Developing New Characters

NemoBook · Sep 9, 2007

I've just hit a point in my WIP where I need to introduce a bunch of new characters at once. I've got a pretty good idea of each character, and their role in the book, but I'm just in the early stages of fleshing them out.

Most of the development will occur just through the actual writing, but does anyone have any good tried-and-true "behind the scenes" methods of developing and fleshing-out characters?

Danger Jane · Sep 9, 2007

I just start off where I am. Write in what they do and what I know about them, even if it's small. After the first draft, I spend about a page figuring out their motivation and personality so I can refine them when I go back through and edit. Not really a trick, just...thinking.

She_wulf · Sep 9, 2007

Sometimes it depends on POV.

And author voice. For instance, when Hammett introduces ANYONE, we hear, smell, see, etc. them. There's words like cheap whiskey eyes, and a dame's dame.

There's the bits and pieces approach, or the first impression approach. I think it depends on the voice you are using.

For instance, a piece written in first person would have inner dialog and first impressions. "The shoes threw me. I glanced at his cheap suit that hung around his shoulders like empty feed bags, but squinched around the middle, then to the $400 leather on his feet. I'd almost bet the shoes weren't his."

Or third person (close pov), "Michal walked from the bar to the door. A blonde waitress caught his eye just before he turned the corner. He admired her sleek red outfit. It was skintight and too tight around her call-girl chest."

Third person omniscient(?)
The Corellian captain had two stars on each shoulder. They were a sign of rank and the ribbons on his chest designated his numerous campaigns. From a distance he had the air of a general, but up close you could see the uncertainty in his eyes.

I hope I've been clear. (and that I have the POV's correct - please correct me if I'm wrong)

Leigh Walker · Sep 9, 2007

I was struggling with character development on one of my main characters. I just couldnt identify with him and it was showing. So I gave myself an assignment of sitting down and writing a journal entry from his point of view. Once I started, I learned so much about him that I didnt know and he sprung to life. I liked the process so much, that now I do it at least once, maybe more, for all my main characters.

She_wulf · Sep 9, 2007

Leigh Walker said:
I was struggling with character development on one of my main characters. I just couldnt identify with him and it was showing. So I gave myself an assignment of sitting down and writing a journal entry from his point of view. Once I started, I learned so much about him that I didnt know and he sprung to life. I liked the process so much, that now I do it at least once, maybe more, for all my main characters.

Not to get caught (ahem) quoting a writing book verbatim, but that exercise is mentioned in one of the 'How to write a ^da*n Good Novel' I or II, not sure which one it was.

It was more of an author/character interview. You'd ask questions and the snarky character would just fire things at you. Fairly soon, a personality emerges and you have a gold mine of information you hadn't thought of.

Much of it doesn't make the book, but you have a better grasp on voice, etc. once you're done.

Gillhoughly · Sep 9, 2007

A) Index card for each with names spelled correctly.

B) Make sure each name starts with a DIFFERENT letter. (No Sally, Sol, Sam, and Slade in the same book.) Do this for your main characters, too, no Adam and Andrew as your leads.

Basic physical description (think cop descriptions) Ht. wt. age, hair, skin, scars, accents, clothing. You don't mention ALL this in your story, but it gives you a visual cue so you can tell them apart. You can do a google image search of a specific actor and "cast" the character, by taping a small picture on the card. Avoid devices like: "he looked like Elvis" as that's just lazy writing.

MOST IMPORTANT:

The answers to the following two questions tells you how their participation in the story will effect your plot. You should have this for your main characters as well as the important spear carriers.

1) What do they want?

2) How far are they willing to go to achieve/obtain it?

It can take awhile to figure those two out. Sometimes what a character wants is complicated.

Say you have a guy who just wants money. It's a simple, one-dimensional desire, but you need to answer why. If he wants money to buy a fancy car, he's going to be different from the guy who wants ransom cash to save his child from kidnappers.

So do they want money, respect, or just to survive to see next week?

Good luck!

JoNightshade · Sep 9, 2007

I don't write stuff out, but I know everything about anyone who appears in my story. I mean, I know where he came from, I know what his parents are like, I know the major events in his life, etc. I just spend some time thinking (whilst doing dishes or in the shower) about each person.

For instance, I have a minor female character who is a sort of informational tech. her background doesn't come into the story at all, but I know that her mom died when she was young and that her dad worked for the FBI. He raised her to be a tough girl, which is why even though she went to college and knows a lot more than he did, she still went into a similar line of work. None of this has anything to do with my story, but ME knowing this stuff gives me what I need to know how she acts and reacts in any given situation.

amber_grosjean · Sep 9, 2007

If it helps, go to a place where it gets crowded like the mall or even a bar. Watch how people walk into the room (are introduced to the scene). Is one person staggering as if he came from another bar? This might show that he's an alcoholic. As writers, we have an excuse to be nosy so be nosy, watch people and copy their actions through your writing. Note how no two people walk into the room the exact same way, neither will your characters.

