Writing Compelling Characters
As writers we want to tell a story that draws our dear reader in. So where better to start but with what interests you are as a reader? Usually the dust jacket and blurb mutters my Inner Muse. As a reader, the main character of a book needs to speak to me, reel me in. As a writer, it's a challenge to create that character that readers will find irresistible, charming and whom they would empathise with, and basically...well want to hang out with. As part of the blogging experiment, I have concocted a recipe for writing compelling creatures...I mean, characters.
Recipe for Writing Compelling Characters:
Firstly, take one main character, sketch out the essentials - who is this person? What will make readers sit up and think - Wow! I want to read more. Her personality? Is she shy, skittish or bold and commanding? Caring, confident...superwoman! What does she look like? Brunette, blonde, redhead...is she tall or short? Does her slinky long hair sway down the back of her shoulders or perhaps she has a perky pixie cut. Curves on a pair of supermodel legs to rival Elle. Her eyes...are alluring green, bewitching blue, or honey coloured brown? What are her likes? Her habits...where did she grow up? Go ahead do some background checks.
The best way to answer these questions is to use a Character Template. I always flesh out my characters this way. And if you want to get really creative - try putting together Character Collages, they're lots of fun! Grab a pair of scissors, glue and cardboard and pull out those back dated issues of Vogue, Cosmo, Harpers, Vanity Fair, House & Garden!
Add the following Ingredients:
1. Voice, voice and yes more voice....and at the risk of having a barrage of tomatoes tossed at us, lets chant it calmly...Voice, voice, voice! Your character must have a voice. Give her a great big fabulous voice! Make her sing, let her cry, make her thoughts intriguing...
2. Language - Add liberally - where does your character live? Does she have an interesting accent? Will she stutter when tall, dark and dashing stranger approaches her? Does she swear like a trooper? Does our favourite girl have a quirky remark that slips out from time to time.
3. Dreams - We all love to dream. What's yours? What's your characters? Give her ambition. Give her hopes - break them, burn them, tear them down and build them up - just please give the dear girl something to strive-whine-pine for.
4. Unique Habits - Add a splash of uniqueness to your character. Make her special, give her some charming habits that will make your reader laugh. Does she always cross the road when men in plaid suits walk towards her. Or, perhaps she has a nervous cough whenever a nun passes by her...a hangover from her school days. Unfortunate then, that she lives next door to the convent. Maybe she wears purple underwear on a Wednesday, turns the teapot three times before pouring and twists her hands whenever 'he' approaches. Give her something to do with those hands.
5. Conflict - She walks like a supermodel, has the voice of an angel, stutters at Mr. Right, falls for Mr. Wrong, and has a driving ambition to reach her dreams. So what do you do? Give her some conflict - make her work for that dream!! Come on we all have to, why shouldn't she?
A/N: Photocredits, purchased via shutterstock.
A big thank you to Alex J Cavanaugh, Elana Johnson and Jen Daiker for hosting such a mammoth blogging experiment!
Recipe for Writing Compelling Characters:
Go ahead, mould me! |
The best way to answer these questions is to use a Character Template. I always flesh out my characters this way. And if you want to get really creative - try putting together Character Collages, they're lots of fun! Grab a pair of scissors, glue and cardboard and pull out those back dated issues of Vogue, Cosmo, Harpers, Vanity Fair, House & Garden!
Add the following Ingredients:
1. Voice, voice and yes more voice....and at the risk of having a barrage of tomatoes tossed at us, lets chant it calmly...Voice, voice, voice! Your character must have a voice. Give her a great big fabulous voice! Make her sing, let her cry, make her thoughts intriguing...
2. Language - Add liberally - where does your character live? Does she have an interesting accent? Will she stutter when tall, dark and dashing stranger approaches her? Does she swear like a trooper? Does our favourite girl have a quirky remark that slips out from time to time.
3. Dreams - We all love to dream. What's yours? What's your characters? Give her ambition. Give her hopes - break them, burn them, tear them down and build them up - just please give the dear girl something to strive-whine-pine for.
4. Unique Habits - Add a splash of uniqueness to your character. Make her special, give her some charming habits that will make your reader laugh. Does she always cross the road when men in plaid suits walk towards her. Or, perhaps she has a nervous cough whenever a nun passes by her...a hangover from her school days. Unfortunate then, that she lives next door to the convent. Maybe she wears purple underwear on a Wednesday, turns the teapot three times before pouring and twists her hands whenever 'he' approaches. Give her something to do with those hands.
5. Conflict - She walks like a supermodel, has the voice of an angel, stutters at Mr. Right, falls for Mr. Wrong, and has a driving ambition to reach her dreams. So what do you do? Give her some conflict - make her work for that dream!! Come on we all have to, why shouldn't she?
