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Ahem.
One of the main ingredients for a successful novel is having a relatable character. Your MC may be a vampire/alien/werewolf/zombie/Greek god or just Susie next door. It doesn't matter. What is imperative is that whoever it is, she's someone the reader can identify with. So how do we do that? How do we take a monster and give them a normal teenage (if we're talking YA) voice?
The key word here is "normal". You have to think of your MC (and any other character for that matter) as a whole person. Someone with the same thoughts, feelings, needs, and wants as the rest of us. Okay, so he's a werewolf. Fine. Then he's a normal person with an "extra issue". Now I'm not trying to be politically correct here. We're not going to start calling paranormal creatures "supernaturally challenged" or anything. I just want you to make sure you understand each character HAS to be a whole person.
Why was TWILIGHT so popular? Vampires? Nope. IMHO it was the romance. The teen angst. Etc. Now I'm not here to debate the execution (I certainly have my own opinions) or to suggest sparkly, brooding, shirtless (though this never hurts) entities. It's been done. Obviously. What I am suggesting is that Ms. Meyer took feelings that are meaningful to real teens and magnified those by using certain complications and devices.
I don't have a list for you today. I can't hand you bullet points for this. There are so many posts out there on character development, heck I've done several and will probably continue to do so. Maybe you interview your characters and do worksheets. Maybe you make collages. Maybe you know where they grew up and what their favorite color is. IDK. But no matter what your process is, or how cool your idea is, I want you to promise me one thing.
Remember that your character is a person and not a personification.
When we get so wrapped up in plot and structure and style and original ideas, we can lose sight of the fact that writing is ALWAYS about the human condition. And when you do find that human voice and tell the story through that perspective, I guarantee your work will be vastly improved, no matter how beautiful your writing is otherwise. Filtering through character was one of my most popular posts. But to do that successfully, we have to first have a grasp on the character we're filtering through.
Having realistic and characters who are easy to relate to is definitely a must. Most readers need to care about a character to invest time in said story and character's life. There needs to be something tangible about it all. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is true of any character, adolescent or adult, even regular human ones! You can't just have a cardboard, stereotyped portrayal, because it just won't hold your reader's interest. If there's no depth, it's just not as compelling. I guess a paranormal creature offers more temptation in that direction because of all the preconceived notions about most of them, but so does, I think, the bitchy cheerleader or the mousy, brilliant nerd.
ReplyDeleteYoung Frankenstein is one of my favorite movies!
Love this! Yes, it comes down to the emotion and the reader connecting!
ReplyDeleteBelievability is much more important than realism, and you get believability by creating a 'whole person', like you say, with characteristics and issues we recognise, even if they're of a species or in a situation we don't.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you're saying about Twilight as well: the romance, the teen angst, the complications of being a teenager, of being transplanted to a new environment, feeling different from your peers, .... That's what made it popular.
ROFL at supernaturally challenged.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. You're right, of course, Lisa. It's about human nature, and about human nature at that particular point in the character's life.
An excellent reminder! This post has inspired me to look at one of my characters in particular(antagonist) and fill her out with a bit more humanity. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAww, you guys are always so AGREEABLE. Which is a great quality in a commenter I must say. ;D LOL! Yes, round out those characters! All of them. You'll find it adds depth in an important way.
ReplyDeleteThis is so true (another agreeable commenter). I liked using the Snowflake method and the character worksheets before I started writing. But really, writing the book is what rounded the characters out for me. Oh, and revision.
ReplyDeleteJulie - oh no! Does this mean you're turning into a *gasp* pantser?? Mwahaha! I might be rubbing off!
ReplyDeleteAh, realness of the person. Indeed! Of course, being the plot chick that I am, I usually don't get to that until revisions. LOL.
ReplyDeleteBut it's very important and now that I think about it, most of my most favoritest books all have this trait in common.
Karen- plot's important, but I still believe character trumps that. The character is what drives the plot and breathes life into it. :D
ReplyDeleteyes, yes, and more yes. And you know what else? It's important to know this about the VILLAIN too.
ReplyDeleteSara - ABSOLUTELY!!! Everyone really. But yeah, having a real villain makes it so much better...
