The Craft of Writing Fiction: Characters (Part 2)

Characters are obviously vital to any story and while some aspects of a good story or novel can be endlessly talked about, characters are something that have so many levels and pieces, are so varied and unique, that they can’t be put into a simple category.  However, there are some universal pieces of a character that are always better than others, and while we may have covered some of this in previous articles, it’s worth repeating. Characters must be unique, driven by motive, and understandable.

Obviously, you want a unique character, which if you take the time to think about your characters, can be accomplished without needing a divine muse to touch your pen (or laptop) because people, despite being the same in a lot of ways, always have quirks and eccentricities that set them apart and make them different.  This is something you will require either discover through the writing process, like when you find your characters doing something they normally wouldn’t do, or through thinking through your characters before you start but try to understand the people you’re writing on as deep a level as you can because that will set you up to find those unique pieces of their personality that will make them come to life.

Also, any character, be they good or bad, has to be driven.  They need a motive or a quest or just something about them that will explain why they are who they are or are doing what they’re doing.  While there are numerous examples of this, one that pops to mind is from The Hobbit, in the form of Thorin Oakenshield.  While at a glance, he just seems to be the son of a king who wants help defeating a dragon to reclaim his home and hordes of gold.  However, Thorin has deeper motives in that he wants to restore his people, capture a part of himself that was lost, reclaim his right to rule, and set himself at the head of a kingdom of dwarves.  This may not be ultra complex but he’s more than just a dwarf looking for a big pay day.

Lastly, be your characters good or evil, the reader needs to understand their intentions no matter if they agree or not.  You may have a villian that is set on destroying a city or ruling the world or whatever, and while a reader might not be able to support such endeavors, it’s easier to relate to or understand a character when you know their motivations.  A flat or boring character is one that does good just because they’re good or does evil because they are evil. However, if they have a history of trying to help people, have been betrayed, have lost hope in the goodness of mankind, and as a result, want to do evil, then maybe we can understand them a little better.  

While these are not exhaustive traits of good characters by any means, they are good aspects to consider when writing or creating a character.  Again, characters are limitless and can be in any shape or form, but it’s the content of who they are that takes them from a paper cutout to a living being on the page.