Previously published by Net
Author, The Institute of Children’s Literature Online,
Novel Advice, and Gotta Write Network
Copyright 2003
For distribution contact: richput@mywebemail.net
CHARACTER? WHAT’S THAT
By Richelle Putnam
What
would Ella Enchanted have been without Ella, or The Best Christmas Pageant
Ever without the Herdmans? Louis Sachar could
never have written There’s a boy in the Girl’s
Bathroom without a boy named Bradley Chalkers.
A
story without character is like a body without organs. An empty shell. Plot may drive the character, but without
character, even the most exciting plot is utterly useless. A hurricane striking an abandoned coastline
and a fire destroying a vacant building are futile stories without characters
struggling to survive.
So
what is the definition of character?
(a) A person represented in a story
(b) The individuality of a person
(c) Physical features
(d) Moral or ethical qualities
(e) Behavior
(f) Personality
(g) Or all of the above
If you
guessed all of the above, you are correct.
Character is the heart and soul of every manuscript.
Remember Maniac
Magee? And Palmer
in Wringer? And who could
ever forget Stanley Yelnats in Louis Sachar’s Holes?
Why does S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders still sit boldly on
bookstore shelves? Characters.
So, how does a writer
create full, poignant characters that readers relate to, cry over, laugh with,
and cheer on? The task is not a simple
one, but neither is it an impossible one.
Try these steps in
creating memorable characters:
(a) The character’s name is very important. A well-bred princess wouldn’t likely be Twinky, nor would an urchin raised on the docks be named
Alexander the Great. Choose character
names carefully, just as you would your own child. Names define character. Alex might be a strong, athletic type. Jennifer could be a studious, yet dreamy
girl. Think about M. C. Higgins the Great. Now that’s a name that defined
character. A name
powerful enough to be the name of the book. Who can help but remember Beverly Cleary’s Ramona? And what kind of name is Kelly Beans? It’s the kind readers remember. A writer
finds unique character names in many places: the phonebook, a baby name book,
other literature, movies, and TV shows.
The resources are endless. For
multi-cultural names, the Internet is a great place to be. Try these sites:
3. www.ebusinessrevolution.com/babynames/
(b)
Individuality – How
does your character dress? Does he like
what’s cool or does he give a rip? Is he
up to date or old fashioned? Maybe he’s
colorblind or has extremely bad taste.
Are his shoes Nikes, deck shoes, or hiking boots? Does she wear halters, sportswear, frayed
jeans, or Capri pants? Allow your reader
to visualize your character’s likes and dislikes. Have your character roll her eyes as she
bypasses the new white button down blouse hanging in her closet, and dreams of
owning the frilly silk one in Barton’s Department Store. Indicate her desire as she flips through the
latest fashion magazines, or scrimps on lunch to buy designer jeans. Individuality also includes hobbies, sports,
music, and what your character likes to read.
But don’t tell your readers these things. Have the book, Little Women, sitting
on her bedside table, or have him return the Wild Boys CD he borrowed from his
best friend. Hanging a Grateful Dead
poster or a Big Purple Barney will say something about your character without
saying anything. Little noticeable
things like these allow your readers into your character’s life.
Study people wherever you
go, church, school, the mall, etc.
Notice how the ritzy woman in designer clothes walks differently than
the longhaired teenager in baggy pants and t-shirt. Observe where they shop. Why?
You get an idea of likes, dislikes, desires, etc. Does she linger at the perfume counter or in
the shoe section? Does the teenager
spend all his time in the record shop or in the video game room? Take notes as you analyze both young and old,
but respect their privacy and don’t be too obvious. You certainly don’t want to
draw attention to yourself or them.
(c)
Physical features –
What is the color of your character’s hair?
Skin? Eyes? Is her nose long? Her
cheekbones high? Is your male character’s
face expressive when he speaks? Do his
brows furrow when he’s agitated? Are his
fingers short and stubby, or long and slender?
How tall is he? And so on. Your readers will want to visualize each
character vividly. Remember that. You don’t have to give detailed descriptions
in one long, boring paragraph. In fact,
that’s a definite no-no. Divvy it out,
bit by bit, a little at a time. Your
characters’ looks must be as unique as their name. Give more detail than brown hair and green
eyes. Let us see how her thick, wavy locks fall into her deep-set eyes or how
he rubs his shaven head. Tell us how he
slumps his shoulders because he’s so much taller than the rest of his
classmates. Don’t just jot down the physical traits of the people you’re
observing, describe the boy’s features as he’s plays a video game and the
woman’s lips as she admires herself in the mirror at the makeup counter. Don’t
overlook the faces on television and on screen and join outstanding physical
traits of different individuals to create your own unique character.
(d)
Moral/Ethical
Qualities – This is how your character feels about issues, large sor small. What does
she think about drinking and drugs? Is
it no big deal? What about premarital
sex? Cheating on a test? Taking a quarter off Mrs. Simpson’s kitchen
table? Is she judgmental of others
because of social status? The character
will portray these qualities by actions and choices. Thoughts play a big part, because your
character will not give long, parental type speeches. However, don’t create perfect protagonists,
or evil antagonists that have absolutely nothing good about them. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. When we make villains that are hopeless and
heroes that are flawless, we are building an unrealistic world that an audience
sees right through. If you have
difficulty finding something positive about a really negative person, read a
few biographies on well-known people you don’t like, even hardened criminals.