Method:
1. Use a firm grip on your storyteller wooden spoon, and stir all the above ingredients very carefully...just so. Give your character a great plot to weave her way through. Enormous hurdles, emotional highs and lows...quiet reflective moments. Make your reader stick with your character until the end.
2. Remember taste your mixture to get it just right. More spice?
3. Pour the tantalising creation into a baking dish....place in preheated PC for at least 80,000 words.
4. Use oven mitts to remove from PC.
5. Let cool for a month. Review, add extra seasonings if needed.
6. Serve proudly with relish!
And lastly, embellish greatly and enjoy your writing!
Compelling? Here's one I prepared earlier. |
A/N: Photocredits, purchased via shutterstock.
A big thank you to Alex J Cavanaugh, Elana Johnson and Jen Daiker for hosting such a mammoth blogging experiment!
Comments
Happy Friday!
Have a fab weekend! ;)
Voice, voice, voice!
Btw....I have made my 11 year old protagonist a tomboy, but after she falls in love she wants to dress up like a Diva.
The recipe for compelling characters is one I am defintely going to try.
http://rachnachhabria.blogspot.com/2010/09/13-elements-of-good-story.html
Love the 'recipe'. Very cute! And thanks for visiting my post today :)
X
I totally agree on the voice & language parts. So much can be shown about a character by what they say and how they say it.
Happy weekend,
Karen
Yes, voice and uniqueness. So important.
Stephen Tremp
Lyn
"Let cool for a month. Review, add extra seasonings if needed." -- excellent advice! :)
@Bish - thanks!
@Diane- good to hear, we gotta make them strive for something right? ;)
@Golden eagle - try a template, its organising your thoughts as well, which I find pretty useful. Got to have some order when writing me thinks. ;)
@ Solvang, thank you too!!
@Suzanne, you're welcome!! ;)
@Annette, hi ;) I agree - re voice and language. Its important to get the right language for characters so that that it fits their background, work, lifestyle etc. For my MC, I want to keep her language current and believable. She's got to have the right fit with her voice and language.
Try the collage, even if just once. You might just like them. :D
@Jemi, thanks so much! And likewise - I completely agree. Lets make it our mantra 'voice, voice, voice'. Have a lovely weekend! ;)
@Carolyn - hi! Try the collage, at least once. You might be surprised at how enjoyable it is. ;)
@PK - *whispers* purple is a favourite of mine. Thanks so much for stopping by, very happy you enjoyed the recipe! ;)
@Melissa - LOL. Happy cooking!! ;)
@Hi Andrea, you're welcome. I'm glad you got something from my post. So lovely to hear. ;)
@Hi Nathalie, thank you! Hope you get to try out a template and collage! They're useful tools. :)
@Stephen, hi! Great to hear the Bad guys vs. Good guys dreams. I wonder who wins out? ;)
@Lynda, hello! thank you. ;)
@Vicki, thank you dear lady!
@Shari, glad you enjoyed! Thank you!
@gargimehra, hope they help! thanks for stopping by. ;)
@Jessica, hi! thanks so much - I do like a quirky habit or two for my characters. ;)
*starts chanting* Voice, voice, voice, voice....
@stickynotes - Ha! Thanks & keep on chanting! ;)
@Mary - Thank you. I'm a huge fan of visual aids - addicted to photography although am an amateur. Have fun with the collages!! ;)
@Sharon - Hi! I hadn't thought of PB but that's a great idea. Happy painting and writing! ;)
My character profiles, when I write them up, always have a category called Trivia for the aspects of their personality that don't go in any other section. All living people, I think, have a Trivia section, so a character should too.
Love your Trivia section too. We have to think of the characters as living people and breath life into them. Quirks and all! ;)
@Lettucehead - the stirring is the best part. ;) thank you and happy cooking!
@Tricia - so true, we must savor our work and enjoy it - it'll show in the end result. Thank you for stopping by too. :)
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author
@Danielle - thank you. Don't worry we know its not easy. And you can always put the ingredients in a blender and make them into a smoothie! ;)
@Nancy - thank you! So glad you enjoyed it! ;)
@ Stephanie - absolutely! 'Voice and conflicts. Thanks so much for stopping by.;)
Also, I like the "Let it Cool" step. Important in many aspects of writing.
@Melissa, good point. Sometimes the quirks don't quite fit the character and you're left shaking your head. I guess we have find that right combination with the quirk and what exactly we want to it to bring to the character and overall story. ;)
@ Nicki - you totally hit it on the head, the action of putting the collage together should help release those creative juices flow. Sometimes we have to come at our characters from a different angle. Thanks so much for stopping by. ;)
Hello @ Nicole - thank you so much, I hope it helps. ;)
Thank you @ Sandra - I'm writing with my learners wings on but I do find the templates a real help. It's really finding a method that works for you and experimenting now and then to get the formula just right. Happy writing!
Love the way you approached the topic and glad I found your blog. :)