Creating Characters

by Lauther, Howard

  Does one of your characters have a particular strength or weakness that may help to distinguish him from others in the story?

  In terms of strength, for example, does the character have a strong memory? Exceptional will power? An aptitude for mechanics or mathematics? Does he have a strong sense of direction? Outstanding eyesight? The ability to recuperate quickly? A keen attention to detail? Does he have a superb physical agility or stamina?

  Regarding his weaknesses, is he afflicted with asthma, poor eyesight or hearing, bad coordination, a low sex drive? Is he forgetful? Is it hard for him to pay attention? Does he have below-average organizational skills, or perhaps rotten taste in clothes? Is he unable to stay away from cigarettes, candy, beer, whiskey, or desserts? Is he a coffee junkie?

  It is not practical, or even possible, to list all the strengths and weaknesses that one might encounter among human beings. The important thing is to start thinking in that direction. As you develop your fictional character, surely you will be able to develop the strengths and weaknesses that are more pertinent.

  But it might help to think of a character's strengths and weaknesses as falling into one of three categories: physical, mental, or social. The physical could include anything that involves using the body in some way, with hand quickness, singing, nimbleness, extraordinary eyesight, and stylishness being among some of the possibilities. Mental strengths or weaknesses could involve numbers, intuitiveness, the arrangement of concepts, navigation, memory, solving puzzles, keeping track of things, and so on. The social aspect always involves interacting with other people; some of us are good at it and some of us are not. A character who has a strength or weakness in this area could be either gifted or woefully inadequate when it comes to keeping peace in the family, telling jokes and stories, motivating others, lovemaking, developing friendships, mixing well with strangers, and so on.

  HABITS

  Essentially, there are two kinds of habits in which human beings will engage: voluntary and involuntary.

  Voluntary habits are those routines we follow on a regular basis, and they need not necessarily be accompanied by sound reasoning. They are the kinds of actions that, for some reason, we do not like to see interrupted; when they are, conflict often results. If, say, there is one washing machine in a small apartment building and a certain tenant has a habit of washing her clothes on Monday, imagine the argument that might ensue if a new tenant wanted to wash her clothes on Monday as well. In that light, a character's particular habit can be used to say something important about his or her nature, as well as perhaps add a new dimension to the plot.

  An involuntary habit usually occurs with no help from one's conscious mind. It represents a form of behavior that, while not necessarily persistent, will occur often enough to be viewed as a habit by others who observe it. For storytelling purposes, more often than not it is the kind of habit that gets on other people's nerves. A character who unconsciously picks his nose while reading a book, or blinks his eyes a lot, or invariably clears his throat while speaking, or nervously taps his fingers, or hums off tune in the shower could eventually test someone's patience.

  Whether voluntary or involuntary, a character's habit may not be seen as either a strength or weakness. Rather, it will be a peculiarity that could possibly have some potential for plot-building or comedy, or both.

  8.

  What Is the Character's Background?

  What is there about the character's background that is important for the reader or viewer to know? What purpose will be served by presenting it? Put another way, would anything be lost, or would the nature of the character be rendered less clear, if nothing at all was written about some of the things that have happened in the character's life prior to the beginning of the story?

  Or look at it from your side: What could possibly exist in the character's background that would help you, the writer, to better understand him or her, and which in turn would possibly allow you to convey that character to your audience more effectively?

  If it is in fact important for the reader or viewer to learn something about the character's background, how should that information be presented? Should it appear in the form of one or more flashbacks? Should it be revealed through a casual first-or third-person narrative? For the sake of suspense, would it be better to merely hint of the past and not get into specifics? Should insight into a character's background be limited to only a throw-away line, or should it consume one or more chapters? Only you know what's best for your characters and your story. Only you know what kind of imprint the past has left on a character's psychology.

  If you wish to delve into a character's past, either for the benefit of your audience or because you have a need to know as much as possible about someone before committing him or her to paper, what follows are some background categories that you may wish to review. Among the questions presented within a particular category, there may be something that could lead you to a truth you might have otherwise overlooked—or to further questions that will eventually point you in the right direction.

  ACHIEVEMENTS

  What, if any, achievements can the character point to in his life? For example, has he, under adverse conditions, raised a child of whom he is extremely proud? Has he built a business from scratch? Paid off all his debts? Delivered on a promise? Saved someone's life? Become successful when no one thought he would? Did he, to his credit, take the high moral ground on a particular issue while others chose the opposite approach? Did he attain what some thought was impossible?

  If he was successful at doing something, how many others know about it? Is it something that he keeps to himself? How long did it take him to realize the achievement?

  ADVENTURE

  Has anything happened in the character's life that he categorizes as an adventure? What is its nature, and what attributes does it have that tend to set it apart from all other experiences that the character has had? Did it happen when the character was a child or an adult? Has there been more than one adventure?

