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Page 1: Crafting Unforgettable Characters - Helping Writers Become … · 2014-07-08 · 4 described as “personal magnetism.” But we also want characters that smack of realism. We want

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Page 2: Crafting Unforgettable Characters - Helping Writers Become … · 2014-07-08 · 4 described as “personal magnetism.” But we also want characters that smack of realism. We want

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Table of Contents

Introduction: Characters, the Most Important Facet of Your Story..................3

Interviewing Your Characters....................................................................................5

Utilizing Character in Beginnings...........................................................................12

It’s What Your Characters Do That Defines Them..............................................17

Naming Characters....................................................................................................20

Describing Characters...............................................................................................26

Choosing Your Character’s Career With Care......................................................30

What Dickens Can Teach Us About Complex Characters.................................33

The All-Important Link Between Theme and Character....................................38

Likability Is Overrated..............................................................................................43

11 Dichotomous Characters—And Why They Work.........................................46

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Introduction:Characters, the Most ImportantCharacters, the Most ImportantCharacters, the Most ImportantCharacters, the Most ImportantCharacters, the Most ImportantFacet of Your StoryFacet of Your StoryFacet of Your StoryFacet of Your StoryFacet of Your Story

A story is a composite of a thousand differentpieces: plot, theme, action, dialogue, point ofview, backstory, conflict, humor, pacing,setting, subtext—ad infinitum. Take one ofthese parts away, and the whole falls apart.But no one element is so vital as that ofcharacter. No matter how we dress them up infancy new subgenres, no matter how manyshocking plot twists we throw into theendings, no matter how complex andphilosophical our themes, at the end of theday, stories will always be about people. Thetrick, of course, is making sure our storiesfeature people worth reading about.

Plot versus character is a hotly contesteddebate. Readers want thrilling, mind-tinglingplots. They want to be wowed by theintricacies and the suspense. As a result, wecan sometimes lose sight of the fact that plotis nothing without character. No character, noplot. You can conceive a gripping, brilliantplot, but unless you have the characters toback it up, most people could care less.

In a February 2006 Writer’s Digest article, legalsuspense author James Scott Bell asserts thatwhat makes characters unforgettable is thepossession of “at least one of the followingcharacteristics—grit, wit, and ‘it.’” We lovecharacters who are courageous, characterswho are smart or funny, characters who havethat special “star power,” or what Bell

“The moment comeswhen a character

does or sayssomething youhadn’t thoughtabout. At that

moment he’s aliveand you leave it

to him.”—Graham Greene

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described as “personal magnetism.” But wealso want characters that smack of realism.We want to read about people who are real,people who make us understand somethingabout life that we may have missed and affirmthings we already appreciate.

So how do we go about creating thesememorable personalities? In the followingpages, you’ll discover the basics of characterbuilding, as well as some tips fortroubleshooting. You’ll also discover writingprompts, creativity exercises, and inspiringquotes from successful authors.

The discussion of character is far too vast asubject to be covered in a 50-page e-book, butusing the information herein, you’ll have thetools you need to start making your latestbatch of characters unforgettable.

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Interviewing YourCharacters

How well do you know your characters? Likethe back of my hand, you say? Do you knowthe color of your hero’s eyes? Do you knowwhere the bad guy went to college? Do youknow your heroine’s most embarrassingmoment? Can you rattle off a list of yourmain character’s idiosyncrasies? Typicalexpressions? Romantic history?

If any one of these questions has youfumbling for an answer, you’re missing aprime opportunity to deepen your charactersand expand your story. Over the years, one ofthe most useful tools I’ve run across is the“character interview.” My own list started outas twenty or so basic questions regardingphysical appearance and personality issues.Now it contains over 100 precise andpenetrating questions, designed to get mybrain juices flowing and my characters talking.

The character interview has become a vitalpart of my outlining process. I’ll often fill uphalf a notebook with narrative answers to themost probing questions about my characters’relationships, beliefs, and secrets. I refer tothese lists constantly throughout the actualwriting process, not only for on-the-spotinspiration, but for fact checking (How oldwas he when his mother died? Did he breakhis left or his right leg in that car accident?)

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Write a log line for each of your

characters. A log line is the one-

sentence summary used to

describe a plot and hook an

agent or editor into reading

more. Describe your character

in a similar fashion: In one

sentence, tell yourself who this

character is and why readers

are going to be interested

in him.

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On the following pages, you’ll find the listI’ve compiled for myself. Feel free to printand use it to get your own characters talking.But you might also want to keep in mindseveral other useful techniques, including theenneagram (http://www.booklaurie.com/workshops_flaw.php), a personality test thataligns character traits to one of ninecategories. Not only is it interesting reading,but it can also help round out a character andsummarize his personality. Something I’vefound especially helpful is the “fatal flaw”that accompanies each personality.

Finally, should you run across a taciturncharacter who refuses to let you into hisdeeper psyche, try a “freehand interview.”Instead of forcing your character into therigidity of the set questions in a regularinterview, just throw him onto the page andstart asking him questions: What’s the matterwith you? What are you hiding from me? Youmight be surprised by the confessions youdrag out of your characters.

All three of these tools can work miracles inbreaking open the walls between author andcharacter and forcing your characters to spilltheir guts and reveal their deepestmotivations. Plus, it’s grand fun!

“You can never knowenough about yourcharacters.”—W. SomersetMaugham

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Character Interview

Name:

Background:

Birthday:

Place of birth:

Parents:

What was important to the people who raised him:

Siblings:

Economic/social status growing up:

Ethnic background:

Places lived:

Current address and phone number:

Education:

Favorite subject in school:

Special training:

Jobs:

Salary:

Travel:

Friends:

How do people view this character:

Lives with:

Fights with:

Spends time with:

Wishes to spend time with:

Who depends on him and why:

What people does he most admire:

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Enemies:

Dating, marriage:

Children:

Relationship with God:

Overall outlook on life:

Does this character like himself:

What, if anything, would he like to change about his life:

What personal demons haunt him:

Is he lying to himself about something:

Optimistic/pessimistic:

Real/feigned:

Morality level:

Confidence level:

How is he viewed by others:

Typical day:

Physical appearance:

Body type:

Posture:

Head shape:

Eyes:

Nose:

Mouth:

Hair:

Skin:

Tattoos/piercings/scars:

Voice:

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What people notice first:

Clothing:

How would he describe himself:

Health/disabilities/handicaps:

Characteristics:

Personality type (choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic, melancholy):

Strongest/weakest character traits:

How can the flip side of his strong point be a weakness:

How much self-control and self-discipline does he have:

What makes him irrationally angry:

What makes him cry:

Fears:

Talents:

What people like best about him:

Interests and favorites:

Political leaning:

Collections:

Food, drink:

Music:

Books:

Movies:

Sports, recreation:

Did he play in school:

Color:

