It was his upbringing…you can’t blame a boy after he was
raised like that. But one does not simply walk into Mordor. You’d have to pay a
fair penny for that to happen. Maybe that’s why he did it. For the money.
Plenty o’ them celebrity-peoples do it for the money. What about Tinkers,
tailors, soldiers and spies? Though, wasn’t it Colonel Mustard in the dining
room with the candlestick? Don’t get me started on candles!
Though the above sounds like the ramblings of a madman…ok, I’m
not even going to try and defend it. It is what it is. HOWEVER, the point I’m
trying to get across is the thought process going into creating a character. So
you’ve got the name and you’ve got your tags from my last two blog posts, but
now it’s time to breathe life into your characters.
Let’s start from the top.
History – the upbringing, the old, the new, the current.
Everything that happens to a person shapes them in one way or another. This isn’t
so much as their ‘destined path’ in life, but more their mood, attitude, likes
and dislikes. Take the stereotypical ‘raised by wolves’ character. They grow up
to be a little wild, rough around the edges, sometimes a bit of a loner. This
fits with the upbringing. Now, if said characters was raised by wolves BUT was
a debonair fop, blue-eyed, baby-faced, and able to use every utensil at the
kitchen table whilst being able to concentrate long enough to eat with his
mouth closed…then either the wolves were well versed in mealtime etiquette or
there is another side to his history that we do not know. Sometimes it’s not
necessary to explore the entirety of a character’s back story, but we were all
young once.
Motivations – what’s made the character act as they do? Not
so much as in history, but why are they currently involved. Queen and country?
Money? Fame? To get the girl/guy/Colonel Mustard? Revenge? A motivation can be
anything, but it’s something that helps the reader connect to that character,
and to relate to them. It turns a character into a being, a person. Take Luke
Skywalker for example. He wanted revenge, peace, and a new haircut amongst
other things.
Methods – Everyone has their own methods. How they think,
how they act. Most importantly, how do they REACT? Problem engagement and
solution is critical to a story. I mean, that’s what a story is. A problem, and
an account of how it is overcome (or not in some cases). Your character needs a
clear-cut method of copy with things. This could be from having a
berserker-like rage that sees them through the bloodiest of battles, to a
severe arachnophobia handled only by the trance state of believing themselves
to be a rolled-up newspaper. Put simply, your character is a priest. How do
they respond to being attacked? Turn the other cheek (not literally…well…),
preach the wrongs of their attackers’ actions, beseech mercy? Who knows, your
priest could be a Warrior-Monk who beats 50-shades-of-whoop-ass into any who
dares raise a hand to them.
Functions – your character….do they have a function? Are
they important to the story? Or have you just made them up for the heck of it?
If they serve no function…chop them. It’s fine to have a background characters,
or someone who acts as a plot device, but if your guy/gal is only there as eye-candy
why not tie that role into someone else? That way you’ll have One more
fleshed-out character rather than two sacks of bone and gristle.
Purposes – what does your character want in life? Tied
closely to Motivations, a Purpose is the long or current goals for that
character. Save the world in time for tea? Go to the shops before they’re old?
Giving a character a goal helps share a sense of achievement with the reader. I
mean, we’re all going somewhere, right?...hello?
Opinions – everyone has a right to their own opinion, and no
opinion is ever wrong. This to an author is like handing a kid a box of matches
and telling them to go play in the hay barn. Your character can have an opinion
on anything, and their actions will be shaped thus. Look at Spiderman. ‘With
Great Power comes Great Responsibility.’ Now, look at the Oracle in the Matrix
Reloaded. ‘What do all men with power want? More power.’ CONFLICT = ACTION.
ACTION = DRAMA. DRAMA = SUSPENSE. SUSPENSE = CLIFF HANGERS. CLIFF HANGERS =
MORE BOOKS. MORE BOOKS = ….repetitive stress injury.
After looking into the above, ensure that your characters
are consistent in their ‘lives’, and develop how the world shapes them.
External and internal factors make us the people that we are, and that goes the
same for your fictional friends. Make them different, don’t be afraid to set
them aside from the pack. Give them depth, a reason for existence,
connectivity.
And if all else, fails…I know a girl in a red hood who’s
grandmother can school anyone in table-side manners.
D. E. M. Emrys. Author. Soldier by day, Soldier by night - Writer in Between.
Author of Heroic Fantasies:
From Man to Man - Currently FREE from Amazon
D. E. M. Emrys. Author. Soldier by day, Soldier by night - Writer in Between.
Author of Heroic Fantasies:
From Man to Man - Currently FREE from Amazon
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