Who is the Character in Your Novel?

If the answer is a 2-D character in a drawing, then there’s a 99.5% chance that’s the way your reader will see him/her. So how do you get some blood, sweat, and tears into that character of yours?

Interview Your Character

Make a list of things you’d like to know about your character, and imagine you are interviewing him/her. Some of the things you could ask are:

• Where were you born?
• What was your childhood like?
• Do you remember your first day in school? Your first dog? Your first job?
• What was your family like?

There’s no limit to the questions you can ask. By the end of the “interview” your character should be the person you know best in the world–after yourself.

Give Your Character a Face, a Voice, a Walk

If course, if you really want to know your character, he/she should have a face.

• Sometimes writers already have a real life person in mind
• Magazines are good for inspiration
• Some writers put the character’s face together like police artists do
• I often get my inspiration in the subway

Listen to Your Character

Writers can learn a lot about their characters just by listening to them—and also get good advice.

I discovered my main character’s voice (Roland in The Drop of the Hammer) in the subway. Much of my thinking and planning takes place in the subway. I had problems with a particular scene. Suddenly, this beautiful raspy voice whispered in my ear “Really! Do you think I’d be so careless? The young thing just fainted in my arms. I wouldn’t plop her on a chair the way you have it. There aren’t any armrests. She might fall and hurt herself. Stop eying the chair in front of the fireplace. It’s comfortable, but built for a big man like me. She’s so small her feet wouldn’t reach the floor. Here, I’ll move this other armchair over. It’s perfect.”

Conclusion

Writers can only write about what they know, and that goes for the characters too!