Flat Characters!

Starbrazer · Aug 26, 2006

What does it mean exactly when someone critiquing your story tells you that your characters are flat? Does this mean that I am not showing my characters doing enough stuff that identifies them uniquely to the reader like watching football on television, drinking a beer, reading a newspaper, reading a book, cooking breakfast, etc. etc. etc. Needless to say I am confused here and need help understanding exactly what this means so that I can correct it.

What can I do to avoid flat characters in the future?

Thank you!

scribbler1382 · Aug 26, 2006

Flat Characters

Bayou Bill · Aug 26, 2006

You might try filling out a character profile. Doing so will force you to know/invent things not directly related to the story. In many cases, the information won't even be used. But the information will help you present a more well-rounded character.

Many authors give their protags a quirk to make them more human. One of the more famous examples is C.S. Forester giving his nautical hero, Horatio Hornblower, a tendency to be seasick.

Here's a link to some AW info on this issue: http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showpost.php?p=657708&postcount=4

Good luck.

Bayou Bill

sunandshadow · Aug 26, 2006

Flat characters are the ones who don't seem to have any personality, or be just a stereotype. Try thinking about what each character is thinking and feeling at each moment in the story, and describe that.

Linda Adams · Aug 27, 2006

Let me tell you about a book I read that had very flat characters. The book was a historical novel, so presumably the author focused his attention on developing that part and left the characters to fend for themselves. He gave each one a trait or a smidgeon of backstory--and did not else with it other than occasionally reference it. The reader was supposed to remember two or three sentences on page 10 as to who this character was. I read the book beginning to end, and all throughout it, was constantly having to stop at each character's name and try to remember which one this was (not helped by the fact that two of them had similar names). When one of the characters died at the end, it was "So what?" The author had not given me a reason to care about the characters.

Flat characters come when they are just given traits or backstory--or nothing at all, and then never developed beyond that. Usually they end up being flat when the writer's primary focus is on the story itself and the events that happen in the story. The characters then become chess pieces to be moved around to make the story happen. Having them watch TV or read books or drink beer is not going to help.

To add more dimension, start with what your main character's conflict is in the story. In Laurell K. Hamilton's early books, her main character raises zombies for a living. Problem: She was raised Catholic, and the Catholic church has excommunicated animators. She still wants to be loyal to her faith, but she can't not raise zombies because her power will leak out and do it anyway. So this creates conflict for the character because she's going against her faith because she has no choice.

This conflict should be something that is woven through the story (not simply mentioned in passing) and have an influence on how the character reacts to other people and the decisions they make through the story. That character should also stay within the realm of how they would actually react and not do something stupid for the sake of an event needing to happen. For example, I've seen some suspenses where a character goes out of character to do something incredibly stupid simply because the story needs her to get caught by the bad guy.

Put the character in conflict with another character. I just finished Finding Laura, a book where one of the characters had to take control of the family finances to keep the matriarch from bankrupting them. Yet, he's still in the same house with the matriarch. She resents his intervention and implication that she doesn't know what she's doing, and he has to put up with that because he's doing what's right to save the family.

Give the character a backstory that they're forced to deal with over the course of the story. In--think it was Chill of Fear--the character's backstory was to spend much of her life being doped up on psychiatric medications, and only as the story starts to develop is she escaping from all of this. Suddenly she's dealing with life without all these drugs, and all the new things that she never saw before because of them.

Donald Maass' book on Writing the Breakout Novel and the accompanying workbook are excellent resources to read up on this.

Popeyesays · Aug 27, 2006

One should note that a fiction can never be anything but flat. Or as it has been put a "bag of bones." We can only give them an illusion of roundness like 2D computer graphics give the illusion of three dimensions. Even real people can only be fully three-deimensional to themselves and a few intimates.

