Here's where my head's been at, thinking about story and characters. Every remarkable story is defined by a remarkable character. In recent literature, we've got Lisbeth Salander and Katniss Everdeen as prime examples. There are more, obviously. But those are the ones that spurred this thought process.
If you look at the characters who are the most involving, you’ll generally find a common thread – they don’t let life happen to them. Their lives are defined by their actions and choices. Sure, mistakes are made. There are regrets. But they’re interesting, and you want to know what they’ll do next.
The
easy story to write is the one where life happens to your character. You bring
problems to his door, and he gets to respond. Rather than plan his actions, you
let your character relax, sip tea, and wait for the phone to ring. The more often
they wait, the more passive they become. You can hide it for a while with
twists and turns, but after a while readers subconsciously become
disinterested, even frustrated with the character.
She’s
that interesting, but what does the author do with her in the last book? Lock
her in jail and expect the bland character to get her out. As a result, the
last book is the weakest.
(I've got a whole other tirade about how the author wrote a glorified version of himself into the book. Sure, Ian Fleming did the same, but at least James bond is interesting.)
(I've got a whole other tirade about how the author wrote a glorified version of himself into the book. Sure, Ian Fleming did the same, but at least James bond is interesting.)
The good news that there's more than one way to make a character dynamic. A dynamic character doesn’t have to be swashbuckling or computer-hacking or
government-overthrowing to be interesting. Think of Elizabeth Bennett.
Obviously, as a single woman with a tiny dowry during the 19th
century, she couldn't control her destiny much. But what could she do?
Snark. And the book is better for it.
So take a look at your story. Is
your character reactive or passive? Ask yourself -
1.) What
is the last bad decision your character made?
2.) When did your character last surprise you?
3.) Which characters do you feel are doing the lion’s share of moving the plot?
4.) Who does your character take advice from?
5.) What kinds of verbs is do you surround your character with?
2.) When did your character last surprise you?
3.) Which characters do you feel are doing the lion’s share of moving the plot?
4.) Who does your character take advice from?
5.) What kinds of verbs is do you surround your character with?
If your character is making so few
decisions that he hasn’t made any bad ones, seldom surprises you, relies on
other people to move the plot, talks about action rather than acting, and seems
to be hanging around a lot of passive verbs, he is likely a reactive character.
If, on the other hand, he is getting himself
into scrapes, takes you by surprise, drives the plot neatly, knows his mind,
and spends time with active verbs, you’ve got an strong active character on
your hands.
Tips to save reactive characters:
1.) Plan ahead. Your character is more likely to drive the plot if you’re first aware of the plot’s direction. It’s easier to move the pieces across the board when you know where you’re going and how you want to get there.
2.) Increase the tension. Put your character in a tight spot, physically, emotionally, and make her fight her own way out.
3.) Less thinking, more doing. I don’t care if your character is particularly cerebral. Friends who hem and haw for weeks or years before a decision are boring and trying. Characters are the same way. A reader will respect decisiveness, even if that decision turns out to be foolish.
4.) Get to know your character better. A lot of times, reactive characters happen by default when you simply don’t know your characters as well as you should. What are the sorts of things that will drive him to action?
5.) Surround your character with active verbs. Even if he’s going through a pensive stage, he’ll read more dynamically on the page.
My next character tip is to give him (or her) a superpower, and not, I'm not necessarily talking about flight. Stay tuned for the next blog...
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