Write Drunk, Revise Sober
Monday, October 1, 2007 . 5:12 PM
Sobriety Test #1 - Character Character and premise are the foundations for any story. Most of the time, the argument goes that character yields premise, but it's sort of a "chicken or the egg" question: you can start with a character and then craft a premise, or you can start with a premise and then craft a character. Either way, there are important questions to answer about both your character and premise.Your protagonist, or main character, is the motivator of your story. Why? Because he is the one making the decisions that lead to the events in the story. If the character isn't developed, then the actions don't seem motivated, and the characters become puppets going through the motions at the whims of their master. It's tough to relate to a character that has no control whatsoever over what's going on around him or seems to make inconsistent decisions. It's even tougher to relate to a character that has no depth, no past, no defined personality and quirks. The more you develop your main character, the more the reader will sympathize with him and become concerned for the outcome of his story.
So what do you need to know about the character? If you know nothing else, you need to know:
* What he WANTS
* What he NEEDS
* What his MAJOR FLAW is
Those three things will create the premise for you. Unfortunately, those three things are not always immediately apparent, so it's usually easier to do some other work first. Let's try to answer some basic questions about the character, stuff that won't necessarily be included in the story but can be helpful for creating a realistic, compelling character. Try these questions on the protagonist first, then move on to the antagonist, then to secondary characters and so on.
1) What is the character's name?
I'm terrible about picking names. I always want them to be significant, but not cheesy; cool, but not so cool that they sound unrealistic; unique, but not ridiculous. Baby name websites can be a good place to start, because they'll often give you information about what names are currently popular and what weird names celebrities are using for their kids and so on. They also let you search by various criteria such as country of origin or meaning.
Sometimes it's best to pick the name of one of your friends or family or coworkers just so you have something to call the character until you answer more questions. You can always go back and change it later, no charge.
2) When was your character born?
Every year, Beloit College puts together a list they call the Mindset List, which includes a number of factoids regarding the students who enter college that year. For example, this year's introduction states, "Most of the students entering College this fall, members of the Class of 2011, were born in 1989. For them, Alvin Ailey, Andrei Sakharov, Huey Newton, Emperor Hirohito, Ted Bundy, Abbie Hoffman, and Don the Beachcomber have always been dead."
When your character was born can affect his outlook on the world, his knowledge of history and culture, his tastes in clothing and food, and many other important aspects of his personality. The good news is, you get to decide when he was born so you can pick a time frame that's convenient to you.
You might also want to consider the astrological significance of your chosen birthday. This can help you focus on specific character traits if you don't have a clear idea of what you want your character to be like. Scan the horoscopes and see if you'd rather your character be an Aries or a Libra, a Pig or a Dragon. Not only is this a useful tool, but if you get rich and famous and people become obsessed with your character, this kind of thing will become important and significant to them and you don't want to get caught with your pants down, figuratively speaking.
3) Where was the character born?
See above regarding outlook, tastes, etc. You can always make your character a rebel in his hometown, but be sure you know what he was rebelling against in the first place.
It's probably best to have the character come from a place you are familiar with. I am reminded of an episode of CSI: Miami, in which the main character visits a house in Coral Gables. To anyone who lives in or near Coral Gables, there was no doubt that this house and its neighborhood were most definitely NOT in Coral Gables. If people in your audience can tell that you don't know what you're talking about, you've lost them. However, if you're willing to expend the time and energy to properly familiarize yourself with a specific location, go nuts.
Also, you can make your character from a specific place, but set it up so that the character moved at such a young age that he doesn't remember anything about said location. It's cheap, but it works if you absolutely must have him come from a place you haven't visited. I don't see why you'd do that, but to each his own.
4) Where does the character live now?
See above. This may or may not be where the story takes place; if it is, see above harder. Also see Step 3: Setting for more on the subject.
5) What is your character's race/ethnicity/heritage?
This may or may not relate to both #3 and #4, but see both for details. Don't pick a heritage unless you are familiar with it, because again, you'll just end up looking like an idiot to people in the know.
Each culture has a different set of norms and moral imperatives, so keep those in mind when you decide what ethnicity to choose. In addition, race can be a volatile issue depending on the setting of your story; don't set a story in the Deep South and make the character Hispanic unless you intend for sparks to fly.
6) What does your character look like?
Write at least the basics: height, weight, eye color, hair color and skin color. Consider race when making your choices. Try to avoid really strange options if you're going for a realistic character, even if you're writing fantasy or science fiction. Exceptions are characters that are deliberately trying to be strange or rebellious, i.e. a teenager who dyes her hair purple and gets yellow contacts that make her eyes look like a cat's. Keep in mind, however, that the "normal" people in the story will not be overly accepting of an abnormal appearance.