  Who else was involved in the adventure? Did it happen unexpectedly? If not, how did it exceed the character's expectations?

  Is the adventure the kind of thing the character still likes to talk about? Does he still find it hard to believe that it actually happened? Does he wonder how he ever got through it? Is it something he wishes he could do again?

  CHILDHOOD

  On the day the character was born, did anything particularly newsworthy happen, such as a tornado, fire, or important political event? Did the character have a good childhood or one that he would rather forget? In what kind of neighborhood was he raised? Was he seen as a "hell raiser" or a "good kid"? Who were his best friends, or did he have any? Among other kids in the neighborhood, was he a leader or a follower? What did he like to do more than anything else? What did he dislike the most? Was he afraid of anyone or anything? Did he have a recurring dream?

  What was his biggest disappointment? When he was a child, did anything especially memorable happen—good or bad—that he has never been able to forget? If so, how has it affected his adulthood? What did he always say he wanted to be when he "grew up"? Did he have a hero?

  Did he have more disagreements with one brother or sister than with the others? Was he ever seriously injured? Was he liked by the neighbors? Did he have a pet that he still remembers fondly? Did he have a secret hiding place?

  EDUCATION

  What happened while he was going to school or college that, in turn, had a profound effect on him? Was the character an outstanding, good, fair, or poor student? Did he study hard or hardly enough? Did he learn quickly, or did things come hard for him? Did he finish high school or college—and if he did not, why not? What subject gave him the most trouble? Which subject gave him the least trouble?

  Was he popular in school, or did others barely notice him? Was there a particular teacher or professor he liked or disliked, and why? Did he ever get into any trouble while going to school or college? If so, what was i
t and who else was involved? Did he attend social or athletic functions such as dances and football games? Did he belong to a fraternity or sorority?

  Did he grow up in one town and go to one school, or did he have to attend several different schools? If he attended college, did he live away from home? If so, where was it and what were some of his experiences?

  Did they give him a nickname in school? If so, was it one of affection or derision? (See Chapter 11 for more about nicknames.)

  FAILURES

  Has the character failed at anything? Has he, for instance, failed to live up to others' expectations? Neglected to fulfill a promise he made? Reneged on an obligation? Let down a friend? Permitted a wonderful opportunity to pass him by? Has the failure instilled within him a measure of guilt, regret, loss, disappointment, bitterness, or resignation? Moreover, does the character see it as a failure, or is that how the other characters in the story see it? While a failure to do something usually produces a negative result, is it possible that his failure to do something produced a positive result?

  FAMILY

  Is there anything important that should be known about the character's parents? His brothers or sisters? His aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, or ancestors? Is there something about one of them that the character cannot forget, or which he respects or disrespects? Because of what has happened in the past, does he feel emotionally closer to one relative than to any of the others?

  How have the values, attitudes, struggles, social status, education, or lifestyle of his immediate or extended family affected him? Were his relatives strict? Lenient? Thrifty? Overindulgent? Always working? Frequent churchgoers? Friendly with the neighbors? Law-breakers or law-abiders? Politically active or inactive?

  Why does he feel close to them, or detached? Is he ashamed or proud of them? Was there a death in the family that was particularly troubling to him?

  LOVE AND MARRIAGE

  Who was the character's first great love, and at what point in the character's life did it take place? Was it a childhood crush, or did it occur during adulthood? Did the character marry that person? If not, why not? Did he ever love someone that he now wishes he had married?

  If the character was or is married, is it necessary to know the circumstances leading up to the character's marriage? For example, was it arranged by the character's parents? Was it a «shotgun" wedding, following an unwanted pregnancy? Was the match one of convenience, or was it the culmination of what was viewed as pure love?

  Did the marriage produce any children? If so, did the birth of a son or daughter have a profound impact on the character's life? As a parent, is he strict, lenient, affectionate, or distant? Had he not produced children, how might his life have been different?

  Has the character or the character's spouse ever had an extramarital affair? If so, what is known about the affair? Have there been any repercussions? Is guilt a part of the equation?

  Has the character been divorced? If so, why didn't the marriage work out? Was one of the parties more at fault than the other, or is that just how the character sees it?

  MILITARY

  Has the character ever been in the military? If so, was he drafted or did he enlist? Was he a part of the Air Force, Navy, Army, Marines? What rank did he achieve? Where was he stationed? In what way did his military experience change him? Was he patriotic or just doing his job?

  Has he ever been in a war? Was he ever wounded? Did he see any of his buddies get killed? If he has been in armed conflict, in what way has that had an impact upon his life? Did something happen that he never talks about, and is it something that he unsuccessfully tries to put out of his mind?

