Characterization

I have a friend who is recently divorced. Last December when she told me that she and her husband were splitting up, I was shocked. They seemed like the perfect couple, but she told me that I only saw what was on the outside and not what was going on at home.

She seemed lost, and having to start over with a new mortgage, car payment, and furnishings made it that much more difficult. Being downsized to one income means picking and choosing what is a need, and what is a want.

Over the last few months, however, I’ve seen quite a change in my friend. She is branching out, and trying things she never would have before, and doing activities that she never showed interest in before. I was amazed when she emailed me and said she signed up for a blood drive. I’ve been telling her for years what a benefit it is to donate, but she’s always shied away from the needle. After her blood drive, she emailed all the details of how much she thought it hurt, and how queasy she felt, but said she’s going to sign up again.

Last night when I talked to her, she told me about the hikes she’s been going on with her co-workers, and the girls’ weekend they’re going on in a few weeks. She’s also going to drive part of the Alaska Highway with her dad this week.

This is a complete change of character for her. But she told me, that instead of sitting at home feeling sorry for herself, she decided that she deserved to have fun and get out and see what else was going on in the world.

I thought about how my characters change from the beginning of the story to the end. My characters have to make choices, sometimes good and sometimes bad, in order to grow. I have to put them into situations they must get out of and create tension that readers will care about. I have to show not only what is going on externally, but what is “going on at home” behind closed doors, or internally.

My friend is a great example of characterization in real life. So far, she’s making good choices. Even though she’s having great adventure and is happy with her life, for a reader, her story will get boring after a while. You can look at the tabloids or newspapers for examples of those that are doing more controversial things. Whether they change for the better or not remains to be seen, but those bad acts make for more interesting reading.

My point is that characters need multiple dimensions in order for a reader to care about them. Mix the good with the bad, and show how they change over time, despite the odds. Make them relatable so they have issues, that at their foundation, everyone can understand and connect with. If your reader doesn’t care about your characters, they won’t keep reading.

On Writing

It’s no secret that I love to read books about writing because I’m lifelong student of the craft. I also love to read autobiographies and memoirs because I like to get to know people that I’ll probably never get the opportunity to meet in real life.

If you read Stephen King’s book On Writing (read my review here), you’ll get both. I remember reading Carrie, Cujo, and Pet Sematary and wondering who could create such horror and suspense. Now I know that and so much more.

Mr. King is one of those authors that you imagine has never had to struggle, so it was encouraging to me to read about his life, how he began writing, and how he keeps going. He’s human and has the frailties, emotions, and misgivings we all can succumb to.

I think about my own writing journey, and dream often of the success enjoyed by the most popular authors. I know that some people have a natural talent for writing, while others have to work harder. But I also know that we all have the same tools at our disposal to be the best writer we can be.

If you have trouble with punctuation, grammar, dialogue, setting, description, plot, or characters, there are several books, classes, and websites available to help you improve. It’s a matter of finding the book, class, or website that speaks to you, that you can understand. What works for one, may not be right for someone else.

Even the best authors have beta readers, proofreaders, copy editors, line editors, and substantive editors to make their book as flawless as possible. But the best authors also have learned how to use punctuation, grammar, dialogue, setting, description, plot, and characters so that their editors are only cleaning up minor errors. No publisher is going to want to work with an author who doesn’t learn from his or her mistakes, no matter how good the story is.

When you reflect on your own writing, think about what you’ve learned along the way and what more you can learn. If you were to write a memoir/writing advice book like Stephen King, what has your writing journey looked like up until now, and what do you need to master to be a best-selling author? What do you know that you can pass on to others?

 

Those questions make me sit up and pay attention because I always want to do the best I can and continually improve.