Details in a fictional character need not be extensive, only telling. It turns out in a later book of the Hornblower series that Hornblower was only sea-sick when he had to handle all the responsibilities of taking a ship to sea at the beginning of a commission. Later when he is commodore and another captain has to worry about manning and supplying his flagship, he is stunned to find that his sea-sickness is totally absent.

A great tiny detail to round out a character, but it does not happen until three novels from the end of the series.

Regards,
Scott

cattywampus · Aug 27, 2006

Flat characters are not always minor characters. If you find your main character is flat, you are in trouble!

Creating round characters hasn't anything to do with their minor activities (whether they read or cook or whatever), or whether he gets seasick or not. The fact that a ship's captain gets seasick is of no interest at all. Sunandshadow has it right: the one thing that makes round characters out of flat ones is emotion.

Round characters are always responding emotionally to events and other characters. How did Hornblower feel about his seasickness? Coupled with a plentitude of sensory material, the character's emotions tell the story. All that we know comes to us through our senses; by this means we experience the world, whether real or fictional, comes to us through our senses. As well, real people connect/identify with fictional characters through emotion.

Get your characters to feel something. That's the way to make them round.

Gillhoughly · Aug 27, 2006

characters doing enough stuff that identifies them uniquely to the reader like watching football on television, drinking a beer, reading a newspaper, reading a book, cooking breakfast,

You seem focused on what your people DO which is just surface detail. People want to know how your characters think and most important, how they feel.

You may need to read or re-read favorite writers to see how they describe how their characters think and feel. Noting that a character is watching TV with his feet up and a beer in hand is one thing. Knowing he's not paying attention to any of it because his best friend just died in a car crash lends a different tone to that picture.

What can I do to avoid flat characters in the future?

Try acting. To some it comes naturally, others have more of a struggle. Pull on the skin of every character and see everything in the story through his or her eyes. If they ALL react the same way you have more rehearsal to do.

Example: A girl swimming fifty feet from shore is suddenly attacked by a shark.

How might these characters react to the emergency?

A spoiled teen boy from a wealthy house where everything has been done for him;

A wheelchair-bound ex-marine ;

The girl's mother, who has a crippling phobia about water and swimming;

The girl's little brother, who's too small to help.

Get in each skin and imagine what each one is thinking and feeling during that awful moment of realization. Each is going to have a strong internal conflict.

The teen boy is the most logical hero, but doesn't know what to do. The marine knows what to do, but can't. The mother wants to save her child, but can't bring herself to go into the water; the little brother could end up in danger himself when he tries to help.

Suppose the girl is saved? What's the aftermath reaction for each?

Suppose the girl dies? What's the aftermath reaction for each?

Good luck.

WriterInChains · Aug 27, 2006

You've already rec'd some great advice, from published novelists (which I'm not), but since characterization is one of my strengths I'll chime in too.

If you're having trouble "knowing" your character, I suggest journaling as them -- let them tell you who they are, what they want, what's keeping them from getting it . . . everything. It may sound weird at first, but give it a shot. Just sit down at your keyboard (or with a blank notebook & expectations), close your eyes and go.

Some questions I keep in mind when I do this, in addition to the ones above and story-specific questions, are:

What is her wound? What scars does she carry?
What is her belief system?
What is the identity he shows to the world?
How do others see him & does he know/care?
What is her true nature?
Why do we empathize with her?
What makes him further out on the bell curve than most?

(Yes, my list is partially gleaned from the qualities of a Hero.)

I also make lists of the following details (because I'm a list-maker in general ) which usually don't show up in any story, but sometimes they do.
As in any other form of art, don't stop with 2-3 things -- the first 5 that come out won't be original anyway -- do at least 10.

Personal history/big moments
Family history
Education
Work history
Romantic history
Speech (diction, pet phrases, close-talker?, etc.)
Physicality (appearance, mannerisms)
Special talents/successes
Flaws/failures
Belongings (What kind of sofa does she have? What's in his glove box? Who's her favorite actor, his favorite band?)
Friends/relatives/pets (number, importance and duration of relationship, etc.)

