When it Comes to Characterization, Go Deep or Stay at Home

“Think of your main characters as dinner guests. Would your friends want to spend ten hours with the characters you’ve created? Your characters can be loveable, or they can be evil, but they’d better be compelling.” ~ Po Bronson

Perfect people who make no mistakes, always do the right thing, and fulfill our every desire are guaranteed to bore a reader to death!

For me, this truth is an oxymoron. Why? Because I’d personally love to be such a perfect person and have my life filled with them. But, as a reader of romantic fiction, I can’t get past the first ten pages of a story whose characters are cookie-cutter perfect.

Why do the majority of those who love to read romantic fiction feel the same way? It’s really simple.

Readers of romantic fiction want some sort of conflict on every page. They want to join the obstacle-filled journey of the protagonist as she/he struggles toward the ultimate goal of finding true love. And the harder this quest, the more likely they’ll stay with the story, turning each page with keen anticipation.

As a writer, I like to create this conflict through external issues, but most especially, through the flawed personalities of my characters. This path creates tension and contention between my couple that puts their hearts at risk and floods them with emotional hurdles to leap.

Let me make it clear that I’m not talking about horrific flaws, as in a serial killer mentality. The ordinary flaws that trouble you and me on a daily basis is enough. Selfishness, jealousy, greed, skirting the edge of lawlessness, arrogance, self-centeredness, will all do the job.

Without these flaws, my characters have no opportunity to self-reflect, see a need for change, reach a higher moral plane, or learn that love will require personal sacrifice. In short, without these achievements, there is nowhere for the storyline to go. At least, nowhere a reader is likely to follow.

What’s my process for creating a flawed but perfect character? I’m so glad you asked.

First, I Create a Character I Can Love.

This always involves imaging the last few pages of my story when my character has been molded and shaped into a true romantic heroine/hero.

Next, I start subtracting from their personality some of the very reasons why I love them and replace them with less than lovable traits. This will be the person they are at the beginning of their story.

Exercise in how to deepen characterization

Before we can build a character with a deep and fascinating personality, we need to dig into what makes people who they are in the sense of their human traits and emotions.

The best teacher for this is to spend time observing the people around us in our daily lives. Not just people we think we know well, but strangers too. People-watching is essential. Why? Because it stimulates the writer in us to ask questions. Let’s use this photo as an example.

Imagine you’re sitting on a park bench enjoying a cup of coffee before returning to work. You see this elderly lady leave the walking path and amble toward a growth of large shrubbery.

NO! Don’t glance away. That’s what we would usually do. We tend to give strangers only a passing interest because we were taught at a young age that it was rude and unmannerly to stare. Well, you might not want to stare, but stealing covert glances is okay in my book. After all, you’re in a public place…

So now you’re in observation mode. What questions now start to form in your writer’s mind about this woman?

• At her age, why is she alone?
• She’s wearing a wedding ring, where is her husband?
• What does her nail polish indicate about her personality?
• What does her style of dress indicate about her personality?
• What induced her to leave the walking path?
• Why did she pick the leaf, and more importantly, what is causing her laughter?
• Is she remembering a past event in her life?
• Is she simply expressing her joy in life?
• How would you describe her genuine emotion?

I hope you keep a notebook with you, as every writer should never be without one. Be sure to jot down the questions so you won’t forget this moment. Now it’s time to describe this stranger’s appearance. You may want to create just such a character in your next story. Next, describe the setting, the sights, smells, sounds, and general activity.

Research the emotion you observed — in this case, laughter

When we genuinely laugh, we signal that we are comfortable and feel like we belong. Why Do We Laugh?

Laughter is the enactment of humor, turning perception into an action. Why Do People Laugh?

By taking the time to understand the emotion you observed in this stranger, you begin to create a story for her. No, that’s not weird. It’s what writers do. We create stories out of everything.

The reason you begin imagining her story is that through observation and a deeper understanding of her actions, you feel as though you know her, she’s become familiar. That is exactly what you want your readers to feel about the characters you create.

Conclusion

Writing in-depth characters requires the writer to first connect with the characters in a meaningful way through understanding, empathy, and familiarity. If the character isn’t real to you as a writer, they will never live and breathe for your readers.

Take time to observe real people in everyday settings.

Take notes and form questions and answers around what you see.

Do additional research on emotions and actions you observe with the purpose of understanding how the information applied to the person/persons you observed.

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Originally published here

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