I think we can all agree that the best books – and certainly bestselling books – contain characters that are so vivid we feel as if we know them. But how do we, as authors, achieve that vividness of character?
Here are a few suggestions:
First of all, the most important aspect is the narrative voice of the POV character. It is this that will often draw the attention of agents and publishers, as well as the reader. Voices that are distinctive stay in our minds long after we finish the novel in question.
With this, there really is no substitute for hard work. Think of your character as your exciting new friend. You are interested to know all about them, but first you must tune in to the voice, get to know how they speak when they tell their story. Personally, I find I have to write my way into a character for a while before the voice emerges and often at the start of a new novel, I haven’t yet established their voice.
Stephen King once said that he starts with a bunch of characters in a situation and goes from there. So – the best way to explore your character’s voice and other attributes is to put them in a situation and see how they react.
Imagine you have created a character whose car gets a flat tyre on the motorway on the way to a vitally important meeting. They pull over onto the hard shoulder. And then what? Do they get so angry that they get out of the car, kick the tyres, and scream blue murder while tearing their hair out in big tufts that float away on the summer breeze?
Maybe they just calmly call the AA and play songs on Bluetooth until they are rescued. Or maybe they dance on the car roof and make silly videos on Tik Tok, attracting the attention of passing motorists.
The point is: reaction is key to character, to unlocking the uniqueness of your character. The quirkier the reaction, the more memorable your character will be. But of course, characters also need to be relatable. That means they need to have vulnerabilities, insecurities that make the reader feel reassured they are only human.
A key way we can achieve this is through back story. Maybe something happened to them before the novel began that still affects how they react now and makes them vulnerable in certain situations.
Did they have any childhood trauma that has remained unresolved, thereby leaving them vulnerable to ‘triggers’? For example, in my Jenny Bean novel, many of Jenny’s insecurities stem from being abducted in Milton Keynes shopping centre when she was a child, by a mad singing woman who locked her in a toilet cubicle and plied her with humbugs. To this day she freaks out at the sight of humbugs, gets triggered by concrete cows, and is claustrophobic.
So maybe your character has a phobia of something a bit unusual – the more unusual the more memorable your character will be.
What were their childhood/teen years like? Do they have siblings or are they an only child? Are their parents still together and in a happy marriage or are they divorced/separated/ deceased? Is there anything unusual about their background?
Did they move around a lot as a child and now struggle to fit in anywhere as an adult? Which demographic do they belong to? Do they read The Times and shop at Waitrose? Or do they read celebrity magazines and shop at Primark? Of course, we could mix these up to make a character feel less cliched. The more we get to know our characters, the more vivid they will be on the page. Get used to living with them.
Maybe try going shopping for your character. This is a very cheap exercise as you don’t actually have to spend anything. Where do they buy their clothes/shoes? What are their favourite shops? Do they like designer, or vintage, or just anything they can find at a charity shop? Where do they like to dine? Do they eat Italian, or Indian? Or maybe they have a phobia of dining out after watching their mother choke to death on a prawn cocktail in a restaurant when they were a child? All these facts about your character will bring them to life, make them unique and memorable.
Another tip: watch crime documentaries – the ones that use psychological profilers to discuss behaviour patterns. This is a great tool for creating characters who are consistent, and consistency is a huge aspect of reliability, ensuring they behave in ways that make sense. Even if our character is not a criminal, we all have a psychological profile. Watch psychology videos on You Tube. Understanding psychology is a great tool when creating believable characters.
Give them a star sign. Even if you don’t believe in astrology the traits of a sign give you a basic list of believable traits. For example, Jenny Bean is a Cancerian with Leo rising. She’s home-loving, a little bit sentimental (Cancer) but is also outgoing and has a flair for drama through the sticky situations in which she finds herself (Leo).
Lastly, don’t be afraid to experiment – whether that’s with different character traits, or your character’s reactions to situations. Enjoy your characters, welcome them into your life, and have a fun journey getting to know them.
Contributed by Julia Wood
leicesterwritersclub.com 