After this (not saying it's quick or easy, mind you), you should be able to write about your character as if they were your best friend, and your readers will respond to that. Even when my story/prose/whatever isn't stellar, my betas still say they love the characters.

I also, sometimes, find myself wondering how my current character would react to a situation I run across in r/l -- the answers to that usually blow-away all the work I suggested above, but I don't think I'd be able to understand them w/out doing that first.

Have fun!

badducky · Aug 27, 2006

Flat characters have many symptoms, and many cures.

I've read stuff by aspiring authors that demonstrate the author's ingenuity, and the author's genius. But, I'm more interested in reading books where the characters demonstrate ingenuity, and their own distinctive brand of genius.

A common trick is to base your characters on people you know. Not overtly, mind you. In fact, if you're basing a character on your mother, try to make that character a male in his twenties with a totally different name (for your own future protection, author).

However, for every character in your story, have a person you know in life that you think about. Then, always ask yourself what these people you know would do, or say.

If this turns out different from your outline, you need a new outline.

janetbellinger · Aug 27, 2006

I think flat characters don't let the reader know them. I once had an editor say my heroine was difficult to feel sympathy for so I assumed I didn't develop her character enough in the book to show her ambitions etc and what drives her to do the things she does.

SpookyWriter · Aug 27, 2006

janetbellinger said:
I think flat characters don't let the reader know them. I once had an editor say my heroine was difficult to feel sympathy for so I assumed I didn't develop her character enough in the book to show her ambitions etc and what drives her to do the things she does.

Wouldn't that also have to do with motivations? Some characters are flat (cardboard) because they do show any motivation for their actions.

One dimensional characters shouldn't be in a story unless they help drive the story forward. A victim to a crime as an example. But we know very little of the character and probably don't need to if they serve their purpose and go away.

Flat characters aren't interesting. Someone in a story who exhibits no personality is going to bore me to tears. But someone who has a twitch or some mannerism that I can identify with makes them a little more human.

HoosierCowgirl · Aug 27, 2006

When I read Horatio Hornblower years ago, all kinds of emotion came through and made the books unforgetable.

Good example. Something to think about.

Ann

Starbrazer · Aug 27, 2006

SpookyWriter said:
Flat characters aren't interesting. Someone in a story who exhibits no personality is going to bore me to tears. But someone who has a twitch or some mannerism that I can identify with makes them a little more human.

This makes sense to me, and has helped me understand this concept more. I need to make my character's more human and in doing that they will round themselves. Thanks.

Starbrazer · Aug 27, 2006

Gillhoughly said:
You seem focused on what your people DO which is just surface detail. People want to know how your characters think and most important, how they feel.

You may need to read or re-read favorite writers to see how they describe how their characters think and feel. Noting that a character is watching TV with his feet up and a beer in hand is one thing. Knowing he's not paying attention to any of it because his best friend just died in a car crash lends a different tone to that picture.

Try acting. To some it comes naturally, others have more of a struggle. Pull on the skin of every character and see everything in the story through his or her eyes. If they ALL react the same way you have more rehearsal to do.

Example: A girl swimming fifty feet from shore is suddenly attacked by a shark.

How might these characters react to the emergency?

A spoiled teen boy from a wealthy house where everything has been done for him;

A wheelchair-bound ex-marine ;

The girl's mother, who has a crippling phobia about water and swimming;

The girl's little brother, who's too small to help.

Get in each skin and imagine what each one is thinking and feeling during that awful moment of realization. Each is going to have a strong internal conflict.

The teen boy is the most logical hero, but doesn't know what to do. The marine knows what to do, but can't. The mother wants to save her child, but can't bring herself to go into the water; the little brother could end up in danger himself when he tries to help.

Suppose the girl is saved? What's the aftermath reaction for each?

Suppose the girl dies? What's the aftermath reaction for each?

Good luck.