Best way to spend a weekend:

A great gift for this person:

Pets:

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Vehicles:

What large possessions does he own (car, home, furnishings, boat, etc.)and which does he like best:

Typical expressions:

When happy:

When angry:

When frustrated:

When sad:

Idiosyncrasies:

Laughs or jeers at:

Ways to cheer up this person:

Ways to annoy this person:

Hopes and dreams:

How does he see himself accomplishing these dreams:

What’s the worst thing he’s ever done to someone and why:

Greatest success:

Biggest trauma:

Most embarrassing thing that ever happened to him:

What does he care about most in the world:

Does he have a secret:

If he could do one thing and succeed at it, what would it be:

He is the kind of person who:

What do you love most about this character:

Why will the reader sympathize with this person right away:

How is the character ordinary or extraordinary:

How is his situation ordinary or extraordinary:

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Core Need:

Corresponding psychological maneuver (delusions, obsessions,compulsions, addictions, denials, hysterical ailments, hypochondria, illnesses,behaviors harming the self, behavior harming others, manias, and phobias):

Anecdote (defining moment):

History:

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Utilizing Character

in BeginningsIf all of writing was as difficult as the first 50pages, I probably would have wimped outyears ago and found myself a new vocation(something easy and safe—like being aWalmart greeter or maybe the collector of thequarters from laundromat machines). Despitethe fact that, thanks to my outline, I alreadyknow every plot turn that will arrive in thepages to come, and that I’ve sketched mycharacters down to the most obscure detail,and that I’ve probably even imagined the halfdozen splendid panegyrics that will appear onthe glossy back cover—writing those first 50pages is always a foray into dangerous andunknown territory.

It’s no wonder, of course, that beginnings aredifficult when you consider their weight in theoverall story. Beginnings must accomplish allof the following:

• Give the readers a reason to care aboutwhat happens to the characters.

• Plant an irresistible hook.

• Introduce overall tone (satiric, dramatic,etc.).

• Introduce setting (time and place),conflict, and possibly theme.

In short, the beginning of every story israther like a résumé. You flaunt your talentsand hope the reader finds what he’s lookingfor. Otherwise, you’re never going to make itoff the bookstore shelf.

“First, place aninstance of self-talk very near yourstory’s opening toimmediately buildcharacterization.”—Nancy Kress

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No problem, you say. I’ve got great characters and akiller plot. All I have to do is start writing.Unfortunately, I’ve never met anyone whoactually could do just that, although I supposeit’s reasonable to suppose that the planet doespossess a few such blessed writers. All I knowis I’m not one of them. For me, as for themajority of novelists no matter their skilllevels, beginnings are a tightrope act. And it’sa long fall to the bottom if you miss yourstep.

So how, pray tell, does one go about avoidingthat fatal misstep? Well, you write and yourewrite. And then you repeat.

Not what you were hoping to hear?

Me neither. So in the interest of keeping usboth happy, allow me to throw out the singlemost helpful suggestions for a successfulbeginning:

Character.

Beginnings are all about character. If thereader doesn’t find your character interesting,why should he stick around to follow thissame boring character through the next 300pages, no matter how brilliant your final plottwist may be? Readers aren’t going to wastetheir time on characters that aren’t brimmingwith life—and neither should we as writers.From the very first page, we have to give thereaders a character they can’t get out of their

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heads. But more important than just imbuingour cast with scintillating personalities andrapid-fire wit (although neither of thesequalities should ever be underestimated), isgiving the reader a reason to care about thecharacters.

Young authors are often encouraged to beginwith action. The theory is that if you throw anobvious protagonist into a harrowingsituation, the reader will love him just becausehe’s in trouble. Not so. Someone in troublemay elicit a sympathetic response from me ona surface level. But to make me reallyconcerned about what happens to this person,I first have to care about him.

Let’s say we pick up a story that begins in themiddle of a fistfight. Probably we will be atleast marginally interested in what the fight isabout. But we aren’t going to particularly carewho wins the fight unless we care about oneof the contestants. Beginning the story with afistfight is definitely a good idea (as opposedto, say, opening with the protagonist warmingup before the fight), but unless you throw in areason to make the reader care, you’reprobably sunk.

For years, I struggled with the idea of addingnarrative to my openings. The “call to action,”as it were, became a major stumbling block.My gut kept telling me I needed to introducea character, not an event. I fought the idea,thinking I’d lose the reader’s attention if Islowed down long enough to sketch a fewimportant details about the protagonist. But itdawned on me, as I pondered this question,

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Introduce your character from

the POV of another player. What

is the narrator’s first impression

of the character? What

conclusions does he draw from

the way the character dresses,

handles his body, speaks to those

around him? Are the narrator’s

conclusions correct? What does

this tell you about both

characters?

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that I had never been turned off by a fewartfully placed paragraphs of narrative in abeginning’s opening. In fact, it was the straightaction openings that completely turned meoff.

Don’t get me wrong: action (aka conflict) andsuspense is the heart of any story anddefinitely an essential factor in a successfulbeginning. But, without a strong characterintroduction, action isn’t going to be worthvery much by itself.

This one facet of the beginning is the singlemost important factor, not just in opening astory, but in setting the tone for the entiretyof the tale to follow. So what’s the best way tointroduce this dazzling character of yours,without overloading the reader withunnecessary facts? Following is a verynonexclusive list of suggestions that can beused, in any order and any combination:

• Name the character. Give thereader a name to build on. It’s easier tosucker readers into caring for a characterwhen they know his name. Obviously,this isn’t a hard and fast rule, sincenumerous first-person narratives don’timmediately name their characters (suchas Daphne du Maurier’s classic Rebecca, inwhich the main character is never namedat all).

• Show the character in a“classic moment.” If possible, use

“The best bookscome from someplace

deep inside....Become emotionally

involved. If youdon’t care aboutyour characters,

your readers won’teither.”

—Judy Blume

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the opening scene to exemplify a part ofthe character’s personality that will play avital role later on. For instance, in mymedieval novel Behold the Dawn, Iintroduce my hero Marcus Annan, aninfamous champion of the violenttourney games, in the midst of acompetition in Italy.

• Exemplify attitude. Show thereader, through your character’s words,actions, and internal narrative, how heviews the world. Is he a cynic? Anidealist? How does he view the conflicton which the story has opened?

Granted, character is only half of the delicatebalancing act presented in a story’s beginning.A good character in a boring story is stillgoing to be about as flat as yesterday’s soda.But if you can master the art of characterintroduction, you’ve already licked three-quarters of the battle.

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It’s What Your

Characters Do ThatDefines ThemIn the 2005 blockbuster hit Batman Begins,Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) returns toGotham City, ostensibly as an irresponsibleplayboy loser, and secretly as the unorthodoxcrime fighter known to the press and thepublic as Batman, and reencounters his oldflame Assistant District Attorney RachelDawes (Katie Holmes). Rachel, who’s not yetin the know about Bruce’s alter ego, isunimpressed with his apparent apathy andsuperficiality. He attempts a crypticexplanation: “Inside, I am more.” Rachelresponds, “It’s not who you are underneath.It’s what you do that defines you.”

