HOW DO YOU GET TO KNOW YOUR CHARACTERS?
By Megan DiMaria
Writers, how do you get to know your characters? Readers, can you tell how well an author knows their characters?
Having a thorough knowledge of your book’s characters is imperative in writing fiction. You have to be true to the character you’ve created for their world to be believable.
Some writers fill out long questionnaires about their character’s history, likes, dislikes, friends, educations, etc. Some choose a personality type and research their likes, dislikes, fears, and dreams in a book that discusses personality. There are some authors who start with a vague idea of their character and fill in the details as they write.
There are a lot of fun ways you can discover your character’s personality. How about taking your character out for a field trip? When you go to the mall, figure out which store your character would head into and why. Go to a restaurant and decide which items your character would order off the menu. Do any of those dishes have significance to your character’s past?
I mull my characters over a bit before I even start writing. To tell the truth, they will occasionally surprise me by revealing an interesting fact while I’m writing. But that’s okay, as long as their actions are believable and consistent with their personality.
What are some of the most memorable characters you’ve read? Mine was Amber St. Clare of Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor. It was published in 1944, and I read it in 1976. Amber is memorable because of her strength and her faithfulness in love.
For more info: Books about personality types: What Type Am I?: The Myers-Brigg Type Indication Made Easy, Discovering Your Personality Type: The Essential Introduction to the Enneagram
*Article used with permission from http://www.examiner.com/writing-in-denver/megan-dimaria
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Megan DiMaria has been a freelance writer for 20 years and is the author of two women’s fiction novels, Searching for Spice and Out of Her Hands, both of which are set in the Denver area. She is a member of several writers’ groups and enjoys encouraging other writers in their pursuits. Visit Megan online at http://www.megandimaria.com/index.html
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7 Comments until now.
I LOVE these creative ideas on how to get to know your character. Thanks so much, Megan!
I’ve recently discovered character interviews. They’re long and tedious but in the end, I really KNOW them and am much more able to connect with them in the story. It’s worth the effort!
I use whatever methods are necessary.
Characters reveal themselves in a variety of ways from the beginning of the process to the final polishing stages. Each one is different, too. Sometimes they ‘appear’ with a name and attitude and it’s up to me to figure out the rest. Just like meeting someone on the street.
Sometimes I have a story idea I need to populate and the characters come to life because I’m looking for people to fill out the plot.
The character interview is a great way to start recording basics before I know the character and I usually start with it.
My favorite method is sitting down with them somewhere and just chatting. The first time I did that was on a character’s back deck over coffee and Snapple. That conversation was supposed to be about him, but he turned it back on me and it was very enlightening.
I once tried to interview a character in his office. The ‘chat’ went bad quickly and when I suggested we scrap it, he suggested we have a change of venue. We went to his favorite restaurant near his office and we proceeded to spend the afternoon talking about all sorts of things. I learned about his childhood, his personal life, professional, aspirations, the personal dreams he’s buried…. You name it.
Just a warning! Not every method works for every character. One of my current lead characters refuses to show her face. I’ve tried every method I know but have only resume type information.
Learning about my characters is a lot like learning about real people. Some people are easy to figure out; some are not. In the end, it’s up to me to spend the time to get to know them.
I have lived in 40 different towns in half a dozen different states. I am very acquainted with meeting new people and my characters are new people. When I started my article Beth Erev Daughter of the evening, I started with the premise that a homeless lady would ask to live on the back acreage of a farmer’s lot.
She would make Amish furniture off the wood of his land, with permission, along with her food, and also make her clothing and shelter. He would check in on her from time to time, fall in love, and they would marry.
The farmer would live with his mother who would want him to marry into one of the established families in town, but none of the dates his mother set him up with would satisfy him. In the process of checking up on the homeless lady, he would find his true love.
That was the premise of the book. That is not what happened. What happened is that the farmer introduced the homeless lady to a co-worker. The co-worker and one of the dates the farmer’s mother set the farmer up with played matchmaker. Being clumsy they succeeded, in spite of themselves.
As I write the novels, I write down the traits of the characters as I meet them and let them develop themselves. This is how I meet people in life, and this is how I meet people in my novels. As a result, I ended up with a novel far different, and I think better than I started off with. These are just my thoughts. Your opinion?
I love this article and it is so true about identifying your characters. I personally like to just write and find out what my characters are going to be. I think it leaves you wondering and that creates a lot of interest in writing for me. That’s why I wait until I begin writing to discover what my characters are going to be.
Really interesting blog, keep up the good work!
Excellent report and easy to understand explanation. How do I go about getting permission to post part of the article in my upcoming newsletter? Giving proper credit to you the article author and hyperlink to the site would not be a problem.