I recently read an article in “The Writer” magazine (July 2017) about creating characters “that are not secretly you.” It was one of those revelations that came to me a little late, but resonated nonetheless. Here’s my take on it.
When we are young—I’m talking babies and toddlers and young children—oh yes, and teenagers—the world revolves around us. Or, at least, we think it does. We are naturally selfish and needy, and expect others to put us first and fulfill our needs.
Most of us outgrow this eventually. Or do we?
What was the main character like in your first novel or short story? Did he or she at all resemble you? Good chance your answer is yes. We often create characters that think like us, respond like us, even look like us. Through them, we are able to work through our thoughts, feelings, struggles, dreams and hopes. Non-writers may not realize how much of our hearts and souls feed into our characters.
But, as Susan Perabo suggests in her article in “The Writer,” it’s time we got over ourselves and started creating other kinds of people, freshly imagined folks who are nothing at all like us.
This is what happened when I started writing the first draft of my current WIP: I had invented a young woman passionate to know who she was, but after a couple of scenes, I was looking into a mirror of sorts. Diana was a “fraidy cat.” She didn’t like challenge or risk or danger. She was naïve and passive and, frankly, boring. I’m not putting myself down; I’m being honest. But I didn’t want Diana to be that way. Too easy. Too much like some of the characters I’ve written in the past.
So, what to do? I rewrote the first scenes (I know, I know. You should never edit until you finish the first draft. It’s not the first rule of writing I’ve broken.) and for my every inclination to make Diana respond like me, I stopped, listened, and allowed her to be herself. And do you know what I discovered? She is nothing like me. She’s rebellious. She adores the limelight. She is sometimes disrespectful. I’m not sure I even like her very much. But she’s interesting. I want to know why she does these things, what she really wants, how she is going to become her own worst enemy as the story unfolds.
Two specific takeaways for me from the article:
1) Often we don’t realize what we’re doing until someone points it out (thanks, Susan Perabo)
2) It’s helpful and wise to consider the truth of the matter and make the necessary changes
So, let’s get over ourselves and bring into being brand new, fascinating fictional characters that inspire and spark our stories.
NOTE: This post was first published on the International Christian Fiction Writers blog on August 7, 2017.
Well said, and I’d love to hear more about your process for listening to Diana in each of these decision/reaction times. I’m trying to learn this too… And I think this is one of those times where it’s right to stop and edit. You’re setting the tone for the rest of the book, so making your most focused start seems best. The “new” Diana will be more consistent with herself this way.
I agree, Janet, that there are times one has to stop and take stock in order for the whole entity to start off in the right direction. “Galloping off wildly in all directions” can make for a lot of confusion and frustration. I also had to evaluate whether to begin in the historical or to start with the Diana in 1970. Since the series is historical, starting there made more sense.
Thanks, Janice, for this interesting and honest blog. I’m not a fiction writer per se, but I believe there is a place in non-fiction, where we need to get over ourselves. Even in memoir, there is place for objectivity.
Thanks for mentioning nonfiction, Sharon. It’s good to know the idea applies there as well.