On Fiction Writing - Convincing Characterization

Copyright 2006 American Book Publishing

About 20 years ago, I inherited an antique piece of furniture when my grandmother passed away. None of my relatives wanted that old piece of junk. Surprisingly, I could see past the glossy white paint that obscured a valuable armoire/dresser combination in a turn of the century waterfall pattern.

After two weeks of paint remover, scrapers, steel wool and sandpaper, I finally had revived the white mountain ash armoire. I had stripped off a layer of thick enamel white paint, a layer of gooey mint green paint and then thick oily varnish that concealed a dark stain of lampblack.

After I had worked hard to remove all those layers of paint using lots of elbow grease, a quite different piece of furniture emerged. Now this antique treasure has become a family heirloom. However, it does have its flaws. The door is water stained and slightly warped after it was left out in the rain during the stripping procedure. There are also a few nicks and dents, but they seem to add to the beauty of it rather than detract from it. Its inner qualities and character were restored. It has a captivating alluring quality that had lain hidden for decades.

Creating a captivating character is much like the process of stripping that piece of furniture. At first glance, a character may be all glossed over in shiny white external enamel, disguising every distinguishable feature. Characters, like my armoire, become transformed with more clarity when you scratch beneath the surface. Sometimes through the process of that transformation, the character faces intense struggle and conflict that results in something extraordinary: life is given to the character. The illusions fade as the mystery of the character unfolds.

The reader identifies with feelings and characteristics that come from the heart. There is an unwritten contract established between the novelist and the reader. When the reader initially picks up the book, interest is created from reading the flyleaf or from articles and any reviews the reader may have read about the book. Impressions are formed and the reader has a sense of anticipation and enthusiasm about what happens to those characters. Their curiosity will lead to an adventure that will be either rewarding - as their insatiable appetite for the story grows and the reader becomes consumed by it - or, alternatively, they may find the story unsatisfying, boring and lose interest, finding the plot and characters distasteful and unpalatable.

A fiction novelist has the privilege of creating and portraying a cast of engaging, provocative, intriguing, and complex characters, bringing them to life and evoking a host of emotions for the reader. It is no small achievement. This can be a daunting task, which is accomplished one small step at a time. It is understood that some characters will require a lot of scratching below the surface while others may only require a little buffing to make them shine.

No human experience is mundane or uninteresting - if presented well. Most readers want to be taken on a journey of discovery. Revelations about the internal motivation and emotions of the character can light the spark of passion in the reader. The beginning facets of the character begin to chip away to reveal the dazzling, brilliant and alluring character that lies beneath.

Flat characters are referred to as type or two-dimensional. The flat character is built around a single idea or quality and presented without much individualizing. The character can be described in a single sentence or even phrase. According to Abrams, M. H., A Glossary of Literary Terms "A well-rounded, well-developed character is complex in temperament and motivation and is presented with subtle particularity. Such a character is as difficult to describe with any adequacy as a person in real life and is capable of surprising us."

The question becomes: How do you take flat two-dimensional keyboard characters and turn them into characters that leap off the page in full-scale multifaceted dimensions? Is there a formula for stripping away the concealing layers that will reveal a well-rounded character?

Create characters from the inside out. Most characters are a hybrid of the people in our lives - friends, family, acquaintances and those who we may have only heard or read about.

One way to reveal character is to elicit the opinion of another character. This character becomes a sort of antagonist against your flawless protagonist character. The antagonist may have a reason to dislike, resent, or hold a grudge against the protagonist. When those reasons are revealed, we begin to see the real person, flaws and all. It is up to the writer to see those people for who they really are. People are not perfect like plastic mannequins or Barbie dolls. Characters without flaws get stuck on your page and have no place to go. They cannot change and they cannot grow. They cannot undergo any kind of metamorphosis or transformation.

To better understand how to create convincing characters, it helps to define their external traits. Behind the identifying label we better understand the intention and motivation for their behavior. The following character traits might prove to be a useful in identifying the character's qualities; then, once they emerge, they can become a catalyst for further development. You may ask yourself if your character is an extrovert or introvert, analytical or intuitive, a thinker or spontaneous with feelings, judgmental or perceptive, logical or careless.

You can determine their assertiveness level and decide whether they are passive or aggressive. Determining their primary focus can identify whether the character is task- or people-oriented. Each person possesses certain traits that others may find difficult to tolerate.

An analyzer might be a chronic complainer. Their intent is to get everything right. They have a strong need for approval but they are quite passive and could easily become overwhelmed by decisions. An aggressive ruler might be a know-it-all and may bulldoze others over in order to maintain control and authority. Their intent is to get things done. They need to be in control and are task-oriented. Someone who is a relater may have a difficult time with decision making. Their intent would be just to get along with other people. They have a strong need for approval and are very people-oriented. An aggressive entertainer type can also be a know-it-all. Their intent is to gain appreciation. They have a strong need for attention and can be direct and enthusiastic. They may even act like a human grenade, ready to explode at the drop of a hat.

In the Career Track Video with Dr. Rick Brinkman and Dr. Rick Kirschner; How to Deal with Difficult People, they state "These are just some ways to identify possible character traits, and the secret is to get inside the character. By understanding the traits a character possesses, you can begin to understand the motivation for their behavior. When the character is confronted with conflict, the true motivation comes through in a cathartic self-revelation. The character's catharsis can bring sympathy or even empathy for the character, deepening the bond with the reader."

These motivating factors may be revealed gradually and could represent a turning point for the character or the climax of a scene, or it could become the central turning point for the novel - and that is where the true treasure lies.