This will help you get to know antagonists on a personal level and create them
into something more than cruel, evil people.
(e)Behavior – How do your characters conduct
themselves? Are they well behaved around
adults and out of control around peers, or class-clowns getting into trouble no
matter where they are? Do they treat
every adult with respect, except their parents?
Are they comfortable around the guys and tight as a knot around
girls? Behavior so much of the time is not
the true character of children and adults.
Take a boy whose father has left him and his mother. He yells at his mother even though he is
angry with his father. He skips school
knowing it’s wrong and that his mother will have to face the consequences with
him. Guilt and hurt devour him. He protects himself with rage. His behavior is not a true representation of
who he truly is, but it is what others see.
Your readers will have the opportunity to know the real character, so
build him completely, with a behavior that--though it may not be becoming, is
realistic in a stressful situation. To
accomplish this, writers reveal the inner emotion that causes the outward
behavior, like breaking a window or betraying a friend.
(f)
Personality – Is
your character the bubbly cheerleader type who never quits talking, or a
serious type who takes everything personally?
Is he a thinker or a doer? Does
he let things slide off his back or let things fester like a boil? Is he an over-achiever or an under-achiever? Does he have a good sense of humor? Is she a perfectionist with schoolwork, yet
her room looks like a disaster area?
“He has a good personality.” What does that mean? People say it all the time, but you, the
writer, need to know how to show it. When you assign
personalities to your characters, don’t always make cheerleaders bubbly, or
straight ‘A’ students serious, and the wrong-side-of-the-track-kid the one that
teachers have trouble with. Avoid labels
and stereotypes. As an author, don’t
just throw twists into plot, but into characters as well, being careful,
however, not to go against the character’s nature. Your readers know your characters well, so
when you go against their grain, it confuses the reader. An author who does well with throwing twists
into characters is Lois Duncan. Her
books I Know What You Did Last Summer and Daughters of Eve
accomplish this task very well, as does J. K. Rowling. You never know whom to suspect in any of her
novels. In The Sorcerer’s Stone
the evil one turned out to be squirrelly Professor Quirrell
instead of the overbearing Professor Snape.
Maintain a character
library of favorite published characters.
What made them memorable to you?
What were their faults, fears, gifts, and goals? Some members of my favorite character library
are Jerry Spinelli’s Stargirl,
Gary Blackwood’s Widge in The Shakespeare Stealers,
Audrey Couloubis’ Willa Jo in Getting Near to
Baby, J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter, and who can ever forget Richard
Peck’s Grandma Dowdel in A
Year Down Yonder and A Long Way From
Once you gather
information, do a character sketch on each character, even your minor
characters. This activity provides
crucial information and keeps you from giving Charles blonde hair on page 3 and
light brown hair on page 66. Also,
referring to your character sketches each day before you write refreshes the
character in your mind and reminds you of certain traits. If Julie struggles with a limp, she won’t be
loping and running with the greatest of speed.
Antoine deals with low self-esteem, he won’t be the first one to raise
his hand in class to answer a question or speak up boldly. Character sketches aren’t an option—they’re a
necessity. Don’t rely on memory.
If characters start to become boring, (usually somewhere in the middle of
the story) ask them a few questions:
a. How do you think
things are going?
b. What did you do in
your last scene and why?
c. Did you grow from
the experience?
c. What are you going to do next and why?
e. Is the ultimate
goal you seek really worth all this conflict?
Discovering the answers to these questions will help to get creative
juices flowing and your characters back on track. Why? Because you develop a deeper understanding of characters and why
they started this journey in the first place.
Again, creating memorable characters is no simple task. Like parents,
writers must spend quality time with their characters and become a part of
their lives. Writers must also trust and respect their characters for who they
were created to be. Characters, like children, cannot be puppets on a string.
They are living, breathing persons with qualities, flaws, likes, dislikes, each
one with a unique personality. Come to understand your characters for what they
are and allow them to be just that.
Richelle Putnam is a former writer for All Headline News. She has been published in Common Ties, E2K
Literary Journal, World Wide Writers, Orchard Press Mysteries, Southern Hum,
The Copperfield Review, Cayuse Press, Writer’s Journal, Obadiah Press’s Living
By Faith Anthology, A tribute to Mothers Anthology, A Cup of Comfort for
Mothers and Daughters, and more. Her
children’s literature has been published on the Institute of Children’s
Literature’s website, Writing Korner, and Wee Ones,
Boy’s Quest, Appleseeds, and Hopscotch Magazine for
Girls; Her work is soon to be released in
Flashquake, Fireflies in Fruit Jars Anthology, and GCWA “Mississippi”
Anthology. Her novel, Fallout, was released in 2000; She is the Founder and
President of Mississippi Writers Guild. www.richelleputnam.net