Developing believable characters
From: margaret.ellis@[removed].com
Date: 15 May 1990
When you sit down to a new story, the characters often begin as little more than a name and an occupation or a relation to the plot. This is to be expected in early pages. The difficulty arises when they remain at that stage through later drafts.
One of the most frequent shortcomings in the manuscripts that reach me is the use of ready-made types rather than particular persons. The gruff but good-hearted boss, the flighty young woman, the stern father who softens at the end – these figures require almost no invention and therefore repay almost no attention from the reader. To avoid this, look for the quality in your character that does not match the expected outline. A stern father who secretly writes letters to an old flame he never married. A flighty young woman who keeps meticulous accounts of every penny she spends. These contradictions must be small enough to feel real and large enough to matter when the story puts pressure on them.
Do not introduce your character with a block of description. Let the reader see him through his actions and through the small reactions of others. A secondary character who appears for only a sentence or two can accomplish this. The way a clerk hands over a package or the way a child stares can tell us whether the main figure is respected, feared, or simply overlooked. These moments cost little yet establish the person more firmly than any summary of appearance or temperament.
From: kevin.ross@[removed].net
Date: 05 Mar 1990
Hello everyone,
I'm fairly new to writing and have just started working on a short story. So far my characters feel pretty flat — they do whatever the plot requires but don't come across as real people with their own thoughts and habits.
How do most of you develop characters? I've seen mentions of writing out pages of backstory or making character sheets, but I'm not sure if that's the right place to begin or if I should just start drafting and let things emerge. Any practical suggestions would be very welcome.
Thank you,
kevin.ross@[removed].net
From: margaret.ellis@[removed].com
Date: 28 Sep 1990
A new writer sent me the first fifty pages of his work this summer and asked in an accompanying letter how he might keep the people in his story from speaking in the same manner. He feared that every voice sounded like his own, which made the conversations difficult to follow.
The solution lies in giving each character a distinct way of using language that grows out of his particular circumstances. Age, schooling, the part of the country he comes from, and the work he does all shape the words he chooses and the order in which he places them. A farmer will not speak of his difficulties in the same terms as a banker, even when both are describing the same kind of trouble. One useful exercise is to write a conversation between two of your characters with no tags or stage directions at all. When you read it back, the places where you cannot tell who is speaking will show you where the voices have not yet been sufficiently separated.
Secondary characters are of great help in this regard. They should not exist merely to ask questions or to confirm what the reader already knows. When your central figure must deal with the woman who runs the boarding house or the man who repairs his automobile, the exchange will force him to reveal his manner of speaking and his habits of mind.
From: kevin.ross@[removed].net
Date: 08 Mar 1990
Hi,
Thanks to the editor for the reply about showing character through small, specific details and everyday habits instead of long blocks of description. That approach feels much more natural than what I was trying.
I'm still not sure how to come up with those details when I'm just starting out. Do you usually base quirks on people you've met, or is there a way to invent them that fits the story without it feeling forced? Also, how much of a character's background do you need to know before you start writing scenes?
Any further practical tips would help a lot.
kevin.ross@[removed].net
From: margaret.ellis@[removed].com
Date: 12 Mar 1991
Several new writers have written to me over the winter asking for guidance on how much of a character's past belongs in the story and where it should appear.
The past serves the present needs of the fiction and should be introduced only when it explains or complicates what is happening on the page at that moment. A long account of a character's childhood placed early in the manuscript usually means that the writer is still working out the story himself. The reader, however, has no reason to care about those events until they affect a choice or a relationship in the current action.
A secondary character can often bring the necessary information forward without requiring the author to pause and explain. An old acquaintance who turns up at an inconvenient time, a letter that arrives by ordinary post, or a remark made in passing by a neighbor can prompt the main character to recall or reveal what is required. The revelation then feels like part of the story rather than an interruption.
From: margaret.ellis@[removed].com
Date: 07 Nov 1991
A beginning writer who has been sending me portions of her work for over a year wrote recently with a question about showing that a character has changed. She had revised the ending several times and still felt that the alteration in her main figure did not carry conviction.
Change cannot be announced. It must be shown through the decisions the character makes when he faces a situation similar to one he faced earlier in the story. If he once walked away from a difficulty, now he stays and accepts the consequences. The difference will be felt only if the reader remembers the earlier moment and sees the new choice clearly.
Secondary characters are the most reliable way to make such shifts visible. Someone who has known the figure for a long time can notice the difference in a single line of dialogue or a small act of recognition. The reaction of that other person – surprise, doubt, or relief – tells the reader that something has genuinely altered. Without these witnesses, even a well-planned alteration can read as the author's wish rather than the character's earned development.
From: kevin.ross@[removed].net
Date: 16 Mar 1990
Thanks again for all the replies, especially the editor's note on revealing character through the choices people make under pressure rather than long internal thoughts.
I've been experimenting with that in my draft. The trouble I'm running into now is dialogue — my characters still tend to sound a lot like each other. Does anyone have simple ways to give each person a distinct way of speaking without relying on heavy accents or repeating catchphrases?
This discussion has already given me several things to try. Looking forward to any more ideas.
kevin.ross@[removed].net