Writing Character

Characters are of course one of the most important element in a story. They need to be believable, we as writers have to work to make them appear alive. How exactly can we do this? Whilst we can simply just write a character as we write a story, it is sometimes more helpful to write a profile for our character(s).

Creating a character profile can help to organise our thoughts and keep track of a particular character’s traits and personality, as well as their relationships to other characters. This can be extremely helpful when writing from multiple perspectives. Character profiles are great during rewrites as you can ensure continuity of their thoughts and actions. It is also important to note that genre plays a role in characterisation.

 

The Character Profile

 

The Basics

Name?

Age ?

Gender?

Nationality?

Place of birth/Hometown?

Current residence?

Occupation?

Talents/Skills?

Parents and relationship?

Siblings and relationship?

Children and relationship?

Girlfriend/Boyfriend?

Husband/Wife?

 

Physical Features

Height?

Weight?

Eye colour?

Hair colour?

Distinguishing features?

Clothing?

Mannerisms?

Habits?

Health?

Best quality?

Worst flaw?

Speech?

Sayings?

 

Personality and Intellectual Attributes

Educational background?

Intelligence level?

Mental illnesses?

Short-term goals?

Long-term goals?

How do they view themselves?

How do others view them?

Are they confident?

What embarrasses them?

 

Emotions

Strengths/Weaknesses?

Introverted/Extroverted?

How do they respond to anger, sadness, conflict, change, loss?

Motivation?

Fears?

 

How Is The Character Involved In The Story?

Role?

Relationship to other characters?

Changes in relationships?

 

Sometimes I find that you learn about the character as you go, so rather than try to write everything down at once it may also a good idea to add to your character profile as you write. You never know when your character may just do something unexpected!

Keep writing!

V

 

 

Genre Desensitization

I stumbled across an interesting idea and thought I might share it here: Genre desensitization. A-Level Psychology first introduced the idea of desensitization to me, and I began wondering if it could also apply to the books we read.

desensitization is a decrease in fear towards violence, death, taboo subjects and aggressive behaviour. The more we are exposed to such things, the weaker, or less sensitive, we are to them.

If you don’t like to read about death and shootings, then I suggest you skip this part as I’m  to write about a real incident I recall from class that has stuck with me all these years.

The Columbine High School Massacre occurred in 1999. Two students killed 12 students and a teacher, with 21 other students sustaining injuries, and 3 whilst trying to get away. The two students then committed suicide. Both were into violent video games, such as Doom and Wolfenstein and it has been suggested that the violence they undertook strongly correlates with the level of violence experienced in these games.

Films, such as the horror, crime or war genres, also have examples of violent acts. Texas Chainsaw Massacre would serve as an example. Books like Battle Royale, American Psycho and these other titles as suggested by GoodReads, serve as examples of violent books.

We are surrounded by these works and our sensitivity to them has decreased as a result; we have become accustomed to them.

However, we can also argue that we do not react violently, or flinch, as we once may have done, because we are ‘used to’ it.

All this exposure no longer appears to have the same level of impact due to its immersion in everyday life. But consideration for the many studies showing links between violence and violent behaviour should be noted.

Now let’s focus on books. Hypothetically, our identification with book characters could make us vulnerable as we learn to deal with our problems through violence and violent behaviour; we are like them, and so, we can solve our problems in the same way they did.

In The Hunger Games, Katniss kills Coin instead of Snow. Why? To prevent Coin from taking Snow’s place as another version of him. Coin suggested another hunger games, but with Capitol children. Does this make her any different from Snow? We identify with Katniss as she learns that it was Coin who ordered the parachutes that killed Prim.

How does this relate to real life? Think back to the aforementioned massacre. They were also bullied, which played a part in the actions they took. Katniss responded in the way she did to avenge Prim, as well as to prevent Coin repeating Snow’s actions by taking charge.

Imagine someone in either of these positions. What might they do?

It is also important to realise and acknowledge that these can be viewed as extreme examples, and besides, The Hunger Games is only fiction, right?

What do you think?

V

Anonymity and Pseudonymity

Anonymity

Why does a person choose to remain anonymous?

The most common answer is that they don’t want to be identified. Think about online gaming sites. It’s not practical to use your real name, so many make one up – to protect their identity.

Do you think a person has anything to gain from remaining unknown?

Well-known or famous people have the opportunity to move around unrecognised, and therefore unhindered, by those around them.

Why might anonymity be a problem?

Think about authorial identity- do we get a sense of who a person is?

Mary Shelley

In 1818, women were not allowed to publish books

Mary Shelley first published Frankenstein anonymously

People presumed it was the work of her husband, Percy

“Since fast decisions seem to work better than indecision, we read books about monsters, and don’t question our assumptions about prejudice… the very prejudice Mary Shelley was fighting in the sub-text and theme of her Frankenstein story, and the very prejudice she fought by publishing her work anonymously.”

“I’ve posted this answer anonymously, but I know it can’t stay anonymous for long. The second sentence contains a vital clue to my true identity. You may disappointed to find out you’ve been reading something written by a white man. It may comfort you to know I’ve traced back some of my distant African ancestry. But how could any of these facts possibly affect your enjoyment of this answer?”