Amber

Carmy · Sep 9, 2007

I recently read a novel by a well-known American author who introduced new characters by saying they looked like famous film stars. Please don't do that, it's a lazy way of doing it and it can be misleading. Do I expect someone who looks like Dustin Hoffman or Robin Williams to be a baddie? Not really and my expectations clouded the story the author was trying to tell.

GerriB · Sep 9, 2007

Remember...

Characters are human, too. Or at least some reasonable fascimile of said species. Basically, they will all have loves, hates, quirks, follibies, and all the other things that make humans the crazy creatures they are. They have things they want, they have things they don't care about, they have things they hate, they have their gross-out buttons, and they have their things that make them go SQUEE! Figure those things out.

At the same time, don't forget they're part of the Story, too. Don't make them perfect for the Story, but don't make them completely handicapped, either. Conflict, tension, stakes...give them a reason to go for the win, whatever that win is.

Some people suggest making up a character sheet that list a bunch of different questions. I don't find that useful because to me, Story is all one thing, not separate things that need to be assembled. But that's me. Use what works. Period.

Good luck!

Wolvel · Sep 9, 2007

Don't over do the characters from the beginning. As you write the story the characters should come to life in the work. Plus you don't want to throw everything about the character out there at first, leave a little mystery to them so the reader will want to read more to discover the characters fully.

Penguin Queen · Sep 9, 2007

I like the journal entry idea.
I usually only get to know my characters once I write about them and they do and say stuff.
So with someone that I dont have a good handle on, I will write a scene about them that will take place somewhere outside the story, just to get to know them - something I know they do but wouldnt have written about (for the novel). Like sneaking into work with them, watching over their shoulder, getting to know them.
Or, if I write in the 1st person sing., I might rewrite a scene from another characters POV to get into their head.

tjwriter · Sep 10, 2007

I've been studying Holly Lisle's Create a Character Clinic in relation to my WIP, and it's been very helpful to me regarding the right mindframe to learn about my characters.

I'd recommend soley for types of questions she gives you to ask your characters in discussing their compelling needs.

Well worth the $10, but then her voice comes in loud and clear for me.

Soccer Mom · Sep 10, 2007

Gillhoughly said:
B) Make sure each name starts with a DIFFERENT letter. (No Sally, Sol, Sam, and Slade in the same book.) Do this for your main characters, too, no Adam and Andrew as your leads.

Oh yes! Bless you a thousand times over for this. Nothing confuses my pitiful mind like too many sound-alike or spelled-alike names in a book.

tjwriter · Sep 10, 2007

Soccer Mom said:
Oh yes! Bless you a thousand times over for this. Nothing confuses my pitiful mind like too many sound-alike or spelled-alike names in a book.

I have two characters with S names.

Sola and Selea. They are different as night and day. And they don't show up together in the story for a bit. I may change them later, but I haven't decided. When I finish the novel and reach the point for betas I'm sure that someone will let me know.

Sassee · Sep 10, 2007

My same letter names are few and far between. When I do have them there's usually a big difference, such as one person being male and the other female (very hard to confuse that), and the names don't sound anything alike. For instance I have a Stan (guy) and Sid (girl - Sidney). One is laid back and looks like a surfer, the other is a goth chick. If anyone starts mixing up those two characters I think I'd check to see if they had a temperature. I did break this rule though... in the same story as Stan I had a guy nicknamed Satan. Now, they don't SOUND anything alike, but the spelling makes it confusing. It resolves itself shortly thereafter when we learn what Satan's real name is (Tony/Anthony) and they start addressing him by that instead, but it's still giving me issues.

Anyway, about new characters... they either come fully formed in my head, or I at least have an appearance and general attitude in mind. Those mystery characters build themselves as they go along.

desertcomet · Sep 10, 2007

tjwriter said:
I have two characters with S names. Sola and Selea. They are different as night and day.

I once watched a show with two main characters named Milly and Meryl and their personalities were completely opposite but I always get there names mixed up. So you might want to consider changing the names. Then again not everyone is as blond as I am, lol.

But back to the thread topic. One thing that I have done to develop a character is to write a scene from their POV in which they're being interviewed about other characters. But try to write it in such a way that it tells more about your character than the others. But usually most of the development occurs during the first few drafts.

britlitfantw · Sep 10, 2007

I actually have an article about character development coming out in the September 19 Absolute Write newsletter. I'm hesitant to share its contents so soon before it's published, so I'm afraid that doesn't help you today, but if you're still looking for some ideas then ...

FennelGiraffe · Sep 10, 2007

tjwriter said:
I have two characters with S names.

