“Fiction writers are strong in either plot or character - never both and each envies the other their talent.”
So said Margaret Grossman, my favorite writing teacher of all time.
Her natural inclination was to write awesome, well-developed characters, the kind of people you’d want to sit down to coffee with and have long, intriguing conversations.
But she struggled with finding things for these lovely characters to do.
My natural inclination is plot.
I have absolutely no problem making stories up, with lots of plot points, twists, and turns.
But it’s connection to the characters that keeps readers engaged with the plot, and I’m sad to say that my characters are often misunderstood and their development criticized.
I struggle to flesh out fully actualized people in a fictional world - especially at that time when I worked with Margaret.
I also think it’s peculiar, because I am always trying to figure out the psychology of people in the real world, and what makes us all tick.
Perhaps all that amateur psychoanalysis has helped. Maybe I’ve improved since then, but criticism around character development is the most consistent when it comes to my writing.
Perhaps that’s why I use archetypal types for my characters?
Either way, I do the best I can, and sometimes that falls short. In my current novel, both the protagonists are telling their stories from 1st person “I.”
I hope that will make a stronger connection between the readers and my characters.
Truth be told, I believe this weakness around character development is a pretty common problem with most indie authors.
I haven’t made a formal study of it, but most indie authors whose work I’ve read have 1 dimensional characters as well.
I wish I could give some sage advice and how-to’s on how to write plot if you naturally write characters, but I’m one of those who doesn’t know how to teach something that comes very easily to me.
When it comes to writing character, I say practice.
But another tool that may come in handy is to write up a character sheet describing each of your characters, and then add some of those details in your plot pages.
Name:
Age:
Hair/Eye Color:
Height:
Unusual feature:
Beautiful/Homely:
Biggest Fear:
Greatest Hope:
Primary Motivation:
Likable Quality:
Fatal Flaw:
Quirks:
Best Friend:
Primary Partner/Spouse/Lover:
Secondary Partner/Lover:
What does this character want?
What role does this character play?
Is this character sympathetic and trustworthy?
What is the primary struggle for this character in this story?
Feel free to add any more details that may help flesh out your characters into a person you’d want to hang out with or the kind of person you’d avoid at a party.
It actually helps to list details of each and every character, no matter how minor they are. I don’t always do this exercise, but when I do, I find this tool helps bring characters to life.
And yes, as Margaret claimed, I do envy natural character writers their talent.
But at least I have an exciting, juicy plot line to carry the day, and I’m sure some writer somewhere envies my ability to do that.
