the Shape of Us
If asked, what would you say is the single most essential ingredient in a story? Out of all the different forms and mediums a story can embody, which single part must absolutely be present? To answer that, one should consider the purpose of stories, regardless of time, place, or style. The answer I arrived at was so simple that I didn’t even begin this entry with the question itself in mind, but instead realized this point while contemplating our subject at hand.
This month we’re continuing our series on how to write a novel, so we’re picking up where we left off last time with point of view. With a perspective in mind, the next thing to be figured out is from where that perspective is framed. Whether or not you think my answer to the question above is correct, this month we’ll be talking about character. I’d bet if you thought about it for a moment, you’ll at least agree that more often than not, it’s the characters that hold our interest in a piece of media, novel or otherwise. Characters allow readers to connect to a story, and of course without them, a story is just a series of events without meaning (heck, most events outside forces of nature require characters to enact them, after all). But before we get deep into it, as always, allow me to get my monthly writing updates out of the way.
It’s been a year of lockdown, but just as hope appears to be on the near horizon, I myself feel like I’ve finally gotten close to having a healthy routine. Not only is this new routine beneficial to my physical and mental health, but it’s also brought renewed momentum for my writing as well. I’m also happy to report that I’ve discovered a new composition technique that’s helped greatly with overall productivity - maybe I’ll go more into that sometime. Somehow with a mix of divine intervention and hardheadedness, I’ve actually managed to complete the first act of my current work in progress. Maybe my pace has been a little slow compared to others, but what matters is that it’s working for me right now (also, I like to edit as I go after every scene, which is a slower process overall than just writing through the entire first draft, but mind your business). It’s great to be working steadily on something new again - it actually dawned on me recently that it’s been a long time since I’ve tackled an entirely new project, having spent the past couple years mostly revising older works - I guess that was what was missing. All this said, I actually plan on taking the next couple weeks to work on something extra important, something I’ve been dreading finally committing to, even thought it’s one of the most important things any writer who wants to be a professional can do (besides actually writing a book). I’ll be sure to let you know next month how that goes, but for now, back to the topic.
Entire books have been written on the concept of character alone, but I’m going to do my best to sum up some crucial points within the narrow band of word count I allot these entries. As mentioned, stories are composed of characters, whether human or otherwise, acting and reacting from beginning to end. It’s through our connection to characters that we’re able to simultaneously be entertained, while also grasping any greater ideas being expressed. Characters of course must be vivid and complex, relatable or detestable, but to write them well, several things must be considered. The first thing a writer must think about when coming up with their characters is considering their role in the story. This may be obvious when conceiving of your protagonist and antagonist, but it’s also worth putting at the forefront of your mind when coming up with your entire cast as well. Without a doubt, you want to put a lot of thought into layering your main character, and putting an in kind amount of work into your antagonist is also wise as the plot of the story itself should largely be composed of these two forces playing off each other. This idea should also guide your decisions about supporting characters and the depth (and word count) they are given too, as your most important supporting characters should also have multiple layers of depth, but will likely be less ingrained into the fabric of plot as the protagonist themself. It should then follow reason that your bit players and extras, while still important and must be written as interestingly as their role allows, will have less room in the plot to be fleshed out as they pass through your protagonist’s world.
With a specific role in the plot to fill in mind, let’s look at the components of a character. The first layer is characterization, which essentially means all the outward attributes of a character’s personality and appearance. Others might begin with appearance, but I tend to lean towards starting with personality first, as I find it easiest to derive this from the role I need them to fill. I like to come up with a character’s “essence” - a summation of the character’s overall vibe - then think about how deep into that the reader needs to be taken, and how best that can be conveyed. Physical appearance usually comes next for me, and even though I occasionally struggle with finalizing what a character should look like, the reader will often expect to have them described as soon as they are introduced. It’s a common tool in fiction to have the character appear in a way that either conveys their personality quickly, or sets up a subversion of that expectation for effect, depending on what you need from that character’s role. From there, flesh out the character’s pattern of behavior and general demeanor, including quirks as needed to provide additional appeal or intrigue. All these outward, surface-level traits are what make up characterization. Still, for as skin deep as this character layer may be, a writer must still utilize characterization with purpose and intent. Why does the character behave the way they do? Does their characterization serve the story? Does your protagonist stand out enough from others in the same genre? All these things and much more must be considered even at this most “shallow” level of character writing.
With the building blocks of character in place, it’s time to go one step deeper and tap into the next level of character depth that will make your story as a whole sink or swim. As with real people, characters must have layers of qualities that guide their decisions and complicate first impressions. An actor asking for their character’s motivation is a cliché, but when you consider that motivation is literally the driving force behind a character’s thoughts and actions, one can understand where the cliché came from. A character needs a reason for what they do, and whether or not their outward behaviors are consistent, the rationale behind them must be understandable throughout. Protagonists and antagonists must have dueling motivations that play off each other, but when you get into it, every person enters every interaction with a motivation of some sort, so whether or not you give every interaction much weight in the plot or word count, motivation is something that can be figured out for every character in a story to some extent or another.
However, one major piece of character writing that will likely be reserved for your main characters is an arc. A character arc is the change in a character’s thinking or behavior caused by events in the plot - for good or ill. One of the most satisfying aspects of any story is seeing a character change over time, so always give thought to your character’s arc as you go from beginning to end.
One last important thing to consider (for perhaps all of your characters) is why they are the way they are. What has caused your protagonist to undertake their journey? What forces led to your antagonist standing in the hero’s way? Why does that supporting character have the personality they do, and does it say anything more about the world or theme of your story? Just as everyone has a motivation, every motivation has a backstory, and conveying why a character behaves as they do can bring the reader to a deep, emotional understanding of them and your story as a whole.
And just like in my own writing, I’m leaving you without any helpful advice on how to actually name your characters. I don’t feel like I used to struggle with this as I do now, but I can never settle - do names have to sound or feel like the character? Do they need to be a great literary reference to something? Or will literally anything do? I’ve got no idea at present, so I’ll have to give it some thought and get back with you sometime down the road. Regardless, when I made the note to myself that an entry on characters would be next up for this here blog, I definitely had the thought that the subject would be far, far too complex and interesting to be summarized succinctly in the one to two thousand words I plan these entries to be. Indeed, upon making my best attempt, the absurdity of trying to summarize this topic into a single entry was all the more absurd - so that said, let me know if there’s any interest in a deeper dive into this topic for later on. But before signing off, let me reiterate that characters in fiction must emulate real people in order to be relatable and interesting - yet at the same time fictional characters are not real people, and in my opinion, must be larger than life in many ways - they must echo archetypes and tropes the audience will grasp, while simultaneously conforming to the clockwork of the story they reside in. This is the duality that fictional characters exist within. Just like real, our fictional characters must be complex, unique, and play a role in something bigger than themselves.
And like a good character, I hope this entry has managed to inspire and inform, if only just enough of each. Remember that after genre, characters tend to be the foremost element of a story that hooks the reader and gets them to buy in for the long haul, so always put care into their creation. Hopefully the length of these past couple entries is in some way a reflection that maybe I’ve learned at least a tiny bit more about the craft over the years, but regardless, thank you so much for sticking through and reading until the end. We’ll continue our series on how to write a novel next month, and I hope you’ll join me once again for the next leg of the journey.