ReplyDeleteGood post! Sometimes, I find myself focusing far too much on the extraordinary qualities of my characters and forgetting about the doldrums of life that press on them more.
ReplyDeleteOctober- :D Glad to see you here! And glad the post was helpful.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Lisa- character trumps plot. Characters are essential to stir the plot.
ReplyDeleteLOL, I was just talking about this with my hubby yesterday, bc one of my characters is a lot like my hubby (not saying which one, tho, lol) and he was like, oh no, you have to make him perfect then! Ha!
ReplyDeleteAgree, agree, agree. The supernatural challenge can sometimes fit the bill of the character flaw. I know if the characters don't grab me the book falls flat.
ReplyDeleteA person, not a personification, I love that! Very well said. In finding that connection we find something special. You are so right!
ReplyDeleteLove the video clip. Haven't seen that movie in ages. Yes, you're so right about the MC must be real to the writer and the readers. I got a kick out of supernaturally challenged and the humorous tone throughout your post!
ReplyDeleteLoving the comments! Thank you all!! Keep em comin'
ReplyDeleteSeriously the BEST movie!! "Walk this way. No, no, with the cane." I need to rent this now. And yes, I think this goes for all "non-human" entities, because I have yet *maye one day* to write a paranormal character. I had to give a voice to a bunch of aliens, but I thought, like you said, how are they a person? I used backstory, which I never gave, to help me. GREAT as always, Lisa : )
ReplyDeleteAnother wonderful post, making me nod my head and make lots of, yep, yep, yep, uh-huh uh-huh noises like those aliens on Sesame Street.
ReplyDeleteYoung Frankenstein. OMG. It's a whole bucketload of crazy and so much fun.
Bekah - thanks! :D backstory for your own purposes is a great tool.
ReplyDeleteEbony - cool! I have my own "yes man" Or woman I guess...
So true - character is not characterization. One of my first steps in a new story is discovering that new character - not their hair color or their clothes, but what their essential conflicts are. Everything else comes from that.
ReplyDeleteSusan - that's a great place to start. :D
ReplyDeleteCharacter building is great fun! For my main characters I spend a lot of time developing their back story. I want to know what makes them tick. I want to know so much about them that I have plenty of details to draw on for every situation. I find that the more time I put into their history, the easier it is to write not only their character, but it helps develop the plot as well.
ReplyDeleteI've also interviewed some which is pretty interesting.
Rahma - That's great! I'm glad you found a process that works for you. Knowing and understanding your characters is imperative if you want to bring them to life.
ReplyDeleteOh. So. True. If we can't connect with the characters, we've failed!
ReplyDeleteCan Alex save Winter from the darkness that hunts her?
YA Paranormal Romance Darkspell coming fall of 2011!
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Right! The character has to feel real, or else it all ends up being gimmicky.
ReplyDeleteGReat post!
This was extremely eerie to read, having just written up my own answer to the question of what makes for a "strong female protagonist."
ReplyDeleteBut, darn it. I like your answer better, and there is a lot of intersection!
*ponder*
I love this post. I'm writing realistic fiction so no "monsters" anywhere and I still see the importance of this because even regular, "normal" teens need to be shown as real people and not personifications.
ReplyDeleteYou're always brilliant! This is all so true. The thing that makes me put down a book is a main character who is flat and unrealistic - I want a real person to root for!
ReplyDeleteThis is so true.. it's all about connecting with the characters... regardless of what the plot is, what's thrown at them... you have to be able to relate to the character.
ReplyDeleteLisa, count me as another one who loved the Young Frankenstein scene as well! Plus the actor, can't remember his name, who played Frank on Everybody Loves Raymond -- such a delight! So sorry he passed.
ReplyDeleteAbout your post -- you're so right. And I agree with Julie too. Sometimes I have to write the book to round the characters. As I write, they come alive to me and the farther I go, the better I understand them. Then I can go back from the beginning and flesh them out better.
Seeing myself in characters keeps me reading any book.
ReplyDeleteEach time I open my WIP, I get to know my characters better. I love it when they surprise me.
Something to ponder as my next WIP looks to include an other-than-human character that would be hugely central to the story. Even though we may hate him/her/it, readers still need to feel an attachment, even a negative one, to stay with it.
ReplyDeletethanks.