Getting to know your characters?! I tried to explain this concept to someone who is avid reader, but dislikes writing. If you are the author, the one sketching onto paper the images and personalities of the people driving the plot, how do the characters reveal themselves to you? Didn't you create them?! Well…yes and no.
Yet another stumbling block (wow, did I have a lot of those!) to my previous writings was thinking that I had to know everything about a character - from the personality traits, faults, weaknesses, strengths, passions, and dreams to each physical detail - before penning the first words onto a page. Anything that defined them, I thought I had to know before I could start - how else would I accurately portray them, right? I was very wrong, in more than one way!
First of all, it was one of many reasons that I would lose interest in writing a story. If I already knew everything about them, then I was just doing the tedious task of putting to paper what was completed in my head - more like typing a book I had already written, just doing it in a different font. Secondly, even though I should know myself best, I don't truly know what I will do and how I will respond to a specific scenario of life. I might think that I do, but I don't. I also don't know, with definite absolution, what a character will do when a scene is actually written. If responding in one way goes against everything they are, then I have, essentially, written myself into a corner! For example, this may be a minor detail, but I once assumed a character to be very neat and organized in every aspect of her life. At one point in the book, however, I realized that she kept her work clean and structured, but kept her home in neglected chaos!
Every writer is different, though. I would imagine that many might need to have a much stronger structure for their characters before getting into the grit of their stories…and, being in real life I appreciate structure so much, I am surprised that this never worked for me. But…it just didn't! Go with what works for you. Remember, your characters and their actions are what drives your story into (or out of) existence!
Yet another stumbling block (wow, did I have a lot of those!) to my previous writings was thinking that I had to know everything about a character - from the personality traits, faults, weaknesses, strengths, passions, and dreams to each physical detail - before penning the first words onto a page. Anything that defined them, I thought I had to know before I could start - how else would I accurately portray them, right? I was very wrong, in more than one way!
First of all, it was one of many reasons that I would lose interest in writing a story. If I already knew everything about them, then I was just doing the tedious task of putting to paper what was completed in my head - more like typing a book I had already written, just doing it in a different font. Secondly, even though I should know myself best, I don't truly know what I will do and how I will respond to a specific scenario of life. I might think that I do, but I don't. I also don't know, with definite absolution, what a character will do when a scene is actually written. If responding in one way goes against everything they are, then I have, essentially, written myself into a corner! For example, this may be a minor detail, but I once assumed a character to be very neat and organized in every aspect of her life. At one point in the book, however, I realized that she kept her work clean and structured, but kept her home in neglected chaos!
All that being said, I do find having the general shape of a character necessary, but the details of their essence is revealed more as I write. As the story takes shape, I discover whether or not a character will stay composed after learning about the death of a loved one or scream in denial. Discovering these things as I write definitely makes things more interesting for me, as well!
One essential that I do seem to need is the appearance of a character. However shallow that might seem - I want to know the color of their eyes and hair, their skin tone, their build, whether they slouch or sit up straight, etc... while still unsure whether they will blush or pale to a suggestive comment - it is the truth. Having that image to conjure, for my mind to drift to while writing a scene, does aid in bringing the added dimension of depth and detail to the words and actions I put to the page.
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