No matter how compelling you believe your story to be, if it’s not tied to a lead character or protagonist, it goes nowhere. The story is about the characters and their struggles. The scenes are the place where it happens. Your novel is about all of it.
I suggest developing characters through dialogue and situational behavior because it’s how we learn about people in the real world. How someone responds to adversity and conflict reveals their true character. What one character says about another or how a second character responds to the one you’re defining.
Don’t forget to show the character’s interaction as much as possible.
As John approached, Julie kept her vision straight ahead. The elevator door opened and she rushed inside to press the second-floor call button. She clutched her folders close to her chest as she stared at the floor.
Notice I didn’t tell the reader how Julie feels about John. What impressions are you picking up? There’s something there, but does she have a crush or perhaps she dislikes John for some reason. Has she been harassed by John in the past? What if Julie had a few too many at the office Christmas party the previous night?
Using subtext is a great way to entice the reader to want to know more about the charters and their relationships. Imagine witnessing a scene in real life with limited conversation and write it that way. Julie isn’t wearing a billboard detailing her feelings and your writing shouldn’t pretend she is. Show who Julie is, don’t tell.
Be Careful About Fit
Some writers develop a lead character from an alter ego. They put themselves in the story — because who knows you better than you. There is nothing wrong with that approach, but be careful. You may not be the right fit for the role, even if you always envisioned being a covert spy. I prefer to develop characters that the reader expects should be in the role. A police inspector, for example, usually is a particular personality type. If you stay with what one might call the stereotype, you can bypass some laborious and uninteresting character building. I do this specifically with secondary characters where I don’t have time to flesh them out and it doesn’t add to the story.
Motivation
Why is your lead character involved in the first place? There must be a compelling reason, but don’t make it so obvious that it borders on the ridiculous. I have a female detective in my Elaine Mathis Detective Series, as the name would imply. Her reason for being there: it’s her job. The reason she cares is a different thing altogether. She seems unattached at first, but you soon realize she cares deeply about the victims and their families as the story progresses.
Again, don’t tell the reader why your protagonist is motivated; show them through their actions and dialogue. The main character in my book Hospital became interested in a patient because the patient reminded him of his grandmother, which justified his nosing around, which lead to a shocking and troubling discovery.
Don’t Overplay It
Your lead character doesn’t need to be more or less than the story requires. Over-explaining their motivation and thoughts will bore the reader because it adds nothing. They know why the character is involved — now get on with what happens to them. An example is spending several pages on the character discussing a divorce because the story involves an ex-spouse, but the divorce is irrelevant. The reader will be confused if you offer backstory material that means nothing to the plot.
Take Your Time
Reveal things about the character when the time is right. With Elaine Mathis, the reader is still getting to know her’s and other reoccurring character’s backstories in book three. I do the same with a lead character named Jason Foster in my Organized Crime and Corruption Series. In book eight, more details are revealed about his childhood because it’s vital to the story at that time. Think about how you get to know people in real life. A friend you’ve known for years may reveal personal information to you because a situation calls for it. Develop all of your characters this way. Enough information, at the right time, but not more than necessary.
Conflicts and Drama
With all that in mind, what conflicts or demons does your protagonist battle? I’ve seen so many alcoholic cops that I want to scream. Don’t go for the cheap cliché. Everyone struggles with fears, dislikes, pet peeves, and so should be your protagonist, but relevant to the story. Don’t make your character afraid of snakes when your book is not about snakes, but if it’s about hunting a giant anaconda in the Florida Everglades, your protagonist being petrified of snakes is a solid backstory. Have them reveal a traumatic childhood event to a coworker at the right time. An essential component of the drama becomes their need to overcome their lifelong phobia. Lives hang in the balance, as always.
Is the Good Guy Good?
Your protagonist must be likable, as much as your antagonist needs to be unlikeable. They must be someone the reader wants to see prevail. I flirt with the gray areas on this concept to make it interesting. Sometimes the good guy isn’t so good, but there’s a justified reason. That’s their struggle. The bad guy can show a few redeeming qualities right before they show their true evil intent. Characters need to be complicated, but not much. Don’t confuse the reader.
Physical Attributes
I prefer to embed hints as to my character’s physical appearance. With Elaine Mathis, she is short and a bit pudgy, with short spiked hair. I never describe her directly but use altercations where other characters make observations or she says something. There is a scene where she attempts to keep pace with her brother through an airport. She comments on how the genes from the same parents gave one of height and the other girth. Now you know she is short, probably a little overweight, and her brother is tall. But, never over-describe a character’s appearance and definitely avoid the mirror cliché where the character describes themselves as they gaze in the mirror. Leave something for the reader’s imagination. Give them room to fill in the blanks for themselves.
Supporting Characters
Keep in mind that creating your protagonist must be done in concert with building the support characters. Why are any of them together? What justifies the involvement of any of the characters in the story? I let it play out naturally through dialogue, and remember that your reader isn’t stupid.
Using Conflict and Drama to Build Characters and Relationships
The conflict between characters can be used to define them, but if you force conflict, the reader will sense it and lose interest. Think about the last time you clicked the cancel button on a cheap film the exact moment you felt conflict being forced through pointless dialogue. The scriptwriters followed the dogma of “there needs to be conflict in every scene”. It’s a terrible idea and exposes the screenwriters as amateurs.
A well-written film or book places its drama at the right moments. Drama builds and tension mounts until, boom. Then all is quiet. Drama on every page is an overused and oversimplified expression. As in life, every event doesn’t have to be a crisis. Give the reader time to breathe between the big moments. Sometimes the note that isn’t played is as important as the one that is because it sets up the next.
Character Names
There are dozens of websites sources for names, but my favorite is http://www.20000-names.com. I use eastern names for science fiction characters. Not all characters need names. The waiter at the diner who is none scene, even if they have a speaking role, should remain nameless unless they are a return character. In my novel Extinction, the waitress at the diner has a name, a backstory and is in several additional scenes later. In every scene she’s in a little more of her backstory is revealed and it all supports the backstory of the protagonist.
Stay Consistent
The last thing is, the characters need to stay true to character. It sounds obvious, but if a character, lead or secondary, suddenly begins doing or saying things contrary to past behavior, you get character drift. It’s a big turnoff for the reader. The reader needs information to help define the character but it must be reasonable and important to the story.
Remember the reader has invested time getting to know the characters, especially the protagonist, and has formed an opinion. Don’t pull the rug out from under them. Even if a character conceals an identity, the reader must feel that they should have seen that coming. The deception should fit that character’s personality. Along the same lines, never do an identity swap with your protagonist.
Please feel free to comment on the series of posts I’ve provided. My experience is what it is. If you have something to add that will help other writers, I greatly encourage all feedback.