What rings true for Batman also rings true forfictional characters everywhere. If we expectreaders to take our characters seriously, if weexpect them to be impressed, if we expectthem to remember them long after the backcover has been closed—we can’t rely on thecharacters’ good intentions or impressivespeeches. Just like Bruce Wayne, charactersneed to do something to prove themselvesworth defining.

As writers, it’s often very easy for us to talk onand on about our characters’ intentions. Ifwe’re not careful, we often let our characters’mouths run away with them, as they spendchapter upon chapter sitting arounddiscussing and planning their next move. Butguess what? Most readers don’t care about

Write a short scene featuring

your character in a “typical

moment.” Try to choose an

activity that will allow your

character to illustrate the core

of his personality, as well as

something that is a typical

occurrence in his life. This

doesn’t mean you have to

choose a mundane daily

routine; if your character

routinely gets into scrapes, his

scrape could be something

wildly out of the ordinary.

Writ

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pt

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what your characters are planning to do. Theyonly care when they actually do it.

This is so for a couple of reasons. Reason #1is easily the most obvious, since it doesn’t takea trigonometry professor to figure out thatwatching soldiers fighting in a battle is farmore interesting than watching the politicianssit around in a boardroom discussing thebattle. Action is always more attentiongrabbing than inaction. This isn’t to say thatscenes in the boardroom or periods ofinaction are unacceptable—only that theyneed to be recognized for what they are andappropriately rationed.

The second reason is probably even moreimportant. When we show our characters inaction, we move beyond simply telling ourreaders who these people are (“Joe was a niceguy”), to the much more powerful plane ofexhibiting the characters’ actions and allowingreaders to draw their own conclusions (“Joeemptied his wallet into the hand of the beggaron the corner”).

Readers find it affirming when what they’vebeen told about a character is proven by thatcharacter’s actions. When we give our hero theopportunity to exhibit his bravery (or hiscowardice), his empathy (or his selfishness),his brilliance (or his stupidity), we are doingmore than just imparting the facts. We’rebringing this character to life on the page.We’re making him a living, breathingpersonality, who acts and reacts in a palpableway, just the same as the rest of us.

“If your novelseems to bedragging, one ofthe first placesto look is at theheart of yourlead character.Is he giving uptoo easily? Hasshe been takingit too long? Arethere too manyscenes where he’sthinking and notdoing?”—James Scott Bell

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Seek out opportunities to let your characterdefine himself by his actions. Don’t let himstand around for pages, doing little more thantalking or thinking. Shove him into themayhem of life and force him to get his handsdirty. Create situations and scenes that willprove his strengths and his weaknesses,instead of forcing the reader to simply takeyour word for it. If you do, you’ll emerge witha character—and a story—that’s vibrant,visible, and memorable.

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Naming CharactersNames are important. Mention a name, andinstant preconceptions spring to mind.Although our names may not play a role inshaping our personalities, they certainlybecome a reflection of our background, ourethnicity, even our religion. They can evendefine our relationships. So it should come asno surprise that naming a character isprobably the single most important momentin defining his personality and the role he willplay in a story.

Names can prove both a tremendousstumbling block and a huge inspiration. For along while, the hero of my forthcomingfantasy Dreamers Come was named ChrisFoster. And for a long while, he refused tocooperate. He shuffled around, mumbledexcuses, and was generally ineffective andcallow. I changed his name to Chris Redston,and—presto chango!—strange and wonderfulthings started happening. Suddenly, I had anaggressive, swashbuckling hero on my hands.And all because of a simple name change.

I defy any parent to produce a more batteredand dog-eared collection of name books thanthose I possess. (Unless, of course, you’re aparent and an author.) I’ve spent many anhour thumbing through my collection ofname books, skimming Internet name sites,and even blearing my eyes over the telephonebook. I drive everyone around me crazy withmy demands of “Help me think of a name.” Iread movie credits religiously, and I keep listsupon lists of names that strike my fancy. A

Creativity ExerciseDon’t settle for obvious

names. Look beyond Anglo-

Saxon staples. A character

named Gradikowski has a

whole different set of

possibilities from one

named Griffith, even if you

never discuss his ethnicity.

Be wary of “hero” names,—

unless, of course, that’s

what you’re going for.

Naming every character

something bold and

adventurous dilutes the

power of strong names.

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character without a name—or, worse, acharacter with the wrong name—rankles inmy brain like a mosquito bite I’ve sworn notto itch. As Mary O’Hara puts it in her TheMaking of a Novel:

I work at their names awake andasleep, driving, resting, eating, visiting.For days or weeks I would strugglewith one single character rightly toname him, actually a sort of madseizure, shaking him by the throat—“Tell me! Tell me! What is your name?Your real name?” ... For me, at least,the naming—right naming—is partof the very structure of the character.With the wrong name, the characterlooks wrong, talks wrong, does thewrong things.

I wish very much I had a magic equation togive you, to help you instantly find the perfectname for every character every time. But, inlieu of that, I offer a handful of the pointersI’ve always found helpful.

Avoid names that begin with theAvoid names that begin with theAvoid names that begin with theAvoid names that begin with theAvoid names that begin with thesame letter.same letter.same letter.same letter.same letter. It’s been my policy (althoughadmittedly not always strictly observed) toavoid using two names starting with the sameletter in the same story. After beingintroduced to a character, most readers stopreading his name and simply recognize thecharacter by the shape of the letters as theireyes skim over the page. If two charactersshare names that begin with the same letter—and particularly if the names are similar in

“A well-chosen namecan evoke imagesand feelings inreaders’ minds

before thecharacter even

walks on stage.Tolkien knew this.

Doesn’t ‘Sauron’sound a bit like

‘Satan’? Anddoesn’t ‘Frodo’

remind us of thatrotund, slow-

moving, extinctbird, the dodo?”

—J.V. Jones

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size and shape—readers can easily misreadand confuse them. For example, in DreamersCome, I had originally named one of my minorcharacters Choc. But when even I startedconfusing his name with my hero Chris’s, Iknew I had to change it.

Choose realistic names.Choose realistic names.Choose realistic names.Choose realistic names.Choose realistic names. It’s easy toget carried away with the naming game.Remember Anne Shirley and her penchant foroutlandishly romantic names? Cordelia?Geraldine? Roselia De Vere? These namesmay have fit very well within Anne’s romanticfantasies, but they would hardly have workedso well had L.M. Montgomery chosen toscatter them among her own characters.

