In real life, we rarely find a whole host of folks
who share the same beliefs, lifestyles and goals that we do – even the people
we are closest with will have differences of opinion from minor to major
issues. It would also be illogical for every character we create in our stories
to share the same traits.
In order for a character to seem
believable you have to create a way of speaking, acting and responding to
situations that is unique to him or her. You, as the writer, must learn to
speak in your character’s voice; to make it believable you will have to be able
to get into your character’s head and understand everything about him. In real life no one is all good or all bad no matter how much of a "saint" or "villain" we may try to label him as. Even a romantic hero may lose his temper and even the villain has someone that loves him.
WHO is your character? Yes, it is
important to understand who he is today – his age, gender (for purposes of
simplicity I am merely referring to HIM), career, financial status, etc. It is
possibly more important to know WHERE your character came from, not just his
hometown but also how he grew up and the circumstances that influenced him. Is he wary because someone took advantage, bitter because of some long ago disappointment, or seemingly selfish because he is ust used to always having to take care of himself first?
Study the people you know around
you. How does someone who grew up in lean financial conditions deal with money
issues now? It is a common fact that most of our parents or grandparents who
lived through the depression have a tendency to be more frugal and waste less
than someone who never had to worry about making ends meet. How well would the person who grew up in the constant lap of luxury be able to cope with a sudden loss of financial security?
Education makes a difference in the
way we speak, analyze situations, obviously choose our careers, and even
creates certain friendships. Your character’s educational background will also
influence his choices and circumstances. Your character’s childhood and home
life will have a lasting effect on his views and aspirations regarding marriage
and parenthood. If your character was athletic as a child, with the exception
of a physical disability or injury, chances are he will remain athletic or
physically active as an adult.
Traumatic experiences will possibly
have the most profound effect on someone’s life, it is the same with your
characters. Victims of crime are stereotypically more hyper-vigilant, may panic
or experience flashbacks in similar situations, or may be more fearful
generally. Please notice that I said stereotypically – there is no one way
someone will definitely react after trauma whether is crime, bereavement,
accident, illness or emotional loss. In the Death Wish series, Charles
Bronson’s character becomes a vigilante and tracks down “bad guys”; in Copycat,
Sigourney Weaver’s character becomes agoraphobic and refuses to leave her
house.
Learn to understand your character,
know his complete background. It doesn’t matter how much of that background
your readers will learn about, you MUST know it in order to make your character
believable. If you find yourself getting stuck while you are writing a story,
spend some time with your character, have a discussion or two, and learn what
makes your character “tick”.
Writing Exercise:
Write a letter to your “worst” teacher and tell him/her all about your
life and your successes. Let him know how far you've come “despite” him.
Writing Prompt: Close
your eyes for two-to-three minutes, imagine the room and objects around you.
Open your eyes ad without looking around write down as many items, with as much
description as possible, as you can remember.
