How do you write your first novel? Do you start off with ideas for a scene, a situation, or a character (or even less defined, a stereotype)? There are many ways to develop a story, and as your ideas are developing, as you are exploring the potential in them, you need to keep asking yourselves questions. For example, if we have a character as the germ of our story idea, we need to keep asking questions that explore causes and effects – what are the consequences of doing something, or not doing something? And why would a character do what he did?
If we start out with a situation or scene, we need to look at who would suffer most, need to change or react the most in a given scene. That character would most often be our lead character, and can open up the possibilities inherent in the idea. And to really get the good ideas, we should not stop answering those questions when the first apparently suitable answer shows up. This may be the best answer, but it could equally (perhaps more likely), simply be a cliché, or at best, a little tired around the edges. And at least by going deeper, we will know definitively, whether that is the case.
Developing Characters For Your Novel
Your characters may come from the idea you already have for your novel. They can come from real life, from your friends and family, or from things you’ve observed as you go about your life – shopping, paying bills, dropping kids off at daycare. They can come from newspaper clippings, memories, even the internet. But, whatever the germ of your idea for characters, they must be developed.
Ultimately, we can never really get inside someone’s head. And we cannot take at face value what people say about themselves, as they tend to present themselves in the most flattering light. So, it is left for us to ‘fill in the blanks’ about a character’s motivation, talents, history, tastes and preferences, habits, patterns of behaviour, their likeness or dissimilarity to stereotypes, their reputation, and how they act within the context of the story.
All of these details will help shape and define our characters, and knowing them ensures we work with more than a caricature in our novel. By making up these details, we are also free to exaggerate or modify any trait, even if it doesn’t resemble any longer the original source for the character. The only criteria should be that it fits within the story, or offers some new creative possibilities, and remains believable.
After you’ve developed an idea for your story, it’s a good idea to make a list of all the characters who should be there, as suggested by your plot. Then, make a list of characters who might be there, those who are implied. For example, a character has parents, even if they are not directly part of the plot. They have (perhaps) work mates, and then there are all the people they would meet going about some task. As you’re thinking of possible characters who might be there, scenarios will suggest themselves, which can lead to new directions for the plot, or sub-plots.
Another avenue within which to explore characters is to look at characters who might have been part of your characters’ pasts, and how they could be impacting on the present. This can include family, dead or alive, past jobs, lovers, absent friends. Exploring these connections, that everyone has, within the context of the story can also provide interesting new directions.
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Elements of Fiction Writing - Characters & Viewpoint: Proven advice and timeless techniques for creating compelling characters by an award-winning author 6 total customer reviews... |
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