Granted, some characters and some storiesdemand extraordinary names (can youimagine Dickens’s A Christmas Carol with ahero named Eric Schmidt?). But for the mostpart, it’s much better to stray on the safer sideand choose sensible, hard-working names. Ifyou find yourself with a cast of characterswho mostly bear names you’ve never runacross in your own personal experience, you’dbest hunker down and submit to inserting atleast a couple Johns and Marys into the mix.

Choose historically/geographicallyChoose historically/geographicallyChoose historically/geographicallyChoose historically/geographicallyChoose historically/geographicallyaccurate names.accurate names.accurate names.accurate names.accurate names. In the same vein, it’salso vital to seek out historically andgeographically appropriate names. Because it’shighly unlikely that a MacKensie Diaz wouldhave been a lady-in-waiting to QueenElizabeth I, the author of said MacKensieDiaz would be wise to change the name to

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Names invariably carry certain

preconceptions. (In fact, an

entire name book was

constructed to help parents—

and authors—choose a name

based on what a survey revealed

about the preconceptions

connected to names: The Baby

Name Survey Book by Bruce

Lansky and Barry Sinrod.) Write

down every preconception you

have about your character’s

name. How can you effectively

play on—or against—the

stereotype?

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something more fitting, lest she shove herreaders right out of their bubble ofsuspended disbelief.

One of my characters in my historical westernA Man Called Outlaw insisted her name wasAleis, but because I knew the name worked inneither the historical setting nor thegeographical setting, I forced her intoaccepting Anna as a fair exchange.

Establish gender with neutralEstablish gender with neutralEstablish gender with neutralEstablish gender with neutralEstablish gender with neutralnames.names.names.names.names. If you’ve chosen a gender-neutralname, such as Tracy or Drew or any otherwithin the host of recent crossover names, besure to immediately establish the character’sgender. Don’t open your story with acharacter named Kelly, only to reveal twoparagraphs down that this Kelly person isactually a man.

Don’t be afraid of changing namesDon’t be afraid of changing namesDon’t be afraid of changing namesDon’t be afraid of changing namesDon’t be afraid of changing nameswhen necessary.when necessary.when necessary.when necessary.when necessary. I very rarely nail mycharacters’ names on the first attempt. Inoptimal situations, I have their nameshammered down by the time I start the firstdraft, thus ensuring the names mesh perfectlywith their personalities. But, despite my care, Iinevitably find myself with at least one (six inmy last project) character submitting anapplication for a name change.

This can be frustrating, not to mentionperilous, when it occurs in the middle of thestory. After all, the demand for a name changeoften signifies the necessity of some majoroverhauls in the character’s general portrayal.

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But it’s always worth the headache of draggingout the name books for one more go. A roseby any other name might smell as sweet, but acharacter with the wrong name causes oneheck of a stink.

Name resources

The Greatest Baby Name Book Ever by CarolMcD. Wallace—A comprehensive andentertaining standby.

Character Naming Sourcebook by SherrilynKenyon—Organizes names alphabetically, byorigin and popularity according to year.

Alchemist Name Generator (http://www.inkalicious.com/alchemist.html)Generate forty random names (first and last)at a time.

Popular Baby Names (http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/) The Social SecurityAdministration’s records of baby names.

Behind the Name (http://www.behindthename.com/) Provides thehistory and etymology of first names. Allowssearches by meaning and includes a handygenerator.

Victorian Era Names, A Writer’s Guide (http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~poindexterfamily/OldNames.html) Namesfrom the turn of the century.

Fantasy Name Generator (http://www.rinkworks.com/namegen/) Set thespecifications to your needs and generatedozens of names at a time.

Sean Puckett—Random Word Generator(http://www.nexi.com/fun/rw/index.html)

“Advice to youngwriters who wantto get aheadwithout anyannoying delays:don’t write aboutMan, write about aman.”—E.B. White

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According to the site: “...if you want togenerate some new girl’s names, feed it a list ofgirls’ names, and it will take them apart anddiscover how to make girls’ names, then comeup with a list of words that are very similar, butprobably never before seen.”

Writ

ing P

rom

pt

Think of the one action your

character would never take. Then

force him into a situation where he

has no choice. What happens?

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DescribingCharacters

Fiction once began with the face, withthe act of observation of the faces ofothers. Does it still? It’s arguable. Ican imagine a skeptic wondering whatdifference it makes whether writersdescribe faces or not. Does anythingof importance really hang in thebalance? Who cares? Does it makeany difference to the operations ofthe world? Who cares about the faceanymore? Is reading the face still asurvival skill... and if so, for whom?

—Charles BaxterThe Art of Subtext: Beyond Plot

In recent years, a minimalist trend hassurfaced regarding character descriptions.Common opinion these days states thatphysical descriptions are unnecessary,distracting, and even poor writing. “Dickens,”these minimalists claim, “might have beenable to get away with a page and a half of in-depth description, but that sort of verbosity isnot only intolerable in modern fiction buteven retroactively ridiculous.” Having read fartoo many novelists who abuse and misuse theart of description, I’m in utter sympathy withwhoever decided the character descriptionwas passé. But I’m not in agreement.

Most of the fuss over descriptions is primarilythe result of two pitfalls:

1.1.1.1.1. Clichéd descriptions that add nothing tothe characters, but rather render them ascaricatures.

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2.2.2.2.2. Inappropriate usage, placement, andemphasis.

Let me address these one at a time.

Clichés

The only reason any description deserves tobe included in a novel is because it addssomething vital to the narrative. A romanticheroine with Barbie blonde hair and a super-model figure doesn’t add much. Telling thereader the bad guy in a western is squinty-eyed, dark-browed, and narrow-lipped doesnothing to bring freshness to the story. (But,of course, this is a problem that goes muchdeeper than description and finds its root in aclichéd personality.) But to take the otherextreme and delete description entirely addsnothing either. You can’t put nothing into astory, and expect the reader to gain something.

As readers, we read in order to be told aboutpeople other than ourselves. Can ourunderstanding of these people really becomplete without some concept of theirappearance—and thus how other peopleperceive them and how they perceivethemselves?

Inappropriate usage

Descriptions need not be long; sometimes asingle detail can anchor a character morefirmly in the reader’s mind than a list ofattributes two paragraphs long. Avoid“laundry lists” at all costs. Rattling off a

“Try to key yourdescriptions to

one or twofeatures, an

emotionalsketch.... Try

recalling someoneyou met a longtime ago; which

features can youstill visualize?”

—Anne Perry

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character’s hair color, eye color, height, andweight isn’t going to bring the reader anycloser to the character. Strive instead for“telling details” that highlight not onlyappearance but the character they represent.

As a child, I was fascinated with the phrase“Grecian nose” and felt quite sophisticatedwhenever I managed to work it into mystories. Never mind the fact that I had no ideawhat a Grecian nose looked like. I’m still notsure what it looks like, but I do know that it’sa nonstarter as a descriptive aid, not onlybecause it is unrecognizable to most readers,but because it brings nothing to thecharacterization table.

