Characterization

Okay, this is a big one.

Characterization is, in my opinion, the most essential part of your story besides your plot. In fact, it may even be more important than that. Without characters, your plot has no drive.

Characters are the people the readers relate to in a story. Therefore, they should be relatable. The worst thing is being bored by a story because you can’t get connected into it, usually because you don’t like the characters. Personally, I can’t read anything if I dislike the characters.

Mary Sues and Gary Stus

Yes, those are their official terms. I’m sure some of you have heard of them, and some may not have.

Mary Sue: A female character that is overly idealized, lacks noteworthy flaws, and usually functions as a wish-fulfillment, fantasy like character for the author.

Gary Stu: The male version of a Mary Sue.

How to spot a Mary Sue in a story:

·      All of the guys love her. And I mean all of them. She may have only one or two rivals simply because she turned them down while they were tripping all over her.

·      She can never be outmatched. If she is in a fight, she will always win. An alternative would be for her to seem like she’s losing, but suddenly single-handedly turn the tide of the battle in a fantastic display of power.

·      Her “flaw” is her innocence. She doesn’t have flaws, and her innocence usually ends up being intentional or incredibly over the top.

·      She’s the smartest out of everyone/the strongest out of everyone/sometimes even the youngest out of everyone. A variant would be she has the brains of the genius but doesn’t want to attract attention to herself so she doesn’t say anything.

·      She had a terrible past and has had to grow up in “torment” which is why she’s so strong. This isn’t a flaw, guys. It’s a clichéd and overused background.

·      She is a self-insert.

Now that we’ve reached the topic of self inserts…

I’ve had quite a few experiences with these. They are characters that are literally the author put into the story. Sometimes they have the same name, sometimes not, but they always have all of the author’s characteristics, minus human flaws. My thoughts? No, no, no. Self-inserts are sloppy and usually unrealistic. If I read a story wherein the main character is obviously a self-insert of the author, I, as a reader, would interpret the author as lazy because they didn’t want to take the time to create a slightly more believable and relatable character.

I know, I know, we all want to be the hero in our stories or the girlfriend of our bias, but that’s what our characters are for. See, every character has a trait or characteristic of the author in them. Some have the flaws of the author or the strengths of the author, and others have flaws and strengths where the author has strengths and flaws. The key is to find a balance and create someone completely new.

My advice would be to think about what is realistic. If you want an average character, think about what average really is before you do anything else. Average is not incredibly smart or incredibly pretty or incredibly popular. It’s average. It’s everyday you and me. It may sound boring at first, but it’s true. It’s realistic.

Now, maybe some of you have a supernatural story with vampires or demons or whatever. You’re character is allowed to be an insane fantasy character right? Wrong. Yes, they may be a vampire or whatnot, but they should still have a balance of flaws and strengths. If you’re having some trouble, think about this: What would a normal human being like after going through (insert situation here)? What would it be like to live (x) number of years and see everything that you could see in that time? Don’t go over the top though. Balance, children, balance.

Ever heard the term “Achilles heel?”

Quick history time: Achilles was a famed/mythic Greek warrior who was rumoured to be invincible. Whether he really was or just a really damn good fighter is a minor detail. The myth of Achilles goes like so. When he was born, his demigod mother (half goddess, half human) took him to the River Styx and, holding him by his ankle, dipped him into the river – making Achilles invincible. However, since she was covering his heel, it was not affected by the river water, and thus became the warrior’s weak point. If any of you have seen the movie Troy, you’ll know that Orlando Bloom’s character, Paris, shoots Achilles (played by Brad Pitt) in the ankle with an arrow – right in the weak spot. Achilles, having sustained numerous injuries before, dies. His heel was his fatal flaw.

So what the heck does this have to do with writing?

I’ll start out with an example:

My friend in a play, to me, who was helping him with lines: “I’m sorry. I’m terrible at memorization – it’s my Achilles heel.”

Of course, my friend might have been exaggerating, but what he means that, when it comes to plays, memorization would be what he considers his fatal flaw.

What I’m getting at here is that every character should have at least one fatal flaw coupled with other more minor ones. A fatal flaw could be something as Greek mythology-esque as a weak heel, or maybe just a hotheaded character with a temper that gets them in a little too much trouble. That’s kind of a cliché example, but it’s human.

Your characters are human or have human qualities – write them as such. No one wants to read about a character that’s as annoying as all get out or is virtually a robot with no emotion. One of the best ways to convey your character’s emotion is through dialogue, but I’ll get into that later.

Another thing to keep in mind is how your characters interact with other characters. Who makes them happy when they see them? Who makes them frustrated? Who makes them want to kick puppies every time they show their face? What’s their reaction to seeing these characters?  It’s all about depth. Give your main a wide range of emotion.

Another thing I see a lot of AFF (and other) authors struggle with is writing unoriginal characters accurately – i.e. their bias. Personally, I usually like to familiarize myself with the band member via Youtube videos or interviews before sitting down and writing them. It’s better to get a good feel for their personality. What are they like on a good day? On a bad day? What about when they’re around girls/boys outside of their group? How would their personality come through in a different situation? I’ve been told that I’m pretty apt at hitting character personalities on the head through my writing, but it’s mainly out of respect for that person. Keep in mind that you are writing about a living person in most cases.

Here’s a few online quizzes/articles that can help you develop your characters:

Irene Watson’s Character Development Questions

3 Step Method of Character Development

Fiction Factor: Writing Tips