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Fiction Writing: Characters Rule the Story
Sometimes the story makes the novel. A great idea, the perfect plot line, and you’re off and soaring. But have you ever thought that your characters might be the reason people want to read more?
Some of the best novels I’ve ever read are the ones where the characters become people that I fall in love with or hate with a passion. I skip over the boring plot details – who cares if they find the crystal or whether the deadly disease sweeps across the land? I just want to know whether Ian finally achieves his goal of winning over Kate or whether Jack goes insane when he answers the call he’s been dreading.
There are novelists who put a great deal of attention into the details. The history is rich, the imagery is perfect, but it’s the living, breathing people in my minds that make the whole story. When I turn the last page of the book, I’m either poignantly sad to see them go or rebelliously angry that the author didn’t write more.
Characters You Can Love
Diana Gabaldon does an excellent job of making her readers fall in love with her characters. A friend of mine handed me Outlander one day and I gave her a skeptical look.
“This is chick lit,” I almost scoffed.
“Yeah?” She gave me a wry smile. “It’s so good that you’ll fall in love with the characters. My husband read it,” she smirked, “and he told me, ‘Jen? Even *I* want to be in love with the characters.”
Considering my friend’s husband and the fact that the main character is male, that was saying a lot.
So I read. I’ve read every book that Gabaldon has published to date, and I’m fretting at the bit that she doesn’t write faster. I’ve read Sara Donati (Gabaldon’s competition) while I wait, and now I have two sets of characters stuck in my head.
Don’t you want your characters to be that memorable?
The Breath of Life
The difference between Gabaldon’s characters and others I’ve skimmed over are that Gabaldon makes her characters real. I could bet that her characters probably surprise her constantly. They probably run the show – more on this in a bit.
When you force a character into a plot line or story that doesn’t fit well, you lose that special magic touch that bonds imagination with reality. Suspending reality with characters is as easy as making them as true to life as possible.
Characters get angry. They love. They fart in bed, joke around and look the fool. They eat and sleep. They make wrong choices and mistakes. They get scared and they take revenge. They aren’t perfect by any means. Too perfect, and they come off as unbelievable.
In fact, nearly-real characters could be your next-door neighbor. With me so far?
Keeping it Real
Suspending belief that the characters you’re reading aren’t real is an author’s job. As an author, you have to make your readers feel – despite the fact they know it’s not true – that your characters are alive and well. Right here. Right now.
Once you’ve established that your character is a tall, lean, blond businessman who grins when he’s got the devil in him, stop describing. That’s all your reader needs to know.
What matters more to your reader are the details of how your character reacts, the dialogue that establishes his personality and his thoughts. The reader’s mind’s eye will fill in the details of the character’s appearance.
Your character – not you – fills in the rest.
You’re Not the Boss
Make no mistake: Your characters, once they’ve been let loose, lead the reader through the story much more than you ever could. You’re not there on the pages. They are.
So let your characters run the show, because they’ll make or break your book. Not your plot, not your descriptions, not your scenes or settings – your characters.
What your job becomes is laying down the framework of a story and allowing your characters to roam free within that framework. Give them something to work with, and then let them work for you.
Develop your characters until you know the person so well that you can sit down and write as that person. Take on a dual personality for a little while. Be someone else. Let go of yourself and walk around in a persona that isn’t yours.
Do you have the radio on? What kind of music does your character like? Are you getting ready to eat? How does your character feel about the food on the table? What thoughts are running through your character’s head?
When you sit down to write, give your character the framework of a situation. Now let go. What’s he going to do? Don’t decide for him. Permit your character to react with free will.
You might be surprised where the characters take you – and your reader.
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Good advice. I never really liked Harry Potter, but from what I heard from all my friends (inescapable, really), the magic was in the characters. (No pun intended)
I agree with you on the point of characters not being “perfect”. Every book I’ve enjoyed, every movie, and the TV serials I’ve followed though the years – all have characters with very human limitations.
Following them through their struggles to overcome adversity seems to build a sense of commonality with the character.
As Timothy says above, with Harry Potter the magic is in the characters, and that’s what makes the stories so attractive to the target audience.
People want to read about, and watch, interesting characters in dynamic situations.