Inappropriate placement

I’ve heard the arguments that suggest readersdon’t like authors to describe charactersbecause it interferes with the reader’spreconceived image of the character. But I’mhere to tell you that, as a reader myself, I wantto know how the writer perceives the character.It is important, however, to make sure that thedescription is dropped into the narrative earlyenough to shape the reader’s preconception.Don’t wait until Chapter 15 to tell the readerthat the hero is cross-eyed and has red- andgreen-striped hair.

Inappropriate emphasis

The amount of description we give anycharacter needs to be in direct proportion tohis importance in the story. Spending twoparagraphs on a throwaway character will do

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nothing but misdirect—and probablyfrustrate—the reader. Outline your minorcharacters with one or two modifiers, and saveyour most impressive descriptive powers forthe protagonists.

Character descriptions are great fun to craft,and when used correctly they can’t help buthone the cutting edge of your story.

If you’re stuck on a character

and can’t get him past 2-D

into 3-D, try “casting” him. If

your story were a movie, who

would play this character?

Assigning a flesh-and-blood

person, complete with vocal

and physical nuances, to your

character might be just the

trick for jumpstarting your

imagination.

Creativity Exercise

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Choosing Your

Character’s CareerWith Care

In the 1998 movie Ever After, the characterPrince Henry (played by Dougray Scott)complains that “to be so defined by yourposition, to only be seen as what you are. Youdon’t know how insufferable that is!” Towhich Drew Barrymore’s character responds,“You might be surprised. A gypsy, forexample, is rarely painted as anything else.They’re defined by their status, as you are.”

Like it or not, that’s the truth. We’re definedby what we do, by our jobs and our careerchoices. Mention a profession (mechanic,stock broker, bull rider), and definite imagesand presuppositions pop to mind. As writers,we can hardly afford not to take advantage ofthose presuppositions when crafting ourcharacters. In the September 2009 issue ofThe Writer, Andre Dubus III pointed out:

I once heard a writer say that the lastthing he does in the creation of anovel is to give his characters jobs.How, I wondered, can he ever beginto know them in their downtime if hedoesn’t know what they do all day (ornight) first? …our jobs say an awfullot about us on so many levels. Theyalso influence what kinds of lives weend up living, what kind of peoplewe’re around, how we feel and thinkabout ourselves in the world, etc.

“Your goal isn’tfor the readerto say, ‘Oh, sothat’s who sheis,’ but rather,‘Wow, who isthat woman?’”—Peter Gelfan

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Choosing your character’s career should neverbe a slapdash decision, made on the fly andbased on little more than impulse. What yourcharacter does for a living, even if it doesn’tfeature prominently in your story, willprofoundly affect who he is and how heresponds to the world around him. Whenwriting my fantasy Dreamers Come, I struggledfor months with my main character ChrisRedston. As a simple beat reporter, he justnever seemed to have the guts and thepanache I needed from him. But as soon as Itweaked his profession to make him a foreignwar correspondent, his entire personality wasinstantly beefed up—even though he is nevershown on the job in the book.

Sometimes, a career choice is so inherent tothe plot that it’s immediately obvious. In AMan Called Outlaw, my characters couldn’t havebeen anything but ranchers. In Behold the Dawn,the story would have been entirely differenthad it focused on anyone but a competitor inthe tourneys. However, there’s no doubt thatsometimes your character’s career won’t becentral to your tale. In such instances, how doyou go about selecting a career that will bothdefine him and add to his character?

Bestselling mystery writer Elizabeth George,in her fantastic book Write Away: One Novelist’sApproach to Fiction and the Writing Life, explainsthat she tries “…to give my characters either ajob or a sideline that gives the reader a hint asto who they are.” She encourages authors tolook beyond the obvious (and oftenstereotyped) occupations. Instead of a doctor,why not a prosthetics manufacturer? Insteadof a stock broker, why not a debt collector?

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Browse the Yellow Pages for possible jobmatches for your character; keep your eyesopen for interesting business signs as youdrive through town; make a list of the careersof people whom you run across.

Choosing your character’s career is a funprocess that can often open up subplots andfacets of personality you may never havethought of otherwise. Force yourself to lookbeyond the obvious, and don’t always settlefor the first notion that pops to mind. Just asyou choose your own career with care, put thesame amount of attention into choosing yourcharacters’ professions.

Writ

ing P

rom

pt Force your character to work

in a job in which he’s terribly

unsuited. How does he

behave? Does he crumble

under the pressure or rise to

the occasion? Now put your

character in a job at which

he’s excellent. How does his

behavior differ?

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What Dickens CanTeach Us AboutComplex Characters

In Our Mutual Friend, Charles Dickens’s finalcompleted novel, he presents for us one ofhis most comprehensive and well-roundedtales. Herein is all the darkness of Hard Times,the cynicism of Martin Chuzzlewit, but also theoptimism and hopefulness of David Copperfieldand Nicholas Nickleby. G.K. Chesterton wroteof Our Mutual Friend that it “marks a happyreturn to the earlier manner of Dickens at theend of Dickens’s life.”

In it, Dickens introduced the dark tale of amurdered heir and the unexpected turn ofevents that results when his body is fishedfrom the Thames by unsavory “watersidecharacter” Gaffer Hexam and his beautifuldaughter Lizzie. The overarching greed ofmankind, both the unabashed grasping oflowlife grubbers and the sophisticatedcultivating of social climbers, runs rampantwhen a sketchy will leaves the entirety of themurdered man’s fortune to two kindly andridiculous servants, Mr. and Mrs. Boffin. Asthe “Golden Dustman” and his wife rise towealth and power, they bring with them thevictim’s would-be fiancée—the beautiful andmercenary Bella Wilfer—and an earneststranger—John Rokesmith—who pledgeshimself as secretary to the beleaguered Mr.Boffin.

Overflowing with subplots—including that ofthe nouveau riche Mr. and Mrs. Veneerings,naïvely determined to leave their mark on

“The character onthe page

determines theprose—its music,its rhythms, the

range and limit ofits vocabulary—

yet, at the outsetat least, I

determine thecharacter. It

usually happensthat the

fictitiouscharacter, once

released, acquiresa life and will ofhis or her own, so

the prose, too,acquires its own

inexplicablefluidity. This is

one of the reasonsI write: to ‘hear’a voice not quite

my own, yetsummoned forth by

way of my own.”—Joyce Carol Oates

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high society; the mismatched and connivingnewlyweds Albert and Sophronia Lammle; thescheming Silas Wegg, hired by Mr. Boffin toread him The Decline and Fall of the RomanEmpire; and Eugene Wrayburn and BradleyHeadstone, the two unworthy young menwho seek the favor of the lovely and modestLizzie Hexam (and about whom I will havemore to say in a bit)—Our Mutual Friendclaims for itself a place among the mostcomplex of Dickens’s works—and at thesame time one of the simplest. Nowhere isthis better demonstrated than in hischaracters.