Sola and Selea. They are different as night and day. And they don't show up together in the story for a bit. I may change them later, but I haven't decided. When I finish the novel and reach the point for betas I'm sure that someone will let me know.

As a reader, I would have a huge problem with Sola and Selea. They're similar in multiple ways: both start with S, both end with A, both have L in the middle, and depending on how you pronounce Selea, they may have the same number of syllables. The only real differences are O vs E and four letters vs five. Are both characters female?

If you have such a huge cast that you really do need to use the same starting letter twice, then at least make them as different as Bob and Belinda: different sexes, one syllable vs three, one ends with a consonant while the other ends with a vowel, etc.

I should point out that I'm not saying those other similarities are problems individually. It's only when you pile them on top of starting with the same letter that they become an issue. Or when a large number of names share the same characteristic, such as every character having a one-syllable name.

Stijn Hommes · Sep 10, 2007

Having great characters is nice, but if they don't fit with the plot, they're gonna go haywire. I try to create characters that to a certain extend will do my bidding plotwise, but I try to make sure they're internally consistent and well-rounded in regards to stuff that isn't immediately relevant to the plot.

Gillhoughly · Sep 11, 2007

Since there's been some discussion on same sounding names, I'll state it again--speaking as an editor.

If you get a good one for your work, you will be asked to change one. Some editors are too rushed to bother, but I'm not in that club. I care about my craft and yours, too, and want your words to look great!

Though the characters may be separate in YOUR mind, not all of us are gifted with your special brilliance and need all the help we can get.

Even if they are wholly different personalities, opposite genders, live in different countries, and have no scenes together, it just saves work down the road to change that first letter.

I keep a cheat sheet: a piece of paper divided into a 26-letter grid with one letter of the alphabet in each. As I name a character I put it in the appropriate box. Use the names used most often in the narrative. He might be named Leonard "Bones" McCoy, in which case you put Bones in the B box, and McCoy in the M box.

Avoid having "read alike" names like Lorilee, Dorilee, and Marilee.

You will have overlap in a large cast of characters, but the grid will cut that down.

I had two characters who had no scenes together, one young, one old, different personalities, the works, and for the life of me *I* could not keep their same-letter names straight! I changed one, and was able to write and finish the thing.

Remember, it was Romeo and Juliet, not Romeo and Rosalia!

mscelina · Sep 11, 2007

Romeo and Rosalia! LOLOL

There is a tendency in fantasy (in particular) to have families with similar-sounding names for their members. In some instances, this demonstration of 'clan' kind of works for me--as long as the writer keeps a strong hand on creating the names. For example, same first letter is okay for me as long as they are all three-syllable names with the same ending or diphthong stuck right in the middle. But, that's me.

tjwriter · Sep 11, 2007

desertcomet said:
I once watched a show with two main characters named Milly and Meryl and their personalities were completely opposite but I always get there names mixed up. So you might want to consider changing the names. Then again not everyone is as blond as I am, lol.

FennelGiraffe said:
As a reader, I would have a huge problem with Sola and Selea. They're similar in multiple ways: both start with S, both end with A, both have L in the middle, and depending on how you pronounce Selea, they may have the same number of syllables. The only real differences are O vs E and four letters vs five. Are both characters female?

Yep, I know. It has the potential to be a big problem, but this is my first draft, and I'm not so attached to either that it will kill me to have to change one.

I figure when (remember not to type 'if'!) betas read it, they'll either tell me it's a problem or not. And as Gill mentioned, when (NOT IF!) an editor looks at it, if the the change needs to be made, I'll do it.

Just doesn't seem like a big deal to me right now. It only matters when others look at it. Then I'll ask that question and get an answer. Til then, no thoughts about it.

NemoBook · Sep 12, 2007

tjwriter said:
I've been studying Holly Lisle's Create a Character Clinic in relation to my WIP...

I'd recommend soley for types of questions she gives you to ask your characters in discussing their compelling needs.

Do you have more info on this? I'm going to try this character interview that some people have suggested. I'm sure there's some sample questionnaires online, but anyone else know where I could find good questions for interviewing characters?

ZannaPerry · Sep 12, 2007

I made card indexes, too! When I'm writing in one of their POV's I usually look from my paper to the index card to make sure I meet their approval after what I wrote. I find it easy.

Developing New Characters

that's me

Where are we going?

that's me

Grumpy writer and editor

has finally arrived

AW Addict

Dazed and Confuzzled

Write the Damn Book!

Break the rules.

Emerging Anew

Crypto-fascist

Emerging Anew

Momma Wolf

It's green they say

Know what you write...

Grumpy writer and editor

Teh doommobile, drivin' rite by you

Emerging Anew

^ Just Me & a Sharpie