Message Board Topic 9/29

[Comsie]

One of the most compelling parts of any story for most readers is, and always has been, the characters the story is wrapped around. Whether those characters are meant to be loved, hated, feared, or pitied...it is the characters that drive the story forward, and ask each and every reader looking on..."Do you care about me?"

 

Sometimes, it can be difficult to create a character that a majority of readers will like or relate to. (I say 'majority', because it's rare that EVERYBODY loves the same character. And those protagonists are reserved for 'Superman', 'James Bond', 'Luke Skywalker', legendary status! Hehehe!) But with the right amount of background information, some subtle motivations, and a distinct personality...you can build a group of characters that will hopefully carry the reader's attention, even when the story has to slow down a bit for a breather.

 

The question this week is...how does an author create a character's depth? Either as a reader or a writer, what is it that you look for? What do you pay attention to? Is it the way they speak, or the way they act...or perhaps their impact on the other characters? What is it that you find interesting, and how can authors work to truly build on that interest to flesh the characters out even more? Whatever your thoughts are, let us know?

[Graeme]

Firstly, there are stories that don't revolve around characters. Rather, the characters move through a story, going with the flow, rather than directing the flow. This is more true in certain genres, such as adventure and action stories, but I thought I should point out that not every story revolves around characters.

 

Okay, onto the question at hand.

 

Character development is very important. The techniques are varied, but the point is to make the characters three dimensional. Readers have trouble identifying with shallow characters -- they want to see that there is a real person in those words. Real people have multiple interests. Real people aren't always consistent, but they have a reason for what they do. Real people have quirks -- not necessarily positive or negative, but little things that show that they are individuals. Conveying this complexity is what makes a character interesting to the reader, and it's the challenge for the author. Most of it can be done by simply showing -- the neat freak who will tidy his desk before leaving the room, the sports mad student who skips a game so he could visit his grandma in hospital (with a radio so he can still listen to the game). The little things that show that they are human....

[JamesSavik]

There are as many devices for creating dept in a character as there are writers.

 

Some of the most common are:

• Back story
  
• Gossip
  
• Flashbacks
  
• Implication
  
• Allusion
  
• Disclosure by 3rd party
  

 

Jeff is a nice guy, fit and quiet in his demeanor but he's got a secret: he went to jail for six months for a drug rap. He's 20 now and starting college a bit late. Here's a few ways that an author might handle it.

 

Back story

 

The bell rang at ten minutes to seven just like it did in the joint. The difference now was that Jeff was heading to class instead of a sink full of breakfast dishes for a thousand.

 

Gossip

 

Michael whispered to his fag-hag Cheryl,"Who is that new guy. I mean Oh God what an ass."

 

Cheryl, completely unable to let go of a juicy piece of gossip said, "Oh he's bad news Mikey. His name is Jeff something. My girlfriend Paige who works in admissions said he did some jail time for getting caught with X."

 

Flashbacks

 

Everything was going well with the fraternity initiation until they put a blindfold on Jeff. Suddenly his prison rape nightmare was happening all over again with the guys holding him helpless in a sheet while they took turns on him. He freaked out so bad he jumped out a second story window to get away.

 

Implication

 

Jeff's demeanor around other students was very reserved. He avoided conversation and eye contact. When it was necessary to engage another student, he was unusually intense and made a point to be the Alpha dog.

 

Allusion

 

Kirk said, "Come on dude let's go! It's spring break. What are you waiting for? Parole?"

 

Jeff answered with a blank stare.

 

Disclosure by 3rd party

 

The stranger showed the two college students his Deputy Sheriffs badge and said, "Do either of you know Jeff Lorman?"

 

Michael and Steven both nodded, "Yeah we know who he is."

 

"You guys know who he hangs with?"

 

Michael shook his head.

 

Steven said, "No, he's not really the sociable type. He keeps to himself."

 

The Deputy said, "Well, stay clear of him, he's bad news. He did six months of a dime upstate and got the rest of his sentence suspended for dealing. We're watching him and when he does screw up, we'll be there."