Good stuff Gillhoughly! I see your point here and will apply this to my WIP, thanks.

Starbrazer · Aug 27, 2006

caren1701 said:
What is her wound? What scars does she carry?
What is her belief system?
What is the identity he shows to the world?
How do others see him & does he know/care?
What is her true nature?
Why do we empathize with her?
What makes him further out on the bell curve than most?

Personal history/big moments
Family history
Education
Work history
Romantic history
Speech (diction, pet phrases, close-talker?, etc.)
Physicality (appearance, mannerisms)
Special talents/successes
Flaws/failures
Belongings (What kind of sofa does she have? What's in his glove box? Who's her favorite actor, his favorite band?)
Friends/relatives/pets (number, importance and duration of relationship, etc.)

I will most certainly give this a whirl, thanks.

janetbellinger · Aug 27, 2006

The characters had twitches and motivations but they still were not human. The characters have to come across as real, so the reader can identify with them or at least understand them, unless they are villains in which case you don't want the reader identifying with them too much.

SpookyWriter said:
Wouldn't that also have to do with motivations? Some characters are flat (cardboard) because they do show any motivation for their actions.

One dimensional characters shouldn't be in a story unless they help drive the story forward. A victim to a crime as an example. But we know very little of the character and probably don't need to if they serve their purpose and go away.

Flat characters aren't interesting. Someone in a story who exhibits no personality is going to bore me to tears. But someone who has a twitch or some mannerism that I can identify with makes them a little more human.

drevil915 · Aug 27, 2006

In my manuscript, there comes a point in which the main character is in an army unit in which he has no friends or anyone he knows for that matter. Just before he joins said unit, he leaves the only friend he really had. So, every other soldier/character serving in that unit is flat. They have not even a small amount of motivation or anything to make them distinguishable. But I wanted it like that to show how he (my main character) is alone.

NeuroFizz · Aug 28, 2006

Flat characters can come from writing that looks like stage directions in a screenplay. The character does this, does that, moves over here. He/she looks like this... Putting characters in action doesn't guarantee three-dimensionality. The challenge in writing fiction is to get across to the reader why the characters is doing what he/she is doing, but without telling it, by showing it. Internal thoughts can help, but only for a POV character. Writing is about motivation, about stimulus-and-response in the framework of that motivation. When a reader understands a character's motivation, understanding the character's actions is intuitive. Also, it gives the writer the possibility of opening up significant conflict--when the character experiences a stimulus that challenges his/her motivation, or when a normal stimulus triggers an uncharacteristic response on the part of the character.

Popeyesays · Aug 28, 2006

HoosierCowgirl said:
When I read Horatio Hornblower years ago, all kinds of emotion came through and made the books unforgetable.

Good example. Something to think about.

Ann

Self-Doubt was Hornblower's main psychological key. It caused him to fidget and pace and display all kinds of nervous phenomena. Combine that with his deep-set horror of displaying nerves or self-doubt and fully socialized behavior which demanded he portray outward calm for the benefit of his crew and you get a rounded out 2D character. The computer has sufficient knowledge of the animation to display it from any point of view.

Fictional characters can never be as deep and complicated as people, simply because the creator can never get it all written down for himself, let alone for the reader.

The picking and choosing both sub-conscious and conscious is what makes good or bad characters.

Regards,
Scott

Starbrazer · Aug 28, 2006

Any suggestions....???

NeuroFizz said:
Flat characters can come from writing that looks like stage directions in a screenplay. The character does this, does that, moves over here. He/she looks like this... Putting characters in action doesn't guarantee three-dimensionality. The challenge in writing fiction is to get across to the reader why the characters is doing what he/she is doing, but without telling it, by showing it. Internal thoughts can help, but only for a POV character. Writing is about motivation, about stimulus-and-response in the framework of that motivation. When a reader understands a character's motivation, understanding the character's actions is intuitive. Also, it gives the writer the possibility of opening up significant conflict--when the character experiences a stimulus that challenges his/her motivation, or when a normal stimulus triggers an uncharacteristic response on the part of the character.

