Another approach to Getting to Know Your Characters

This is an area where I have particular troubles, which is not a good thing going into a novel. Particularly not a first person POV novel.

So I made up a character sheet, but it's not the answer-a-buncha-questions sheet (like favorite ice cream...). It's based on Orson Scott Card's _Characters and Viewpoint_'s "What Makes a Character?" chapter.

So it's more a series of essay questions, answered the most part by your character, with sections with quotes from other characters.

A short example involving Sebastian Arcady, a brand new Flash Friday character of mine.

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My Itinerary (taken from "Actions" section, and specific to a story)

1. Get a cello player partner. I will pull a gun on him while forcing him to sight-read an extremely difficult piece.

2. Visit Senator Bassingate and discuss keeping a precious family heirloom safe while he foolishly displays it during a big function.

3. Play a lovely modern composition of my own affair during the function, either alone, but preferably with my cello player that I will have gotten during #1.

4. etc

My Motives (taken from section w/same name)

I wish to become not only a musician, but also practicing detective, because I admired the Sherlock Holmes stories, and one day I hope to seuss out who murdered my mother.

I want a partner because Holmes had a partner, and also Britten wrote some wonderful cello/violin duo pieces I want to try out...

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Psychologist (first external quote): Arcady is a lonely man, which is why he seeks a partner explicitly in the first place.

My Past

I was born into a priveleged family, but I never wanted to go into politics like my forebears before me. I went to Yale and achieved good grades, but also fell in love with the orchaestra and in particular the violin. Plus Holmes was a violinist.

My father told me I could never make it as a violinist, so he disowned me. Still, I am well-off with an allowance from father. This was some time before my mother was murdered.

What Others Say about Arcady (reputation)

Phineas Zene: "He's a mad bastard and so far I hate him, his arrogance and his craziness. He is immature and worries me. I have no idea what the hell he is dragging me into, and I'm really too old for this crap, but dammit, I need the money and he seems to have a lot of it."

Dustin Arcady: "I wish he would settle down and take life seriously. He's my only son and I want him to have a good life. But if he won't take it, then damn him. Still, I hope he comes to his senses, but it may be too late for that."

Jean Arcady (from beyond the grave): "He was never a 'good' son, and never got out of his rebellious stage. But his moral character was outstanding and I just hope he finds whatever he's looking for in life."

My Habits

I only leave the studio very late at night. Home is just for sleeping and eating bought dinner in. And storing my Sherlock Holmes paraphernalia.

I'm on eBay quite a bit when I surf the web around lunch. I occasionally make posts about composition and crime to my blog, "Art in the Blood".

(there are probably others but I haven't figured them out yet)

My Talents

I am extremely intelligent and can absorb information very quickly.

I am extremely talented at the violin and composition.

I am moderately experienced with handguns.

I am very fit.

My Tastes and Preferences

I admire Sherlock Holmes. I despise all usurpers' attempts to dethrone him. I reserve my excess hate for Inspector Morse.

I love hard-boiled sweets, in particular peppermints. Peppermint ice cream is the only kind that is not an abomination. Vanilla is particularly objectionable.

Reading is one of my pleasures in life outside of composition and the violin and, these days, investigating criminal cases.

If I'm ever interested in a woman, she should play the viola well.

Physical

Tall and thin, with very good dark brown hair, usually slicked back. I am a bit more developed in the upper chest area than I would like.

I dress very casually at home and the studio, but I like to be dapper outside.

Hats with flaps are out; this includes baseball caps. Despite illustrations, I really don't believe the real Holmes would have stood for deerstalkers.

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I am probably nutso to share, but oh well. It's late and I'm crazy with insomnia.

Gillhoughly said:

What does your character WANT?

How far is your character going to go to achieve it?

Everyone in my books, including the spear-carriers, has to answer those two.

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I like that. I've heard of it before (though I didn't know it was also a tenet for the marvelous JMS). I usually nail the first one in my short character summaries (the ones that aren't sheets like this) but not the second. I'll have to try that.

PeeDee said:

Ava, the best thing about your longer method of character-meeting I can think of is: if you tell, explicitly, all this stuff about your character, then perhaps you (general you) are less inclined to 'tell' it in the novel, because you will be aware that you're repeating yourself. So it might incline you to, from the beginning, show this stuff. I think that's valuable.

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My mindset with most of these things is that it's not even for showing to the reader---at least, not explicitly. The answers provide an undercurrent for the character. For instance, you can tell that, despite being intelligent (which is apart from him telling us that he is; it's also his composition and his grades at Yale and his father's regrets about him), Arcady is inexperienced and headstrong, with what-are-shades-of-gray? opinions, and boy is he opinionated. Just how he describes peppermint ice cream, for instance.

The most important thing I take away from the exercise is the character's voice. After all, this is for the most part a self-description, and while the quotes from others are somewhat more reliable, well, neither are they completely reliable. It is not an entirely trustworthy piece, despite me assuming nearly complete honesty on the part of the characters. Some things we just don't see about ourselves.

Another -- I agree, keeping track of a profile is important for consistency's sake. Even Orson Scott Card did this.

heyjude said:

This may be off topic, but... "seuss out?" I'm having visions of investigating the Blue Fish in One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish.

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Careful of the red fish. I think it's a herring.

David I said:

Interesting approach. But in first-person narration, once I have the character's voice, I know everything I need to know.

Does everybody understand what I mean by that, or have I lost my mind (again)?

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Nope, your mind is not lost. I do the exercise to find voice. For me, finding voice is hard!