Greg Gildersleeve

"Characters are plot."
-- Lee Wyndham

"Make your characters real enough to cast shadows."
-- Gotham Writers' Workshop

Creating characters was the subject of discussion at the Northland Comics Writers Group yesterday. We enjoyed a lively discussion with four different points of view on what makes characters work and why. I always enjoy the discussion format in classrooms because people learn better from hearing a variety of views than if just one person is talking. Also, sometimes, the teacher (moi, in this case) can learn a few things.

[More:]

Many of my ideas on creating characters were borrowed from several sources -- including Writing for Children & Teenagers by Lee Wyndham (which I've mentioned on this blog before) and Writing Fiction by the Gotham Writers' Workshop -- as well as my own experience. I encourage new writers to check out these sources as well as every other book on the crafting of stories that they can get their hands on. No single source or instructor can tell you everything you need to know about writing stories. It's an old saying that what works for one writer will not necessarily work for another, and this is true, be it advice, rules, or writing exercises.

But if you are serious about pursuing writing as a craft, educate yourself as much as possible. Much of success in writing relies on talent and pure dumb luck -- things that cannot be taught. But talent can be honed and refined. (In the movie "The Drum Line," the main character is an exceptionally talented drummer, but cannot read music. Supremely confident in his own talent, he is blind to how his lack of musical education holds him back -- until he is forced off the team.) Dumb luck can land you that first big break in writing comics -- but what are you going to do for a follow-up, when you have to produce something fresh and exciting on a daily basis?

One thing writers can do is learn how to create characters that readers want to read about. While there is no magic formula that will help you create winning characters every time, there are some general guidelines -- I hate the word "rules" -- to help you get started:

1. Understand that everything in the story springs from the characters. You want to write that clever plot that's going to impress everyone with its surprise ending? Create your character first. Everything the character does determines the course of the story: the situations he finds himself in, how he reacts to those situations, how these actions and reactions lead to other situations, and, ultimately, the decision your character makes that makes or breaks him in the story's climax.

But what about random chance -- such as a car accident? Okay, suppose your character is in a car accident. How does she react? Does she get hopping mad and blame the other driver? Does she immediately blame herself (whether it was actually her fault or not)? Does she go to see if the passengers in the other car are okay? Does she flee the scene?

Knowing your character well before you ever begin writing will help you determine which reaction will be "right" for the character. (This doesn't necessarily mean it will be the action that is right for you, the writer. You are writing about a character, not yourself.)

2. Give your character a desire. Your character must want something and want it bad. This could be something small, like getting a certain girl to notice him, or something big, like stopping a group of terrorists from blowing up Philadelphia. Whatever it is, it must be important enough to the character that he is willing to risk just about everything to get it. (I say "just about" for a reason: Ask yourself, what is that line that your character will not cross? What happens if the only way to get what he desires is to cross that line?)

3. Understand that getting what your character wants should not be easy. This is where your villains come into the picture. Generally speaking, a villain (or antagonist) is someone or something that stands in the way of the hero getting what she wants. In comics, this relationship, however is often reversed. In Fantastic Four # 164-165, for example, it is the Crusader (nee Marvel Boy) who initally wants something: to kill the banker he blames for the deaths of his father and friends on Uranus. It is the Fantastic Four who stand in the way of the Crusader getting what he wants. Yet regardless of who the protagonist/antagonist is, both the Crusader and the FF have very strong desires, and there will be severe consequences for each if they do not succeed: The Crusader's family and friends will (in his twisted mind) go unavenged, and the FF will have failed to save the lives of innocent people. These conflicting desires determine the actions of the characters and, therefore, drive the story.

4. Know that your characters must be doers, not watchers. Many beginning writers have their characters sit around and talk about what they are going to do, or, worse, what they've already done. (This is particularly tempting in writing Marvel and DC characters, because their rich histories are so fascinating.) But readers want the characters to be actively doing something to achieve their goals, whether they succeed or not. (Good complications, in fact, can arise from the character making a blunder or misreading a situation. In a repeat of "Farscape" last night, John Crichton survives an attempt on his life and then angrily manhandles the person he believes responsible. He's right, of course, but without evidence, his actions make him look unstable to certain other characters who are in a position to determine Crichton's fate. Nevertheless, that action drives the story forward.)

5. Avoid casting your characters as merely "types": The brilliant scientist, the nerdy teenager, the obnoxious kid sister, etc. It's okay to start out with types, but each protagonist, antagonist, and supporting character should be unique individuals. Not all engineers think and act the same way. Nor do all baristas at Starbucks. Nor do all members of the same family. Give your character a well-rounded personality with unusual traits.

Crichton on "Farscape" is an interesting example here, as well. His dialogue is filled with pop culture references that remain incomprehensible to the aliens he encounters, and his overall demeanor is that of a frat boy who doesn't know whether to study for tomorrow's art history exam or try out for the football team. Yet these traits are more than just personality quirks. They are a constant reminder of the cultural differences between him and the other "Farscape" regulars and just how out of place he is in the part of the galaxy he must now call home.

How much easier (and boring) would it have been to make Crichton a stereotypical astronaut/commander of the Star Trek variety: serious, super-intelligent, always on top of things?

Doing your homework first by creating well rounded characters will make your job as a writer much easier. It is very often said that good characters tell their own story. While writers should never let the characters "take over" the story -- causing it to digress too much or lose direction -- fully realized characters will surprise you with the hidden truths they help you discover. And what else is writing truly about than discovery?