Monday, January 31, 2011

Complete Characters

A couple of weeks ago I read a wonderful post on the Blood Red Pencil about combining characters and why an editor may ask an author to do this. It really got me thinking because as you all know I have a big thing for "character" and doing it right.

It's my belief that this happens when the author has not flushed out her supporting characters fully enough. An easy thing to do as we spend so much time on our MC, plot, world, and a million other things that go in to creating a seamless piece of art. Say we have a character that is (we feel) necessary, but not "on stage" very much. (Sorry my theater obsession is showing again).

Anyway, say we have this character, and she's - oh I don't know - a mermaid. Her purpose in your manuscript is to be a beautiful temptation to the merman the MC is after. So she's pretty, but not much in the brains department. Just a device to make your MC realize she's jealous and must have actual feelings for her fishguy. So do you need to spend time really thinking about Mermaid Girl? Is this a waste of time and energy? Bzzz! You better believe you need to do that. Otherwise, guess what? The reader will see it as what it is. A device. Your mermaid is no better than the brainless blond bimbo stereotype with a tail.

Here are a couple of tips you can use to get in that mermaid's head:

1. Write a page or two from her perspective.
See what makes her tick. Why is she coming on to this guy? What does she think of the girl he's hanging around with? Does she have any other guys she likes? How does she feel about being so attractive? Does she even know it? You get the idea.

2. Give her an anti-stereotype.
Give her a flaw or just a characteristic that isn't something that's immediately apparent. How about a fear of water? Say she's the blond-bimbo instead. Maybe she's the biggest brain at the school. A cheerleader? How about a cheerleader who's a klutz?

3. Put her in your MC's shoes.
Say she's the MC. How would she handle the main problem differently? How would it change the book? Probably it wouldn't work the same way as it's our character's choices that drive the story. But this exercise will not only get you in the Mermaid's head, it will also strengthen your understanding of your MC.

Okay, now you're a little more prepared. Re-write the scene. What happens? Does it change anything? It might. She might have an actual conversation with your MC that makes her think twice about this mermaid vixen. She might surprise you and get up and slap the merman. Or maybe she actually has the hots for the MC. See, if you had looked at her as a device instead of a full fledged character you might have missed some great potential plot points. Or at least a nice unexpected moment. And overall it will bring more dimension to your writing. Trust me.

23 comments:

  1. I like the anti stereotype. Great advice!

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  2. Love this! I like the idea of writing a couple of pages from their perspective.

    Great advice!

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  3. Great post! I actually did this a few months back. I combined two characters by asking myself similar questions.

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  4. I really like the suggestion of writing a page or two from the supporting character's perspective! What a great way of getting into the head of a character you didn't really know that well. Thanks for the tips :)

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  5. Laura - glad you liked it! Just a way to shake it up a little.

    Renae - It has most definitely worked for me in the past.

    Salarsen - Good job knowing what needed to be done and doing it!! That's half the battle right there.

    Jess - Again, really helpful. Fixed my MS.

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  6. These are excellent tips! I particularly love your idea of writing a scene from their POV. I'm going to try this with a few of my supporting characters that I've been struggling with. Thank you!

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  7. Heather - glad to help! Hope it solves your problems.

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  8. Great post, but I had to laugh for a bit...if you put a mermaid into anyone's shoes, they're not going to fit. She's got fins, ha ha.
    But...anyway...great post, and some really important points you brought up. Thanks!

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  9. Lydia - LOL - leave it to the doctor to figure that one out!! Te he.

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  10. Lisa, these are great tips. I especially love the one about the mermaid having a fear of water. Now THAT'S a twist!

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  11. Julie - He he! Thanks, Julie. Oh the places my head will wander...

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  12. I love this post. And you know where posts I love go. ;)

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  13. Stina - Sounds good to me! And thanks.

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  14. Sounds great, and it does make the character more multidimensional, brainless or not. Loved the mermaid example. :D

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  15. Nathalie - Glad you liked it! Brainless characters can still have dimension after all.

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  16. I am shamelessly stealing your exercise for a response to literature activity for my class. Thank you for inspiring my thieving tendencies.

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  17. Leslie - do I get residuals for that?? LOL. Glad to help out in the fifth grade trenches!

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  18. Great advice! I always wanted to try this exercise - writing from your character's POV.

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  19. Writing Nut - hope it helps! It's helped me to look at that character's POV

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  20. I love #3! That's an exercise I hadn't heard of before, but I will be sure to try it next time I'm figuring out a character.

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  21. I tend to do the opposite and tie my secondary characters a bit too much into the plot. I find I have to watch this or I end up with sidekicks that want to take over, lol.

    Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse

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  22. Angela - LOL I guess you have an ensemble cast. I think it's good, it shows you really get your characters. As long as your MC is the one to solve the problem, you can edit down the others later. :D

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