As a writer, to strive for and achievecomplexities of character—both sympatheticand repulsive—is one of the highest marks ofsuccess. Without character, story is little morethan a fixed narrative, a colorless journeyfrom A to B. Without characters of complexity,a story is nothing more than a farce, a gaudystereotype. And without characters of realisticcomplexity, a story lowers itself to the realmof the ridiculous and the pointless.

Although what Dickens offers us in OurMutual Friend does at times dip into theunrealistic (such as when he asks readers tobelieve that the ingenuous Mr. Boffin iscapable of sustaining a lengthy charade ofmiserliness), he has also given to classicliterature several wonderfully completecharacters.

The three that particularly stand out areEugene Wrayburn and Bradley Headstone—the two men in love with Gaffer Hexam’s

“[Dickens had the]power of makingcharacters realexistences, not bydescribing thembut by lettingthem describethemselves.”—John Forster

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daughter Lizzie—and Lizzie’s young friendand protector, the crippled Jennie Wren.

Dickens—whose characters, although notalways black and white, almost always give tothe reader an immediate presupposition oftheir alignment in the story (good guy or badguy)—bestows upon his readers a special treatin the creation of Wrayburn and Headstone.Both men are attracted to Lizzie Hexam’sbeauty, both men are selfish in their treatmentof her (Wrayburn toys with her without everintending to marry her; Headstone pursuesher obsessively, even after she refuses hishand). But each man presents a complicatedpersonality that leaves the reader wondering,Do I like this man or not?

Wrayburn is careless and indolent, telling hisfriend Mortimer Lightwood that he isundecided as to whether he will respondhonorably to Lizzie Hexam or not. Uponbeing spurned, Headstone lashes out injealous violence, swearing to Lizzie that hewill destroy Wrayburn before that gentlemangains the opportunity to disgrace her.

Both also present their sympathetic sides:Wrayburn’s kindness to Lizzie in comfortingher after her father’s death and in providingher the opportunity to educate herself reveala better nature lurking beneath his ennui. Hecharms all those who know him with his jovialand playful antics, and he is deeply loved byhis friend and partner, Mortimer Lightwood.In itself, perhaps, the love and attachment ofthe honorable Lightwood does more to win

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over the reader’s affections than any particularact of Wrayburn’s. For the writer, it is aninteresting concept: If a character can beloved by another character, he will, at the veryleast, be found sympathetic by the reader.

Bradley Headstone, on the other hand,initially presents the aura of respectability. Asthe headmaster of the reputable schoolattended by Lizzie’s younger brother Charley,he presents every indication of being a goodand upright man, right down to his “decentblack coat and waistcoat, and decent whiteshirt, and decent formal black tie, and decentpantaloons of pepper and salt, with his decentsilver watch in his pocket and its decent hair-guard round his neck.” But from thebeginning, the reader also glimpses the man’sinflexibility. Although he genuinely wishes toraise Lizzie to the honorable estate ofmarriage, he never once considers her feelingsin the matter. And when he realizes he has arival in Eugene Wrayburn—a man who doesnot even trouble himself to reach Headstone’slevel of decency and respectability—theschoolmaster is driven into a state of insanerage.

He is never a likable character, and yet thereader is still able to maintain sympathy forhim. While Wrayburn’s intentions towardLizzie remain ambiguous even to himself,Headstone never intends anything butpropriety in his attentions to her. He is, atleast initially, a more upright man than thecavalier Wrayburn, and when he is spurned infavor of such a man, he is understandablyoffended.

Writ

ing P

rom

pt

Write a scene in which

your main character does

not appear, but in which

two or more characters

discuss him. Do you learn

anything surprising about

your character?

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Headstone (despite his ridiculous name)presents a fine archetypal villain: never likable,always understandable, and usually, even in hisdarkest moments, ever so slightly sympathetic.

Finally, we come to Jennie Wren, the young,deformed spitfire who, I feel, is the finestcharacter in the book. A decidedly minorcharacter, Jennie transforms her every scenewith keen insight and acerbic wit. Dickens,with his perceptive eye for the grotesque andhis fine sensibility for the fantastic,transformed the pathetic figure of analcoholic’s crippled daughter into a captivatingand indomitable young woman.

The bare fact that her “back’s so bad and [her]legs are so queer” is hardly enough to alignher in the reader’s affections. But add to thather determination to conquer life despite herhandicaps (and their inevitable affect on otherpeople, her peers in particular), her incisivewit, and her undeniable intelligence—and shepresents a formidable scene-stealer.

Altogether, these three characters, along withan accompanying host of Dickens’s trademarkbuffoons and archetypes, bring his final entryinto the literary world to a level ofsophistication not found in most of his earlierworks.

“The moment youwrite a characterwho doesn’t add tothe story, you’ve

written onetoo many.”—W.G. James

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The All-ImportantLink Between Themeand Character

Theme is a slippery concept. The prevailingwisdom among writers is that if you apply anydeliberate force to your theme, you’ll end upwith a heavy-handed Aesop’s fable. On theother hand, a story without a theme is shallowescapism at best and an unrealistic flop atworst. Theme is a hugely important factor in amemorable story. Vivid characters, wittydialogue, and killer plot twists can certainlycarry a story by themselves, but withouttheme they will never deliver their fullpotential. And yet, no theme at all is often farbetter than a poorly delivered theme.

If you concentrate too much on theme, yourisk alienating your audience throughmoralizing. But if you squelch all thoughts oftheme, you’re likely to rob your story of itscentral life force, its heartbeat, its meaning. Sowhat’s a writer to do?

The secret of theme lies entirely in the handsof your characters. As with almost every otheraspect of story, character is the vital key tomaking your theme come to unforgettablelife. Ultimately, theme is the lesson yourcharacters will have learned (or failed to havelearned) by the end of the story. Theme isinherent in your characters’ struggles and,therefore, to the story itself. The best ofthemes well up effortlessly and evenunconsciously from the heart of thecharacters’ actions and reactions.

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In Joseph Conrad’s classic Lord Jim, the sagaof a young sailor who is haunted by his onecowardly act, the theme could perhaps besummed up as the repercussions of betrayal.Because the theme is a natural outflowing ofJim’s initial action (saving his own life insteadof aiding his ship’s drowning passengers) andhis subsequent reactions (fleeing in shame,hiding out on an Indonesian island, and,ultimately, learning from his initial mistakeand refusing to save his own life when theisland comes under attack), Conrad’s vicariousviews on the subject can never be construedas moralizing or off point. Indeed, the themeis at the very heart of the novel. Without it,Lord Jim would merely have been a ramblingtale featuring the journeys of an ambiguousand forgettable young man.

