A Writer's Journey Part I: Do You Know Your Characters?

Characters matter; your audience will connect with them to a much greater degree than they will the most eloquently constructed descriptive passage of all time.  Certainly, descriptive scenes done well do a great deal in revealing more of our character's depth, particularly when we get the opportunity to witness the manner in which characters interact within the scene.  More often, descriptive passages become passive information in the back of the reader's mind.  It's a transportation tool.  

As a fantasy writer, for example, I love the descriptive work of Tolkien, but the world comes alive only because of Frodo's interactions in those environments.  Or Gandalf's.  Pick any character, really.  Helm's Deep (a place and an event) is emotional to us not for the gritty, dark descriptions of battle alone, but primarily because we sense the desperate hope of Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli.  Without them, Helm's Deep, meticulously well written, matters little.  Subsequently, knowing characters well aids the author in constructing scenes to build the moment. And that moment is for one ultimate purpose: revealing character.  

As the author, this is difficult to do if we don't first understand who our character is.  This is a good place to be, and a good place to begin creating a story.  Here's the deal; you need to known your characters more than what will ever be revealed to the reader.  You need to know nuances that will never be published.

They need to breath real air.  

The process (for me anyways), goes something like this:

The world (environment) will be in a crisis.  (The idea here is knowing the main conflict of whatever world you intend to immerse your character in).  Details are not necessary at this moment.  Your protagonist will fill in a lot of your details as you get to know them.  

Is the protagonist male or female?

Who are the parents?  Grandparents?  (Yes, even if they never appear on published paper).  Is the relationship between them positive, or negative?  Likewise, the influence?

What non-familial relationships does the character have?

What relationships will suffer during the conflict?  Which will prosper/grow?

Who does your character like?  Dislike?  Why?  

Is the protagonist ultimately responsible for resolving said crisis? 

What do they do?  What is the everyday routine?  (Important, especially in writing a hero journey story as the character should be tossed out of the routine and into the new).  

What are the character's goals?  Are these goals affected by the current conflict?  Positively, or negatively? 

What does the protagonist stand to gain from a positive resolution?  What will they lose from a negative resolution?  Would they benefit from both?  Neither?  

I could go on.  But I think I've gotten the point across.  One aspect of the protagonist's life naturally guides you to another.  Once you have a general sketch of your character, start writing.  Think about the questions you've answered and let that have influence on how they might look, how they might speak, and how they might interact with other people.  Remember, you have to put the pen to the paper.  Chances are, you will not be satisfied with the first encounter of your protagonist.  And you won't be satisfied with your first encounter of the rest of your characters.  The idea is to begin to build your character and test them out in situations and different settings.  You may discover your character doesn't fit with where you want the story to go.  Maybe you'll find that your character has changed the direction your story will go that you hadn't considered.  The important thing is not to force a character into what you want them to be.  Understand that roles and personalities are very different here.  They won't be natural or believable if you do.

Before parting ways, here are two sources I'd recommend you spend some time reviewing.  The first is a very simplified diagram of Joseph Campbell's monomyth.  You can search Google for mountains of information on JC's work regarding the hero journey, but those interested (and you are interested) will want to pick up a copy of A Hero with a Thousand Faces. This is important story structure backbone that will help you fill in missing components to your characters and their experiences.  And you should apply it to every character, even if the audience never witnesses these events.  

The second tidbit here is to get you thinking about how important that first encounter is with your characters.  This is a fantastic article written I believe by Jason Black.  What Star Wars Teaches Us about Character Introductions

Check in next week for A Writer's Journey Part II: Character Favoritism