  Is there someone he remembers with affection or disdain? Did he hate the discipline or did it fail to bother him? Did his experience alter his opinion about the role of the military in a civilized society?

  MISFORTUNE

  In what way has trouble been a factor in the character's background? Has he witnessed the death of someone he cared about? Has either he or a member of his family experienced a serious illness, lost a limb, or suffered in some way? Has his life been threatened in any way, and did the experience have an effect on his thinking?

  Has he had a first-hand, life-altering encounter with poverty, war, drought, prejudice, deception, danger, failure, injustice, revenge, imprisonment, secrecy, greed, ignorance, defeat, carelessness, ingratitude, sorcery?

  Has the character ever lost a job? Has he been the victim of a fire, flood, earthquake, tornado, or some other disaster? Did someone steal something from him? Did he lose something of great value belonging to either him or someone else? Has he ever been the victim of any sort of crime?

  Did the misfortune change the way he looked at life in general, or did it turn the knob on something quite specific? Is it something he could have prevented, or was it beyond his control?

  MONEY

  Looking over the character's background, would you say that money, for the most part, has successfully eluded him, or has it somehow always found a way into his pocket?

  Was the character born into a family that had little money, and has he since maintained the family tradition? Has he always scratched for a living? Has he always been the person who is full of big dreams and little prospects? Like the kid in front of the candy store, has he always been on the outside, looking in? When he gets a little money, does something invariably come along and take it away? Is he a borrower? If so, does he have a history of not paying back what he owes? Is he someone who usually makes bad investments?

  Does his background reflect someone who has established a pattern for saving his money? Has he bought insurance policies or made astute investments in the stock market? Or has he been regularly «bailed out" by his family? Has he never appreciated the value of a buck?

  PLACES

  Has geography had an impact upon the character's life? How has he been shaped by the places where he has lived, and the cities, villages, or countries he has visited? What kinds of experiences did he have in any of those places that he now views with either affection or distaste? Is there one place he simply cannot forget? If so, why?

  Regarding one of the houses or apartments where he lived, does he still remember it with affection or dislike? Has he been awed by the mountains, the ocean, the big city, the desert, the tropics, the jungle? What memorable travels has he experienced by bus, boat, train, car, plane, motorcycle, wagon, or donkey cart?

  What influence has the character's home town had upon his life? How has it stamped him? Has it sent him into the world as one prepared or unprepared?

  POLITICS

  In what way has politics had an influence on the character's life? Was he, for example, born into a family who held fast to the principles of a certain political party, and has he since come to see himself as a believer in that party as well? Has he ever changed his political allegiance? If so, why?

  Looking at the terrain ofthe character's life, does it seem shaped by rightwing or left-wing thinking, or by a centrist philosophy? Has he usually gone along with the crowd, or is he a renegade?

  Did a certain political event—e.g., a particular election, a scandal, an investigation, an assassination—affect his life? Has he ever become personally involved in supporting a winning or losing candidate, and how did the experience shape him? Has any candidate deeply disappointed him? Did the fact that his favorite political candidate lost an election embitter him?

  Did he ever consider running for political office himself? Has he failed to vote in any election because he has no interest in the democratic process or because he does not understand the importance of his small contribution?

  REPUTATION

  Reputation is a valid background category, though it exists solely in the minds of the other characters and thus may have no basis whatsoever in truth. If, as they say, a character's reputation precedes him, it is the writer's prerogative to determine how much of it is valid.

  What has the character done, or allegedly done, that
may cause others to form an opinion of him before he even enters the story? Has the truth about his background been greatly distorted? If so, is the character himself aware of that distortion? How does the character's reputation threaten or embolden others? If the character is fully aware of his reputation, does he use it to his advantage, even though he knows some or all of it is not true?

  TURNING POINT

  Has something happened in the character's past that proved to be a major turning point in his life? If so, what was it? How old was he? Who else was involved? Where did it happen? How did it happen? How did it turn him in a different direction? In the end, in what way did it change him?

  Mind you, whatever this turning point might be, it must have great significance. If the character has the insight to be able to identify it, his thinking after it happened must be considerably different from his thinking before it happened, even though a considerable amount of time may pass before he can truly assess its impact. And if the direction of his life has not been substantially altered because of it, there should at least be a dramatic shift in his emotional outlook.

  For example, was his life changed because he once experienced a great injustice? Has he been the victim of rejection, ridicule, selfishness, envy, neglect, or failure? Was something either taken from him or given to him, which in turn had a major impact on the way he saw things in the world? Did he see something that he has never been able to forget? Did he either lose something or leave something behind, the absence of which has been devastating? Was he the beneficiary of a timeless love that ended, unexpectedly, in tragedy? Did he submit when he should have disobeyed, or permit something that he should have forbidden?