Character Development

[ckatt]

Hi all,
I'm looking for tips and or resources on better crafting my characters. I've read a few books on the subject, all of which seem to boil down to the same basics ideas. And I don't think the problem is that I'm not grasping those basics. In fact, I think I've succeeded in doing it before. That said, In my workshop, I often get comments about the characters feeling stiff or unlikable, which always hurts because that's what I'm working so hard on yet I know I'm still deficient. I know that this is something that must be attacked on multiple levels, that is, in the big details and the small. But in the end, I come up short. I give my characters backstories, desires, insecurities, fears, loves, and I try to integrate that into how they appear on page without telling. But in the end, I'm often unsuccessful in moving people.
So if you can think of any resources that were of particular help to you or an author that does it particularly well, I'd love to know. There's so much out there that I don't know what to do next.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Maybe instead of approaching characterization so methodically (which it sounds as though you are doing) you should try allowing your characters to develop organically. That is, if you just know two or three important things about each of them, and then let the rest evolve naturally from those things you know at the beginning, you may find the characters come across as more real, therefore more relatable.

Also, if they seem stiff and unnatural, could that be more a problem with the dialogue then the basic personalities of the characters?

 

[ckatt]

Thank's for your input

Also, if they seem stiff and unnatural, could that be more a problem with the dialogue then the basic personalities of the characters?

I'm sure it could be, though I've often been praised for my natural and authentic-sounding dialogue. (thou not so real that it is full of umms and filler) I have a theatre background, and in the past, I wrote plays that were well-received. Coming into fiction, I feel, that was a barrier for me as I wanted to reveal a character's internal state through their dialogue, and I wrote short stories there were mostly talking. But many readers wanted to know what the characters were thinking/feeling through internal description. (if that's the right term). And I think that may be what I'm worst at, creating an authentic voice through internal dialogue/monologue. Some have said my character's internal thoughts seem unfocused or hard to differentiate from the other description. It could be that I'm trying too hard to make a 'rounded' character.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Yes, if you are trying too hard the results might come off as too strained.

Keep in mind that in moving from theater to books you have some new tools at your disposal, like for instance describing a character's visceral reactions.

 

[Toby Frost]

I've written a couple of short plays, and looked at quite a lot of them for a competition, and I found that characters tended to represent something more distinctly than in novels: a political point of view, a type of person and so on, so that the characters really represented clashing viewpoints being argued out. I don't know if this is something that you're doing, but if so I suspect that it might become more obvious in print rather than on the stage. Might be worth considering.

 

[Brian G Turner]

many readers wanted to know what the characters were thinking/feeling through internal description

That sounds like a potential point of view (POV) issue. You could try experimenting with writing in first person, and also read some first-person written novels, to get an idea of the internal conflicts driving these character. The Hunger Games novel is actually really good illustration at doing this.

 

[Finch]

There is two basic approaches to writing , and I'm sure you are aware of both.
You have the Alex Haley method . He would decide on which characters he would have in his story, right from the start. Each character would be given a folder . In the folder would be the entire history of that character , birth , school, marriage, illness,descriptions ,photos and death. Or you can go with the Stephen King approche . He uses real people . When you start to write your story , you need to become a method actor . Inhabit the character. If you struggle with making the person live on the page , its because you have not fully understood the character personality .
It is hard to create convincing characters, so write stories that have only one main character and give the rest walk on parts . Eventually you can build a collection of people that you can modify and use again .

 

[ckatt]

You could try experimenting with writing in first person, and also read some first-person written novels,

For some reason, I actually find this is less of a problem for me in first person. I tend to gravitate to what I find challenging or difficult. Maybe my approach to 3rd person is not working. I've tried writing in first then switching all of the 'I's' to 'he's' etc. as well a more standard approach. I wouldn't say either has been a failure. but neither is yielding what I want in the end

That sounds like a potential point of view (POV) issue.

This is likely the case. I can't recall anyone complaining about my POV in 1st person. Yet I get dinged for it in third. It seems everyone expects that I'm writing a close 3rd person but usually I go with 3rd because I want some distance. But if I describe anything the main character couldn't directly see readers flag it as inconsistent POV
@Finch
I would probably fall into the Stephen King category then. Though once I finish a draft I do like to take each major character and build-up a file for their history and such, then use that information to flesh out new drafts.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

I would recommend the King method, it delivers the results even if it is a bit more difficult.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

King all the way. Be them. Live in their head. Then you’ll always be able to sink into their voice. Even now, 5 years on, if I want to capture Lichio I stretch my legs and can be him, lazy low voice and all.

 

[Finch]

Though once I finish a draft I do like to take each major character and build-up a file for their history and such, then use that information to flesh out new drafts.

I'm just a would be writer. I believe finding your method of working is an essential step . I also use the develop by revision method. I liken the first drafts to sketching. The first rough lines help you to refine and adjust you work towards something better.
I also like to study some of the turn of the of the nineteenth century writers like Arthur Conan Doyle . He was very prolific and sold hundreds of short stories .. Once you know what you are looking for , in this instance character development . You can study how they did it .