I guess that’s why there are no TV shows about nuclear engineers writing procedures…
Brett Legree’s last blog post..inertia. momentum. focus. change.
When I think about it, I think great characters are what makes me a reading addict.
I find myself scouring the shelves for the next sequel and reading through an author’s life work in a matter of a few days. Then I sit around moping because I miss the characters. I mean I actually go through withdrawal. Ahh, but then I find another great writer and a new set of characters to frolic with.
One of my favorites is Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum character, she’s always good for a great laugh!
Interesting that you should bring this up–over at my weekly reading meme, the question this week was about favorite heroines, and the answers have been fascinating . . . and it’s not the “perfect” characters that are being mentioned the most, either! Come see, if you like:
www.btt2.wordpress.com
–Deb’s last blog post..Blog-Worthy Writing
If I have my comic book lore correct, this is the reason why Marvel Comics took over the industry beginning in the 1960s with the introductions of characters like Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, etc.
For example, Spidey was a teenager who had problems with girls, a bully, a mean boss at work, and a widowed aunt (because of his inaction to stop a robber), etc.
These were problems a lot of people face in real-life.
And the Fantastic Four, even though more fantasy-ish than Spider-Man, still had relationship issues and such, PLUS, the characters wore no masks, had no secret identities.
Still, you need good plot, good writing — as proved by the extreme success of the Spider-Man movies versus the okay Fantastic Four franchise.
Men with Pens
we got the write stuff
Nez’s last blog post..Why People Love a Good Mystery
@Nez: You’re right about the Marvel comics. Many of their characters were closer to “real” people than DC. People loved the flawed hero over the invincible character.
It’s interesting to watch the evolution over the last few decades. We’ve gone from hero to anti-hero. You have guys like the Punisher, who would look like a crazed killer to the outside world, but to those of us who know his reasons for revenge, we can’t help but sympathize with him and cheer for him at the end. Compare that to the Dudley Do-Rights of the early years of comics and you’ll see what I mean.
@ Harry – you can see the same thing with the Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader through the Star Wars series.
The rise, fall, and final redemption of a deeply flawed and very human character.
(I always identified with Darth Vader, I thought Luke was a bit of a weenie…)
Brett Legree’s last blog post..inertia. momentum. focus. change.
@Brett: Luke was a weenie. I think he got that from Anikin. Before he became Darth Vader, he was a whiny little bastard too.
Han Solo rules – he did shoot Greedo first, after all.
< rant>Lucas should stop tweaking the films, if you ask me. Oh, and another thing, George Lucas should NEVER, EVER be allowed to write romantic scenes. His scenes between Anikin and Padme were some of the worst I’ve seen.
I’m done now. Thank you for listening.
@ Harry – you better believe Han Solo rules, and he totally shot first. I think there’s a special place in the underworld for Lucas, for changing that…
(Don’t worry, you’re preaching to the faithful here on this one…)
Ah yes, Lord Vader. I could surely use that “force choke” in Monday morning meetings.
Brett Legree’s last blog post..inertia. momentum. focus. change.
The story is the character.
The character is the story.
Characters are definitely what makes any story great. That’s exactly why Harry Potter was such a success. Harry, Ron, and Hermione each represent basic human personality struggles – Harry trying to find courage and always willing to break the rules for the greater good, Ron’s awkwardness and humor, and Hermione’s sheer wit. Something for everyone!
Yep, Luke is kind of a wuss. Han Solo is the man. I think the most intriguing Star Wars character is Yoda, and the supporting characters like the droids and of course Chewy, lend a great deal more to the story than they are given credit for. The love scenes in the later films (episodes 1-3) were cheesy, but remember the interactions between Han and Leia in the earlier movies? Lucas knew how to build romantic tension, and you had the added curiosity of Luke’s interest in the princess.
Scruffy nerfherders!
Melissa Donovan’s last blog post..The Treatment Exercise
I have a confession: I always felt sorry for the Terminator in “The Terminator” (the first one, not T2 – weird, I know – or should that be ‘wierd’…)
Brett Legree’s last blog post..inertia. momentum. focus. change.
“Good relations with the Wookiees, I have.â€
Great read, as usual!
@Harry and Brett: Yes, what ain’t (yes, ain’t is a word..teehee) broke, don’t fix, right? I have to agree the love scenes were not only cheesy, but the dialog was rather horrific. Reminded me of some rather nasty B movies.