The key to strong theme is strong characterprogression. The changes your characterundergoes in the chapters between theinciting incident and the climax will defineyour theme. But these changes must flownaturally from the characters. If Conradhadn’t presented Jim as an idealistic youngman who desperately regretted his actionsaboard the Patna, the ending in which Jimchooses to sacrifice himself on the islandwould never have rung true. It would havecome across as forced and unrealistic. Conradwould have been guilty of moralizing—thatblackest of authorial sins—and Lord Jimwould certainly have never reached its classicstatus.

So how do you go about implementingtheme? Or perhaps the better question wouldbe—should you go about implementing

Creativity ExerciseWhen you’re digging into the

heart of your character to

discover his core motivation,

help yourself out by assigning

him a theme song. Sometimes

the subliminal power of music

upon our subconscious is more

powerful than our logical

left-sided brains.

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theme? It’s been my observation that mostwriters tend to avoid deliberate thoughts oftheme in their first drafts. Then, typicallysomewhere in the middle of the novel, thecharacters will do or say something thatsuddenly dangles the scarlet thread of themein front of the delighted author’s nose.

While I personally wouldn’t go so far as toignore theme entirely (from the moment of astory’s conception, I have my eyes stretchedwide to catch that first glimpse of a possibletheme), I do believe the single most importanttrick for capturing the sometimes elusive andalways ephemeral theme is to pour myselfinto creating authentic characters who react totheir various crucibles in authentic ways.

Before you start writing, make sure you’refamiliar with your stories “thematicquestions.” You may not know the answersyet, but being aware of the questions meansyou’ll be more likely to recognize the answerswhen they appear. Below are some of thesequestions:

• What’s the main character’s internalconflict? (For most novels, this is aquestion that gets answered very early,since it will drive the entirety of thestory.)

• Which of the main character’s viewswill change as a result of the story’sevents? How and why? (This is whereyou’ll find the underlying force of yourtheme. Your character’s views will define

“If there is nopossibility forchange in acharacter, wehave nointerest inhim.”—FlanneryO’Connor

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his actions, and his actions will define thestory.)

• How will the main characterdemonstrate his respective views andattitudes at the beginning and theend of the story? (This is an extensionof the previous question, but it is vitalbecause its answer will demonstrate thechanges to the reader.)

• Is there any particular symbologythat can reinforce the theme and thecharacter’s attitude toward it? (Liketheme itself, symbology is oftenoverstated and therefore generally betterwhen culled organically from yourunconscious mind. For example,sometimes you’ll find yourself using aparticular color or image to representsomething; if the symbol proveseffective, you can later go back andstrengthen it throughout the story.)

• How can I use the subtext (theunstated) to exemplify the theme, soI won’t have to spell it out for thereader in so many words? (When itcomes to theme, the unstated is almostalways more powerful than the direct.Often, in real life, when we findourselves learning lessons and changingviews, we can’t immediately define thechanges in precise language. And neithershould your character. Lord Jim didn’thave to tell us his actions on the islandwere a direct result of his earliercowardice; it was obvious from thesubtext and would, in fact, haveweakened if Conrad had mentioned itoutright).

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Story without theme is like ice cream withoutmilk. But to be effective, theme must beorganic and, often, understated. Like all thefiner points of writing, theme is an art, butone worth mastering.

Writ

ing P

rom

pt

Write a scene in which what

your character doesn’t do tells

more about him than what he

does do.

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Likability IsOverrated

As writers, we want readers to love ourcharacters. We want them to connect with themen and women who inhabit our stories. Wewant them to empathize so strongly that theyare moved to laughter and to tears right alongwith these imaginary people we’ve created. So,naturally, we want our characters to be aslikable as possible. Right?

Well, maybe not.

At first glance, it makes sense that thelikability factor would be the single mostimportant consideration a reader has in, well,liking a character. But I’m going to posit thatlikability is overrated.

When I was in the throes of writing myfantasy Dreamers Come, I did my usual routineof worrying readers wouldn’t like my hero. Iwracked my brain, trying to come up withbrilliant and dramatic ways of convincingthem he was really worth their affection. But,ironically enough, when I decided to rewritethe story halfway through, I ended upscribbling “make Chris grumpier” on mynotes for almost every scene. Why? Wouldn’tit have been a better move to instruct myselfto “make Chris nicer”?

Turns out likability, or niceness, is often theleast important factor in convincing a readeryour character is worth his time. Niceness is a

“They say, best menare moulded out of

faults….”—William

Shakespeare

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dime a dozen. In fact, characters who oozenothing but niceness are often saccharine,exasperating, and anything but charismatic.Think of a handful of the most memorablecharacters you’ve encountered in literatureand film. I’m willing to bet a good-sizedchunk of money that the characteristic thatstands out most is not niceness. Rather, weconnect with the characters who areinteresting.

Such classic characters as Scarlett O’Hara,Sam Spade, Emma Woodhouse, and Philip“Pip” Pirrup have remained with us fordecades, and longer, not because they weremodel citizens, but because they werefascinating in their realness and in theirfoibled humanity. To look at this from apersonal vantage point, when I survey thehordes of characters who’ve tumbled out ofmy brain over the years, the ones who havegarnered a chief place in my undyingaffection are the ones who are more than alittle rough around the edges.

Dichotomies drive fiction. When we writecharacters who are fighting both theircircumstances and their own natures, wecreate characters who are instantly real. And,thus, instantly interesting. Forget niceness.Niceness doesn’t enchant readers and doesn’tsell books. This doesn’t mean, of course, thatcharacters can’t be good or moral. It doesn’tmean the only hero worth reading about isthe anti-hero. But nobody wants to readabout perfection. What readers want isreality. And the reality is that imperfection isby far the more appealing option. Acharacter’s charisma is what draws readersback, not his likability.

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So take a good, long look at your latest storyand grab a few minutes to analyze yourcharacters. Relinquishing your grip onlikability will not only produce strongercharacters, it will also up the conflict ante andsquash clichés. Who knows, maybe you’ll bescribbling “make Chris grumpier” all overyour manuscripts too!

Writ

ing P

rom

pt

Put your character in a

situation in which he behaves

badly without alienating the

reader. It’s tougher than you

might think!

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11 DichotomousCharacters—AndWhy They Work

Fiction writing doesn’t offer many shortcutsor magic formulas. But today I am going togive you a secret ingredient in that covetedrecipe for memorable and realistic characters.What is this ingredient? Dichotomy.

If we expect our characters to jump off thepage into three-dimensional living color, wehave to give them multifaceted personalities.Human personalities are wonderfully (andsometimes frustratingly) varied. No one is100% good or 100% bad; there aremultitudinous shades of gray in all of us. Andso it should be with our characters. Take alook at the following list of classic charactersand the dichotomies that made them somemorable.