 

[-K2-]

King all the way. Be them. Live in their head. Then you’ll always be able to sink into their voice. Even now, 5 years on, if I want to capture Lichio I stretch my legs and can be him, lazy low voice and all.

Know right off, I'm a novice writer, so my opinions are simply that.

I do not know what this 'King method' is though will look it up, yet I wholeheartedly agree with envisioning yourself as ALL of your primary characters. Though I've read where it is wrong to write about yourself in a fiction, most of my characters regardless are who I was or some big chunk at a particular stage of my life. I'll then enhance that with 'I wish I could have been this way (then), or felt fortunate I wasn't that--' often using real life examples known to me. Lesser characters that don't require such depth, I'll form from lovers, heroes, villains or acquaintances in my life. That way my primary characters react and respond to them 'in character,' since I know how they made me feel.

Past that, as I write my story and more so re-read it, I'll fantasize I'm living that role. Hopefully, feeling all the emotions and motivations.

That last said, I think it's important to find an outside reader who does the same (story POV regardless), immersing themselves in one role or the other. If they don't feel it, something is definitely off and needs to be fixed. On the other hand, again, story POV regardless, I suspect most readers view a story detached, looking from the outside in like a 3rd-Omni POV. If they can't feel it and empathize with the characters (though detached), than that (I'm guessing) applies more to the story itself than the characters.

The big question is, how many readers? If you're speaking of just a couple that have seen your story, you're not really getting the best input and may have some flawed readers who refuse to relate to the character unless it reads like them.

Lastly, remember, everyone can't help but watch a train wreck. I'm not speaking about a poor story, but characters who make mistakes, fail, have crazy notions like we all do at times, unjustified emotions, and all the flaws that make up a person. Sad to say, yet people will point at the less fortunate for any number of reasons, laugh, scoff or whatever. So, that has its value as well as the reader gets their jollies feeling 'thank heavens not I.'

K2

 

[tinkerdan]

One way would be to read--a lot.
However, a slightly more dangerous mode might be to watch people and take people you know with all their flaws and strengths and try to envision them in the plot situation that you have created.

I have done the latter, and at least in one instance someone said--'Hey isn't that - - - - ?" and that's the risk.

If you get it too close--no matter how much you change--someone you know might see just enough left in the character.

Observing people is still helpful.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Maybe my approach to 3rd person is not working. I've tried writing in first then switching all of the 'I's' to 'he's' etc. as well a more standard approach. I wouldn't say either has been a failure. but neither is yielding what I want in the end

Possibly you're lacking a conflict-driven character arc for a protagonist as well - Save the Cat by Blake Synder covers that really well for film, but it's just as applicable for novels.

 

[The Big Peat]

While I think about this, can I suggest you stick up one of the bits that's been criticised on character in the crits section when you hit 30 posts?

 

[The Bluestocking]

However, a slightly more dangerous mode might be to watch people and take people you know with all their flaws and strengths and try to envision them in the plot situation that you have created.

I have done the latter, and at least in one instance someone said--'Hey isn't that - - - - ?" and that's the risk.

Um... some of us do it subconsciously/accidentally

I don't know if I have any advice to contribute because I'm one of those writers whose characters appear fully-formed (though I have to get to know them as they and I journey together through the writing of the story) in my mind's eye. My characters are in the driver's seat of my stories.

But I can share one thing that might be useful:

Do you like your characters? Because if you do, then there's a very good chance that you'll:

1. Enjoy getting to know them well which will then help drive the stories because novels are usually character-driven.
2. Write them in ways that readers can engage with and like.

If you write characters that you yourself do not like, then that is going to come across in one way or another. In some cases, this might work. For example: Anne Bishop wrote a truly reprehensible male character who is abusive, a pimp, and a swindler. She said that writing him was difficult because he was so awful and that absolutely came across in the book. But that worked because the character was meant to evoke disgust in the reader and that was what partially made him a formidable and memorable villain.

But in general - ask yourself if you like spending time with the imaginary people who form the cast of your stories. Because if you don't, then Houston we might have a problem given that you'll need to spend hours with him while writing the books.

 

[Finch]

I do not know what this 'King method'

Stephen King is a discovery writer . He has describe his method as blowing away the sand to discover the skeleton, of a story , in the ground . Discovery writers often use things they are familiar with . The Shining, is about a recovering alcoholic writer that has writers block , located in a snowed in hotel . Misery, about a popular writer who slides his car of a snow bound road . Some discovery writers call themselves gardeners, they like to grow their stories .

 

[ckatt]

While I think about this, can I suggest you stick up one of the bits that's been criticised on character in the crits section when you hit 30 posts?

Yes, I plan to do that. Hopefully, it doesn't take too long. I've been a Chrons member for about a year but I'm reading far more than posting.
Full disclosure: this post put me at 21

Possibly you're lacking a conflict-driven character arc for a protagonist as well

I will certainly look into that thanks

Of one story a reviewer recently said:
Certain things you tried to do in this story didn't really work, I feel. One thing is that Lucien and his thoughts feel almost flat, as if he is the robotic one and not Jake. The way you describe his thoughts is just very matter of fact, and I found it hard to really sympathize with him.... I don't care about Lucien. He feels wooden and Jake I do care about a bit but he is a standard kid character, so nothing really interests me with him.