Okay, you are saying that I need to add internal monologue, which is to say the POV character's thoughts for that scene, but that is only one aspect, right? The more that I think about this I can see that my M.C. has a nervous problem so that could be considered a human element adding to the three-dimensionality of his character. Furthermore, I have decided that the reader needs to know his past and in order to do that, my M.C. needs to reminisce about his very recent past, but I don't want to tell this, so how can I show memories. Writing it out in thought seems a bit much don't you think? These would also be considered flashbacks to some degree, you know? Maybe I could have another character in the story talk about it to him, what do you think? His past involves pure conflict which has induced a scar of which is self-doubt, and a very bad case of it at that. Danny--my main character--is in the first grade when my story opens up and he is encountering a much different scene than when he was in Kindegarten last year. The flashback memories are from that time period and that's when he realized that he had absolutely no friends. The kids pick and bully Danny because he is submissive and refuses to stand up for himself. He has a big imagination and that gets in the way also. Furthermore, he comes from a poorer home and does not wear brand-name clothes like the other kids (you know, whatever type of Nikes that are in style at that moment kind of thing). Danny wears Voits, but who has ever heard of a shoe called Voit? They are a lot cheaper than the Nikes and the same is true for his clothes; they are all hand-me-downs, and some new, but not much. His peers get big allowances and their parents buy them everything their little hearts desire, but not for Danny. All of this I can not simply tell, but to show that much information takes time you know? Beyond memmories a scared past and nervous twitches what else can I use to make my M.C. (or any character for that matter) more round? Any suggestions?

NeuroFizz · Aug 28, 2006

Introducing too many quirks in a short period is probably as bad as not including any character quirks. As for flashbacks, they can be tricky as well. One way to potentially hook the reader is to do the flashback material in little bits, so the reader knows right away about the character's personal quirks, but the background for these quirks is given in little hooks and tidbits that make the background story a subplot-type of suspense. Perhaps there is someone who wants to help the MC talk about it all, but has trouble pulling it from him. Or, it can be done with little bits of internal dialogue, designed to give intriguing peeks into the character's personality-impacting past experiences. The same storytelling techniques you use for your overall story can be used in building a character to three-dimensionality, but you do have to give the reader a good glimpse of the overall problem right away. It's the whys and hows that can be drawn out, and they can play into twists in the story as well.

Keep in mind this is just one suggestion, and there is no best way to deal with characterization. Re-read some of your favorite stories and see how the authors handled it, particularly in the early parts of the story. Then, have some fun with it in your story.

Starbrazer · Aug 28, 2006

NeuroFizz said:
Introducing too many quirks in a short period are probably as bad as not including any character quirks. As for flashbacks, they can be tricky as well. One way to potentially hook the reader is to do the flashback material in little bits, so the reader knows right away about the character's personal quirks, but the background for these quirks are given in little hooks and tidbits that make the background story a subplot-type of suspense. Perhaps there is someone who wants to help the MC talk about it all, but has trouble pulling it from him. Or, it can be done with little bits of internal dialogue, designed to give intriguing peeks into the character's personality-impacting past experiences. The same storytelling techniques you use for your overall story can be used in building a character to three-dimensionality, but you do have to give the reader a good glimpse of the overall problem right away. It's the whys and hows that can be drawn out, and they can play into twists in the story as well.

Keep in mind this is just one suggestion, and there is no best way to deal with characterization. Re-read some of your favorite stories and see how the authors handled it, particularly in the early parts of the story. Then, have some fun with it in your story.

Advice well recieved NeuroFizz! As a matter of a fact I believe The Shining by Stephen King starts out with a little boy and his family. Thanks!

