Hello again, I hope you have been well since the last post. Today is Saturday and it is the day before Easter Sunday. It is a time that many of us get together with family and friends. Before I go into the body of the post I want to wish everyone, whether you celebrate Easter or not, a very happy weekend. I hope you enjoy your time with family and or friends, or alone if you prefer, this weekend.
What makes up a character? The answer comes down to their experiences. Of course how much of their experiences we, as writers, reveal is up to us, and the story. Going into too much detail about a character can grind the pace down. You can also run the risk of going off in a direction that really has no relevance to the story. Remember the story must stay tight. If there is no point in telling that Jimmy once wore his Grandmothers pumps then don't. If however Jimmy goes on to become one of the premier shoe designers in the world then it may have been critical to the story.
Characters are like us. They have a past. They did not get to the point of the story without living some. Just as you do not want to hear a persons life story when you are ordering a cheeseburger, the reader does not want to have to read about a characters history if it is not relevant. That is the key. What is relevant to the story. It may be that it is important to reveal that the cheerleader used to be heavy before she started running.
I have found that sometimes the characters just stand up and speak for themselves. They have a clear voice and nothing more needs to be added. This however is rare for me. More often I find myself getting to know the characters before the story goes on. I have found a tool that works really well for me and I would like to share it with you.
I use flashcards to record the important character traits. At first I tried using 3x5 cards. I quickly found out that my characters were bigger than 3x5. I tried cramming all of their details into that small space and it did not work well. I now use larger index cards. I get to know them. Their height, hair color, eye color, distinctive mannerisms, their build, are they slim, muscular, heavy-set? Are they strong of character or are they needy? I really try to imagine what they are like. Once I get it all out then I decide how much of them to reveal during the story. As the story comes to life more details about the character will develop. I simply add them to the card. I have found that using the cards I am able to stay true to the voice of the character. They are more distinctive. I am also able to keep things in order and not confuse one character with the other.
While I am talking about keeping the characters straight I will share another tool that I use. I use a timeline to keep the events in order. The timeline often has branches to keep track of the different things going on. Like the index cards this is a tool I use to keep things straight.
These tools have helped me to realize my characters more clearly and to keep track of what they are up to. If you do not already use them then I hope that you will find them useful as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. If you have any suggestions please take a minute to comment.
It is Saturday so I will be spending this weekend with the characters that are my family and friends and as much as I would like to edit some of their traits life does not work that way.
I will talk with you again soon.
T L Scott
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