I think that this may come from me trying to add too much of his internal thought without integrating it with the action. My goal was to try to write a more character-driven story, thus the action takes a back seat and there is little of it. Since I often get positive feedback on my other work, I wanted to write something that targeted my weakness.
I don't expect anyone can diagnose my problem through another's critique, but in lieu of posting an excerpt, I thought this would illustrate the kind of problem I'm trying to tackle.

All that said, I do have an idea of what to do next but I wanted to find some great examples of writers who do this well before diving into a rewrite.

 

[Cory Swanson]

Get that post count up so you can put stuff up on critiques. It's hard to diagnose without seeing what people are talking about.

It is tricky, though. You have to have loads of empathy. One thing that has helped my writing is physical reactions between dialogue. Let's see if I can drum up an example:

"Mommy," the child demanded of the woman in line in front of Helen. "Mommy, mommy, mommy."

Helen closed her eyes and rubbed her furrowed brow. When would this incessant whining stop? All she wanted was her half gallon of milk and her discount tub of ice cream. Why do I always get stuck in line behind the worst people?

Okay, that may not be very good, but there's a lot of information in a short passage here. The writer didn't tell us that Helen was annoyed, but rather let Helen show us her annoyance. We can also assume several things about her from not only her reaction, but what she's buying.

I guess the point is this. There are so many ways to throw shades of complexity into a character. It's not just what they say, but how they say it, how they move, how they react to the world around them. It's what they buy and what they wear. It's how they feel about themselves when they catch a glimpse of themselves reflected in the window.

 

[The Big Peat]

Okay.

1. What workshops? Are these always the same group of people?

Obviously you should be trying to improve no matter what, but do consider the possibility its your critiquers and not you.

2) Just so I'm clear in my head, it sounds like your problem is less character development - less the ability to give them an arc and growth - and more just getting people engaged with your characters. Okay. Ways of tackling that.

3) Jim Butcher's writing blogs talk about making characters larger than life. I like that. It's not the only way to do it but dramatic backsgrounds and habits create traction in a reader's mind. It's the same thing as the whole "eyepatch and peg leg" advice - whacky far out things make them more memorable.

4) Another way of doing it is ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, so if you don't want to make the characters "Wow!" maybe make the circumstances "Wow!". Quite a few of my favourite authors do this well - Guy Gavriel Kay, Aliette de Bodard. An ordinary woman becomes a lot more memorable when battling with her addiction and the sadist who'll torture her to death if she gives into it; or if having to heal the most dangerous man in the city while others are looking for him.

5) What really sells a character imo is voice. So many little details come across in their voice - what they notice, what they don't, their humour, their background, their fears, their prejudices - and of course, voice = prose and prose = engaging readers. Characters with strong captivating voices = strong captivating prose, even if the prose actually isn't that good. If I had to guess your problem, based on you pretty much saying it, is that you don't create strong voices. All that background, that thinking... wasted, just because you can't express it in their voice.

6) So - how to get their voice?

Steal other people's. Steal other characters'. Borrow stereotypes. Write little scenes of your characters' thinking as if you were trying to write in the style of someone you really love the characters of. Pretending you're the character - yes, that has something to it. Finding that bit of you that corresponds to the character, that can help too. If you're struggling with the voice in 3rd person, write it all in 1st person and then change it to 3rd person after. An exaggerrated voice can help too. So can dream-casting actors to play them. Whatever makes them distinct and entertaining I guess.

Something else you can do is just write down three 'tags' for your character's voice as a guide. So, I don't know - sardonic, easily irritated, tired. Observant, ironic, lacking confidence. No nonsense, bossy, insecure.

Oh and speaking of that larger than life thing - Butcher recommended having these tags for characters too, to make them more easily memorable - so, you know, tall, scarred, gruff voice, blah blah blah.

7) The other part of it that might go wrong (at least, as I perceive it in these off the cuff thoughts) is Actions. When you come down to it, for all the thinking that goes into a character, they're always just Voice and Actions really. Again, distinctive actions - those "Save the Cat" moments - can be pretty key in establishing memorable characters. Sometimes subtly distinctive - Pixar talk about having the first scene show the character doing what they're best at, but sometimes that thing they're best as is a quiet moral quality that only comes true later. I always thought that works well with Harry Potter, where we first see him displaying immense resilience of character. Maybe your character's actions aren't revealing enough; maybe they're just doing the thing everyone would do.

8) If you're into writing exercises, maybe just think of a voice and an action - nothing else - and start writing the scene and character. That's pretty much how David Gemmell started Waylander - he just that scene of Waylander walking into a clearing and it went from there.

9) Somebody probably asked this and I missed it but - whose authors' characters do you like? Why? What's the secret blend of 7 herbs and spices to that author's characters that put them above the rest? There's a lot of ways to write interesting characters, but thinking about the characters you find most interesting will get you to your happy place.