Linda Adams · Aug 28, 2006

argenianpoet said:
Okay, you are saying that I need to add internal monologue, which is to say the POV character's thoughts for that scene, but that is only one aspect, right? The more that I think about this I can see that my M.C. has a nervous problem so that could be considered a human element adding to the three-dimensionality of his character. Furthermore, I have decided that the reader needs to know his past and in order to do that, my M.C. needs to reminisce about his very recent past, but I don't want to tell this, so how can I show memories. Writing it out in thought seems a bit much don't you think? These would also be considered flashbacks to some degree, you know? Maybe I could have another character in the story talk about it to him, what do you think? His past involves pure conflict which has induced a scar of which is self-doubt, and a very bad case of it at that. Danny--my main character--is in the first grade when my story opens up and he is encountering a much different scene than when he was in Kindegarten last year. The flashback memories are from that time period and that's when he realized that he had absolutely no friends. The kids pick and bully Danny because he is submissive and refuses to stand up for himself. He has a big imagination and that gets in the way also. Furthermore, he comes from a poorer home and does not wear brand-name clothes like the other kids (you know, whatever type of Nikes that are in style at that moment kind of thing). Danny wears Voits, but who has ever heard of a shoe called Voit? They are a lot cheaper than the Nikes and the same is true for his clothes; they are all hand-me-downs, and some new, but not much. His peers get big allowances and their parents buy them everything their little hearts desire, but not for Danny. All of this I can not simply tell, but to show that much information takes time you know? Beyond memmories a scared past and nervous twitches what else can I use to make my M.C. (or any character for that matter) more round? Any suggestions?

The first question to ask is how much does the reader actually need to know to get the story and the character. It's easy to think that ALL of the information needs to be given when, in actuality, it's not that much. It's also easy to think all of it needs to be up front when it can actually be developed over the course of the story.

All of what you mentioned can be worked into the story over the course of a number of pages without him needed to reminesce (which is pretty much an info dump). This is where the character development really comes in. You said he was bullied and had hand me downs as a child. So now what's his reaction to life situations as an adult based on how he grew up? He goes into a meeting at work, and the boss yells at him for something that is obvious to the reader purely wrong. But the MC thinks everything is his fault because the boss yelled at him. And, with a life of hand me downs, he could be very self-conscious about his clothes. Always thinks they're not good enough and spends his time admiring someone else's. There are lots of little things you can come up with that will show the reader--instead of telling them in a flashback--who this person is and make them want to turn the page to find out more.

LeeFlower · Aug 28, 2006

When I'm dealing with characters, I steal a page from Stanislavski. He said that the principle characters in each scene have to have an objective, obstacles standing between them and that objective, and tactics they use to get around those obstacles. Objectives and Tactics are where the characterization really shows through, because people want different things and go about getting them different ways.

Usually, when I see (or have) flat characters, the problem is that the author has given the character tactics, but no real objective. The character has become a plot device, acting to futher the story instead of acting in defense of his own interests. It all has to tie together: The obstacles give you your plot. The objectives give you your characterization. The tactics drive the story, bringing the character closer to (or farther from) the objective, but they can't exist in a vacuum.

Flat Characters!

Starbrazer

scribbler1382

Write For You, Edit For The Reader

Bayou Bill

AW Ne'er-Do-Well

sunandshadow

Impractical Fantasy Animal

Linda Adams

Soldier, Storyteller

Popeyesays

Now departed. Rest in peace, Scott, from all of us

cattywampus

Gillhoughly

Grumpy writer and editor

WriterInChains

Feed my eyes

badducky

No Time For Chitchat, Kemosabe.

janetbellinger

SpookyWriter

HoosierCowgirl

Starbrazer

Starbrazer

Starbrazer

janetbellinger

drevil915

NeuroFizz

The grad students did it

Popeyesays

Now departed. Rest in peace, Scott, from all of us

Starbrazer

NeuroFizz

The grad students did it

Starbrazer

Linda Adams

Soldier, Storyteller

LeeFlower

Lurker Extraordinaire