It’s time again for my contribution to this month’s #AuthorToolBoxBlogHop where dozens of writers share their thoughts and experiences. I encourage you to check out their posts by clicking on the icon at the bottom.
Developing interesting and intriguing characters is one of the primary challenges for any writer of fiction. Unlike non-fiction subjects, these characters exist only in the writer’s mind. It’s up to the author to bring them to life and make them believable.
All writers get asked how they go about selecting and creating characters. For me, each of my novels revolves around one or two protagonists. The way these characters are developed and how the reader learns about them are as important as who they are and the roles they play in the story.
In real life, the way you learn about people is through observation. How an individual looks and acts, how he/she relates to others, and his/her interests and values are all things you primarily see and learn, and are not always told to you. This should also be the case with fictional characters.
Let’s take a look at Jack Fowler, the lead character in the murder mystery I’m currently writing, BUTCHER ROAD.
The novel opens with Jack out for an evening walk when his nose directs him to a decaying corpse in an abandoned house. In that scene, the foul odor reminds Jack of his military experience, having returned from Afghanistan two years prior. He has a brief flashback before shaking it off and reengaging in the present. During the same scene, he interacts with police officer, Al Walker. Their banter portrays Jack as a no-nonsense guy, unafraid to challenge authority and get involved.
In just a few pages, the reader is introduced to Jack Fowler. Very little backstory is used during this introduction, and these pages establish a base for Jack’s character going forward.
One other trick that helps me be consistent with character development is to build a profile of my main characters. I refer to this profile from time to time as these characters appear and evolve throughout the novel. If this does nothing else, it prevents characters changing hair color from chapter to chapter. Below is Jack Fowler’s profile:
- Physical Description
- Tall, athletic, dark hair, blue eyes, conservative/basic attire
- Values & Interests
- Family, career, relationships, community, outdoor activities
- Personality:
- No-nonsense, unafraid, patriotic, caring, dry humor, takes responsibility
- Other traits
- Successfully fighting PTSD symptoms
Every suspense novel interjects tension and conflict into the life of its protagonists. It is this tension and conflict that make the characters interesting and compelling. How they engage, resolve or fall victim to conflict should also be consistent and fit their profile.
The sources of Jack Fowler’s tension in BUTCHER ROAD are many. He faces a struggle to overcome PTSD symptoms. Fellow police officers are resentful of his fast rise in the department. A new relationship with Angela Jones, a Charlotte detective, has him balancing his personal and professional life. Most importantly, Jack becomes entangled in a serial murder case where he and Detective Jones become the targets of the killer.
So that’s Jack Fowler. If you’d like to assess how I did introducing Jack, you can read the first chapter of BUTCHER ROAD by clicking HERE. I’d appreciate your comments.
Thanks for stopping by my blog. Please check out what other writers participating in this month’s #AuthorToolBoxBlogHop have to say by clicking HERE.
Like it. I am most definitely going to check out the first chapter. If memory serves, someone has a birthday coming up. This book will be on the list of potential gifts.
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Appreciate your interest, I can always use future readers!
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Character design is definitely tricky. Kudos for using smell, and slipping in some relevant background info.
Lately I’ve been trying a technique I’ve been hearing from a few sources, to emphasis negative/problematic traits when defining a character. I give them strengths too, but I always start with a psychological disorder (like egotism or a pattern of dependence) and some kind of past trauma or wound (using the Emotional Wound Thesaurus). So far I think it’s been very helpful.
Looking back, I think that most of the stories I’ve liked have ensured that every character relationship had at least one facet that created strife (often in a very mild/friendly form) and something that pulled the characters together.
In some ways I feel like character design/profiling is one of those things that is always evolving.
To some extent, as long as we keep tweaking our writing systems, we ensure that future stories will differ from past ones.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and your profiling technique.
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Thanks for dropping by Adam. I always enjoy and learn from your thoughtful comments and analysis.
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I only got a short ways into the first chapter (time crunch tonight, but I like it. Thanks for sharing of your strategy. I love seeing how other authors do authoring. 🙂
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Thanks, Raimey, and sorry about double commenting on last month’s blog. My memory isn’t what it used to be 🙂
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Jack is an interesting character! Thanks for sharing your technique in creating characters 🙂
Ronel visiting on Author Toolbox day How to Set Up Instagram to Grow Your Author Business
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Thanks for stopping by. Always enjoy your posts.
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Great tips! It can be really hard to introduce a character and get the reader invested in them in a short space of time, but I like the sound of Jack already 🙂
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Thanks, Louise. Happy decorating!
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I always enjoy getting to know more about characters in ways that seem natural. Good points on how to do that.
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Thanks for stopping by. Just read your post. Sorry about the draft of your novel vanishing! Ouch!
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I like how you introduce Jack and then really focus only showing us who he is. I have such a hard time following straight action from the start. I want to know who, of all things and why the chaos so fast 🙂 Great tips on outlining character.
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I agree. It only takes a second to cut + paste a specific detail under a character doc. It helps in the long run whether it’s or a bad memory (like mine) or using the character elsewhere at a later date. 🙂
Anna from elements of emaginette
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It’s very tempting to dump everything about a character in the first few pages. I make a plan on how to bring backstory into the plot. Sounds like an interesting start to your book.
http://susangourley.blogspot.com/
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I always think creating characters is one of the hardest parts of writing. Thanks for the tips!
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Great tips on character development! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
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