(Why did Mary Shelley first publish Frankenstein using a pseudonym?)

Anonymity – “the quality or state of being unknown or unacknowledged” (TheFreeDictionary, 2011).

 

Pseudonymity

Why do people use pseudonyms?

Are there any problems associated with using a pseudonym?

Can you think of anyone who uses a pseudonym?

Would you use a pseudonym? Why or why not?

“Pseudonymity, a word derived from pseudonym, meaning ‘false name’, is a state of disguised identity. The pseudonym identifies a holder, that is, one or more human beings who possess but do not disclose their true names (that is, legal identities)” (Wikipedia).

 

Who am I?

Below are real names of people who use a pseudonym. See if you can guess who they are.

Mary Westmacott – Hint: author

Samuel Langhorne Clemens – Hint: author

Krishna Bhanji – Hint: actor

Maurice Joseph Micklewhite – Hint: actor

Judith Rumelt – Hint: author

 

Why?

Their real names are hard to pronounce

They feel that it may affect their career

They want to publish without any expectation, as in J.K. Rowling’s case (Robert Galbraith)

To write truthfully

To test out writing ability without being made known to the public

To promote their own work, e.g. on a blog/review

Pseudonyms are a way of protecting against sexism, racism, and prejudice

 

Until next time,

V

Characters – Why Are They Important?

Character-driven or Plot-driven?

Characters are a vital component of any story, be it a short story, novella, novel, tv pilot or film script. Characters bring a story to life and can provide character-driven stories.

A plot-driven story focuses on external factors, such as conflict and action from outside of the character. Goals are external, eg. get away from and kill the zombies (World War Z).

A character-driven story focuses on internal conflicts. Goals are internal and delve into inner conflict, relationships between characters and characterization, eg. trying to remember what happened the day before, and potential involvement with a disappearance (The Girl on the Train).

Whilst some will say that all stories contain both, with one recieving heavier focus, others may argue that all stories are character-driven. After all, where would a story be without any characters? But I think this opens up a whole new can of worms that could be debated for some time…

Back to character!

Do They Seem ‘Real’?

Think about the last book you read, or the last film you saw.

Did you believe the character was ‘real’ in the world they lived in? Why?

Characters need to be believable to a reader, otherwise they are just another cardboard cut-out attempting to imitate the living. They need to seem as though they are a real person with layers to their personality, internal conflicts, and goals. They should be memorable – and names are important too!

Names?

I’m very picky when it comes to selecting names for my characters, as names can be seen as an extension of personality. I tend to enjoy unusual, or lesser known names. For example, Ellyah is the name of my female protagonist. Her name means light. She is by no means an angel, but struggles to make choices that are right for her. Ultimately, she will have to make a decision that will change the course of history in my novels.

Think carefully before choosing.

Character Development?

Characters need to undergo some form of development throughout the course of a story, but how much do you, the writer, need to know about them beforehand?

Create character profiles for important characters and fill in the blanks – where did they go to school, are they religious, what music do they like, what are their faults, etc.?

What are their goals and motivations?

What obstacles do they have to overcome – internal and/or external?

Are they a strong enough character to carry the story?

Are they intelligent enough to know what they want and how to get there?

Can they adapt to plot changes as you write?

Will they survive against all odds?

Could you walk into a room and know them instantly?

Emotions?

I’d imagine that some (or all) of you have read or experienced a story that brings you to tears. Perhaps when a character dies? Or when they’re suffering?

Emotions can be messy and complicated, but if you get it right, can lead to emotional investment in the story. Allow your characters emotional investment into their own story.

If we think back to The Hunger Games, examples are dotted here and there, woved into the plot. When Katniss discoveres District 12 has been destroyed, she doesn’t rant, shout, scream, or cry. It is the emotion and conflict that can be seen in her eyes (film version) as she struggles to come to terms with it. When *SPOILER ALERT* Prim dies, thoughts and conflicting emotions swirl around in her head (book version). Her relationship with those around her changes. Her mother is left devastated, Peeta creates a memento for those who were killed during the Games and the War.

Think back to any point where a character has affected or played with your emotions. Why does it work so well? What has the writer done to make you feel this way? Is it essential to the plot? Why?

Viewpoint?

I’m more of a first person perspective writer, and I like to flip between a few characters during the course of a story to build up a picture of events from mulitple angles.

Others prefer to use third person perspective, which is useful for navigating between multiple characters.

I’d say it comes down to the preference and comfort of the individual.

Dialogue?

Dialogue can be used to reveal information. For example, film cannot always relay every scrap of information through flashbacks. So sometimes it is neccessary to vocalise it.

It also helps to reveal character – think about how a line is said:

“That’s great.”

Say it out loud in a sarcastic manner.

Now, try angry.

Sad.

Happy.

Depending on how it is said can reveal a great deal of infomation without us realising. Does it tells us that a character resorts to humour when upset, or takes their frustration out on others, or that they say one thing but mean something else entirely?

 

Enjoy mapping out your characters,

V