Laura’s last blog post..Update: Life’s Dramas
You know, I was watching The Empire Strikes Back earlier and I realized another reason why those scenes didn’t work. I think that Natalie Portman and Hayden Christenson weren’t mature enough to carry it off. They lacked the chemistry and earthiness of Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher.
The newer Star Wars movies could have worked just as easily without those scenes. I find that when I fast forward over them, the movie’s much better.
Yeah, Lucas definitely lost something when he introduced Ewoks, Jar Jar Binks, and those deplorable love scenes.
Harry, I think you are right on that point – more experienced actors such as Ford & Fisher could have carried those scenes.
(George Lucas – if you are reading this, *do not* release another “Special Edition” of Episodes I to III with digitally inserted actors… please… let’s just leave it be…)
Just laughing to myself here – my oldest son (6-1/2) thought the first three (Eps. I to III) were cheesy… but he liked IV to VI.
Brett Legree’s last blog post..rocks.
@Harry – aw, c’mon – you have to enjoy the romantic dialogue between Anakin and Padme: “I wish that I could WISH these feelings away!”
The main problem with the Star Wars series was that Lucas let fame go to his head. In IV-VI, he had some talented people do massive edits. No one was willing to give “A New Hope” a chance, because his script was terrible. Once he saw the success (and attributed it to himself), he didn’t let anyone touch I-III. SHAME ON YOU GEORGE LUCAS!
You know, I thought that Luke started out as a weenie, but I think he showed a lot of range as a character. His wuss-iness made him believable (c’mon, I know that all you guys wanted to go to the Tatchi Station to pick up some power-converters when you were 18
). I thought that it was interesting how he had to reconcile a heart full of hate, in order to learn to love a father he never had. I think he realized that he was a big idiot (especially with the whole hand loss fandango), which to me shows character growth. Just my humble opinion 
I think that the way we can dissect these Star Wars characters proves that the characters *do* run the story. So, yeah – great article!
RLD: Taekwondo Happiness’s last blog post..Invincibility
Great advice James. The characters certainly do make the story. I don’t know if you saw that Steven King film on TV – the one with the evil hotel room? If he’d not focused on the character and the story of his daughter dying etc – the story wouldn’t have been nearly as good would it.
The thing I struggle with most is putting the character in a difficult or dangerous situation. It’s like I try to protect them like a child and I don’t really want any harm to come to them. What advice would you give to overcome that?
CatherineL’s last blog post..Why You Probably Need A Facelift
@Catherine: Just do it. In an upcoming installation of this series I’ll be talking about what makes people care for your characters, and taking risks is part of that. James and I are notorious for putting our characters through the ringer – and the more we love them, the more we challenge them. What’s the worst that can happen except getting a kick ass scene?
Besides, your characters are a lot tougher than you might think.
@ Catherine – Just do it. Take a deep breath and know that both you and your character will be exploring to learn more – and come out a better person. It’s amazing what you can accomplish, both in a novel and personally, when you bite the bullet…
…no matter how much it hurts.
@James: You owe me a Coke. It’s scary the way we think so much alike at times.
That was scary. Didn’t even noticed you’d posted because I was so determined to get it out. *passes Coke*
Wouldn’t it be nice if creating characters
was as easy as judging them.
@Terry: It is easy…for me anyway. Never had a problem with it.
Thanks both of you – I’ll bite the bullet. I suppose the hero survives to the end no matter what.
Mmm – I wonder how many steps you can fall down and still survive? Or maybe a knife wound would be better?
CatherineL’s last blog post..Why You Probably Need A Facelift
So fun to run across a Gabaldon fan out of the blue. I will read anything and everything, but rarely reread. I’ve read Outlander at least seven times–I’ve finally lost count–not to mention the others in the series. I was not familiar with Donati until recently and have her on my “to read” list. Gabaldon’s characters and stories are deep, complex studies in honor and commitment, among other things–in addition to being voraciously alive. Every time I restart Outlander, I say THIS time I’m going to pay attentiont to HOW she does what she does, but after a few chapters I’m swept along again.
Ahh…. You’ve reminded me of when the Animorphs book series was completed. I cried for a full day.