The height and weight of a character will affect how he acts and moves. How muscular or athletic is your character? Don't create an overweight middle-aged character and then have him sprint after bad guys unless you intend for him to die of a heart attack during the chase. Likewise, don't create a tall swimmer-type and then have him collapse in exhaustion after minimal exertion.
Decide whether your character is attractive or not so much. Most main characters are above average in the looks department, but whether that is true for your character is up to you. This can also affect the character's personality; good-looking people usually have more self-confidence and are less introverted than not-so-good-looking people. Another popular trend is for a character to be good-looking but not know it; this is bordering on trite at this point but is still an option if you so choose.
Does your character have any tattoos or piercings? Again, this affects how other characters will react, and it can be a telling factor with regards to your character's personality.
7) What does your character do for a living?
The broader question here is one of lifestyle. Does your character make a lot of money or not so much? Does he like his job? Does he have a dream job that he idly lusts after or is actively pursuing?
A character's job can say a lot about him, or it can stand in contrast to his personality. Imagine an accountant who secretly wants to paint nude models, or a janitor who can do advanced mathematical proofs in his head. Or, perhaps consider an engineer obsessed with making everything perfectly straight, or an actress who immerses herself in her roles to the point of losing contact with herself. Whichever you decide, make sure it's realistic given your character's age, location and physique.
8) What is your character's major strength?
This could either be a virtue that your character possesses--wisdom, courage, prudence, mercy, honesty, etc.--or it could be a source of strength for the character, such as love for his children or a sense of justice and fairness. This is the thing that keeps the character from giving up when the odds are stacked against him and failure appears to be imminent (or it has already happened). Usually, this is something that the antagonist lacks, causing him to underestimate the protagonist's will to succeed.
Be very careful with this question; a trap that many burgeoning writers fall into is that they load their protagonist down with strengths and go light on the weaknesses. This kind of character is called a "Mary Sue" or "Gary Stu" and is typically an idealized version of the author, created to allow the author a fictional realm in which to be awesome and revered. All of us have fantasized about something like this at one time or another, but it doesn't make for good reading to everyone else. Try to pick one central strength, or a few complementary ones, and leave it at that.
9) What is your character's major weakness?
See above. This could either be a vice--lust, cowardice, greed, indifference, etc.--or it can be something that weakens the character like an emotional Kryptonite, perhaps a phobia that paralyzes him or the sound of his father's voice that makes him feel like a helpless little kid again.
This is the thing that makes the character fail, the thing that he must overcome in order to succeed. Typically, the events of the story will cause this flaw to be exposed, acknowledged, then squashed like a bug. Unless you're writing a tragedy, the character must change between the beginning and the end, and this is where the bulk of the change is focused.
For example, a proud person might not want other people to help him reach his goal (what he WANTS). By the end of the second half of your story, this character would understand that he is flawed and can't do everything himself, and that he needs his friends/family/whoever to help him reach that goal. He overcomes his pride and succeeds. Roll credits.
Remember those three things I mentioned in the beginning? The ones you MUST know about your character? This is one of them. Give this considerable thought before you commit, because it will be used to create your plot, if not your premise and theme as well.
10) What does your character want?
This is a pretty heavy question. People visit psychiatrists for years trying to figure this one out for themselves, and now you have to do it for your protagonist. The answer to this question will determine at least the first half of your plot, during which your character will spend his time trying to get what he wants. Think of it has his driving goal, the motivation for the story. It can be an object--Dude, where's my car?--or it can be a person, or it can be some outcome of events--revenge, workplace success, learning to use the Force, etc. Whatever it is, you must be able to clearly identify it in, say, five words or less. Yes, five is an arbitrary number, but the point is to keep it short and sweet.
Will your character get what he wants? That's for you to decide. As the Rolling Stones say:
"You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you might find
You get what you need"
Which leads us to the next question...
11) What does your character need?
This is even more important than what your character wants. Think of a toddler screaming at his parents in the middle of a grocery store: what he WANTS is candy, but what he NEEDS is a good spanking. It's like that with your character as well. He may know what he wants, but rarely does he realize what he needs until the second half of your story, if he ever realizes it at all. Your job is to figure out what he needs and see that he gets it. Maybe he wants to learn to use the Force, but he NEEDS to gain the maturity and discipline to use it properly. Maybe he wants to get the girl, but he NEEDS to learn to respect women instead of treating them like objects. Maybe he wants to win the big game, but he NEEDS to discover that winning isn't everything.
There are near-infinite possibilities, but as with determining the character's want, you must be able to define the character's need very succinctly and specifically. The two can be complementary, in that your character can achieve both in the end, or the need can surpass the want. Whatever you decide will influence both the premise and the plot, so don't go changing one unless you're prepared to topple a whole house of cards in the process.
There are many other questions you can answer about your character--Does he like coffee or tea? How often does he brush his teeth? Is he allergic to anything?--but these will give you the solid foundation you need to start thinking about the next step in crafting the novel: Premise. 0 comments