1. Long John Silver1. Long John Silver1. Long John Silver1. Long John Silver1. Long John Silver in Treasure Island byRobert Louis Stevenson

You’d expect a treasure-hungry, bloodthirstypirate to be bad right down to the tip of hispeg leg, but few of these swashbuckling badboys reached the legendary status CaptainSilver attained thanks to his friendship with anupright youngster named Jim Hawkins. Silvermay have been a nasty cutthroat, but hisaffection (and his actions to back it up, evenwhen the going got tough) made him worthremembering.

“I have alwaysbeen moreinterested increating acharacter thatcontainssomethingcrippled. I thinknearly all of ushave some kind ofdefect, anyway,and I suppose Ihave found iteasier toidentify with thecharacters whoverge onhysteria, who werefrightened oflife, who weredesperate to reachout to anotherperson.

”But theseseemingly fragilepeople are oftenthe strong peoplereally.”—TennesseeWilliams

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2. Aunt Abby & Aunt Martha2. Aunt Abby & Aunt Martha2. Aunt Abby & Aunt Martha2. Aunt Abby & Aunt Martha2. Aunt Abby & Aunt MarthaBrewsterBrewsterBrewsterBrewsterBrewster in Arsenic and Old Lace directedby Frank Capra

At the center of Capra’s madcap classic aretwo of the sweetest little old ladies you’relikely to find anywhere this side of yourgrandmother. In fact, they’re so sweet viewerswould be likely to pass them off as maudlinclichés—were it not for their unforgettabledesire to help lonely old men… by poisoningthem.

3. Mr. Darcy3. Mr. Darcy3. Mr. Darcy3. Mr. Darcy3. Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice by JaneAusten

What discussion of dichotomous characterswould be complete without mentioning themulti-faceted Mr. Darcy, whose broodingparadox of arrogance and bashfulness,tactlessness and generosity hoisted him to thetop of the pile as one of literature’s mostfanatically loved characters.

4. George Bailey4. George Bailey4. George Bailey4. George Bailey4. George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Lifedirected by Frank Capra

Grumpy, disillusioned, dissatisfied GeorgeBailey appears on our television screens everyChristmas. He’s an unhappy and evenunlikable man for much of the movie, butwhat we love—what we keep coming back tosee year after year—is the inherent goodness,the unfailing selflessness hidden away beneathall that grumbling. We resonate with GeorgeBailey, because we see that same mixture ofgood and bad every time we look in themirror.

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5. Alan Breck Stewart5. Alan Breck Stewart5. Alan Breck Stewart5. Alan Breck Stewart5. Alan Breck Stewart in Kidnapped byRobert Louis Stevenson

Alan Breck Stewart, the brash Jacobite soldier,isn’t most people’s idea of a gentleman—anymore than he is protagonist DavidBalfour’s. Rough and rude and crude as hemay be, Stewart’s last impression upon us ishis unfailing honesty and integrity. But neitherhis brashness, nor his uprightness, would benearly as memorable in isolation.

6. Jack Aubrey6. Jack Aubrey6. Jack Aubrey6. Jack Aubrey6. Jack Aubrey in the Aubrey/Maturinseries by Patrick O’Brian

O’Brian’s deft ability to sketch characters hasgiven us the inherently flawed and inherentlylovable lifelong royal seaman Jack Aubrey.Aubrey’s brilliance at sea and in battlecontrasted with his naïveté and evenineptitude regarding matters on land giveshim a marvelous stamp of authenticity.

7. Jason Bourne7. Jason Bourne7. Jason Bourne7. Jason Bourne7. Jason Bourne in The Bourne Identitydirected by Doug Liman

Killers with a conscience are perhaps one ofthe most common dichotomies in fiction. Butfew are as well rounded as the movie versionof amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne. The entirestory is driven by the question Why would aman with an obviously integral sense of moralitywillingly choose to become a professional killer?

8. Mr. Magorium8. Mr. Magorium8. Mr. Magorium8. Mr. Magorium8. Mr. Magorium in Mr. Magorium’s WonderEmporium by N. E. Bode and Juliana Baggott

This whimsical children’s story is certainly astretch on reality. But the age-old wisdom andthe intrinsic innocence of toy-shop owner Mr.

Creativity ExerciseMake a list of your

favorite characters. Then

make a list of the traits

that made them your

favorites (e.g., courage,

compassion, intelligence,

wit, etc.). How can you

apply these traits to your

own characters?

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Magorium still resonates. How can a man whoknows so much still maintain such a childlikesense of wonder and imagination? Thequestion is never answered, but we end upbeing so fascinated by the character of Mr.Magorium that we hardly care.

9. King Kong9. King Kong9. King Kong9. King Kong9. King Kong in King Kong directed byPeter Jackson

The great ape of classic cinema may not bethe best character ever put on film, but heremains memorable simply because hepresented such a beautiful dichotomy: aprimal, instinctive killer who bestowed hisown version of kindness and gentleness onthe one person he loved.

10. Léon10. Léon10. Léon10. Léon10. Léon in Léon (The Professional) directed byLuc Besson

More or less duped into being a killer for hire,émigré Léon lives a life of silence andloneliness, bestowing his affections only in hisdiligent care of his Japanese peace lily. JeanReno’s characterization gives us a brilliantlysubtle character, whose seeming simplicityonly adds deeper layers to what could have soeasily been a cookie-cutter character.

11. Tom Doniphon11. Tom Doniphon11. Tom Doniphon11. Tom Doniphon11. Tom Doniphon in The Man Who ShotLiberty Valance directed by John Ford

Rough and ready homesteader TomDoniphon rides roughshod over pretty mucheverybody, including his longtime girl Hallie.But when the cards are on the table and hehas to choose between keeping Hallie anddoing the right thing, he proves that what yousee isn’t always what you get.

“Plot springs fromcharacter... I’ve

always sort ofbelieved thatthese people

inside me,—thesecharacters—know whothey are and whatthey’re about andwhat happens, andthey need me to

help get it downon paper becausethey don’t type.”

—Anne Lamott

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About the AuthorK.M. Weiland, author of historical and speculativefiction, enjoys sharing tips and essays about thewriting life, in hopes of helping other writersunderstand the ins and outs of the craft and thepsychology behind the inspiration. She is theauthor of two historical novels, A Man CalledOutlaw and Behold the Dawn. She writes for theblogs Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors(http://wordplay-kmweiland.blogspot.com) andAuthorCulture (http://authorculture.blogspot.com).She lives in western Nebraska. Visit her website:http://www.kmweiland.com.

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http://wordplay-kmweiland.blogspot.com

http://authorculture.blogspot.com

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The sins of a bishop.

The vengeance of a monk.

The secrets of a knight.

One man stood up unafraid.

One man fell alone.

One man’s courage became a legend.

http://www.kmweiland.com/books.php#behold

http://www.kmweiland.com/books.php#outlaw