A good writer knows more about her characters--and the world
they inhabit--than she ever tells her readers. The more you know about your
character--likes, dislikes, habits and history--the better. Character building
rounds out your story's main players.
The reader may never learn the taxi driver who dies in
Chapter 2 has three children, or the talking dormouse who helped your hero
traverse the Desert
of Failings has an
addiction to cauliflower. As such, you may wonder if character building isn’t a
waste of time.
A well-developed character comes across stronger in a story.
You understand her motivation, her reasoning, and that understanding seeps into
how you describe her. Besides, as you explore your characters they can surprise
you, adding elements to your plot and atmosphere you hadn't realized were
missing.
Getting
the Whole Picture
Take our dormouse as an example. He's a minor character who
only shows up for one chapter, but he plays an important role in the hero's
journey, teaching the hero to face his fears and feelings.
How can he do this? Because the dormouse experienced his own
failings. He's felt the sinful allure of forbidden cauliflower. He's stolen and
lied to obtain the vegetable. And he only recovered because someone cared
enough to get him into drug
rehab (well, veggie rehab I guess).
You might hint at this in the story. You might decide it
requires more explanation or simply use it as part of the story's larger
backdrop. Either way, the character seems more real to both you and your
reader, because you took the time to develop his history and personality.
The
Importance of Backstory
Writers such as J.K. Rowling are masters of character
development and backstory. We never learn whether Professor Snape likes his
steak rare or well done, but it's a good bet that Rowling knows. Her notes on
the world and her characters are, by all accounts, voluminous.
Only a tiny portion of Rowling's character development makes
it into her books. She may have map of Hogwarts and a list of every headmaster
ever to preside over the school, but readers don’t need that information.
Instead, she uses such facts to keep the school--itself as much as character as
any wizard--consistent in tone, history and construction.
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Byline: Michelle Rebecca is an aspiring writer with a passion for
blogging. She enjoys writing about a vast variety of topics and loves that
blogging gives her the opportunity to publicly voice her thoughts and share
advice with an unlimited audience. Read her blog at Social We Love.
