Showing posts with label character creation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label character creation. Show all posts
Karen Talks About Imagine Someday
Now that Imagine Someday, my first
novel, has been floating around out there in cyberspace and in the
real world for a while now and I've gotten some really positive feedback about it, I feel it’s about time I talked
about it. The plot, the characters, what I was thinking when I wrote
it, where I got certain ideas.
Note: This discussion WILL contain spoilers. If you haven’t read Imagine Someday, I highly recommend you do so. The ebook is available in all major stores for only $2.99, and it is also available in paperback. More details about the book at Loyalty Press' website here.
Okay? Here we go.
I started writing Imagine Someday back in 2007 when I was 16/17 years old. The book has grown and changed a lot over the years (Thankfully. The first draft was pretty horrendous). I DID make a self-publishing attempt, oh, a while ago, but I chickened out and took it off sale because it still wasn’t final draft material. I had actually abandoned the project for good, writing it off as a first novel that probably shouldn’t be published, but I kept coming back to it every now and then, making small changes until one day I read the draft and one line at the end almost had me crying. I knew then that I’d done something right and Imagine Someday deserved to be published. It’s by no means perfect, no book is, but I figured it was worth a shot. So I launched my career as a full-blown author, editor, and proofreader and established Loyalty Press as a means to do so.
From the beginning, I’d established most of the characters in my head. Diego was the brooding young man who kept himself isolated because of a childhood that the reader only learns about as the book progresses. Miho was his girlfriend who’d gotten him to open up and enjoy life a little bit more. Colin was the jokester from the UK and the newcomer to the group that Diego doesn’t like right away. Rahim (he went through a couple of different names during the process before I settled on Rahim) was Diego’s loyal best friend. Jane was the badass park ranger who would show up every now and then to help out. Aglaciel was the young, immature griffin Diego had found who wanted to know more about who he was. Christian Avery was going to show up and be the villain from the beginning. Jillian wasn’t near as fleshed out in the original draft, and more backstory and purpose for her actions and beliefs was added, overall strengthening the story. Anu is Mr. Exposition and the Sacrificial Lion, and his role can more or less be summed up with those two tropes, for better or worse. Though he is kind of a vain jerk. :)
For the most part the Fantastical Creature mythos has remained the same as well, with some minor changes. Originally the creatures were going to bond with their human, but I realized that a) had been done a lot already and b) didn’t fit the Fantastical Creature characters I’d already created. There’s some remnants of that idea in the finished project, but it isn’t as at the forefront as it was originally.
Essentially most of the key players and plot elements were in place from the beginning. Little things got tweaked here and there, and the climax became a bit more exciting, with Lineh taking much more of an active role. I also chose the extinction ending (I hadn’t really any plan for the creatures’ fate when I started writing) because I didn’t think there really was any other way for the story to end convincingly. And who knows, maybe Aglaciel ISN’T the last Fantastical Creature in the world. :)
Fun Facts:
Originally there was going to be another male character, Todd, sort of set up as a rival to Diego, who would have a drake as his partner. Looking at my old notes, his mother was somehow involved with Avery too (no idea what I was thinking). This idea was eventually axed because he didn’t fit into the story.
I don’t know how many people noticed this, but the scene near the beginning when Diego is loading Anu into the horse trailer, Anu acts like he doesn’t trust Diego. I didn’t think anything of it, but my friend pointed out when she read it that the exchange was a perfect subtle piece of foreshadowing. Diego isn’t a virgin. Unicorns traditionally can only be tamed by a virgin.
My favorite character (in case you didn’t guess) is without a doubt Rahim. He was always meant to be the cornerstone of the story, even if he starts out looking like he’s going to have little impact on the plot. His ability to be the host and partner for Lineh truly shows his strength and determination.
Miho always was going to die at the end. I felt kind of bad doing it, because in a few ways it plays right into the “Women in Refrigerators” stereotype (that the woman always dies to motivate the man). That wasn’t really my intention, as I consider myself very much a feminist, but it still might come off that way for some readers nonetheless, so I apologize.
Originally Jane was going to die, but for two reasons she escaped the “meat grinder,” as my cousin likes to call it. 1) I’d already killed off a lot of other characters and 2) I really, really liked Jane. So I had her survive, becoming more of a badass in the process for coming back after all those wounds.
So now you know a little bit more about Imagine Someday. If you’ve read and enjoyed the book, consider leaving an honest review on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog. They go a long way towards helping indie authors and publishers. Thanks a bunch you guys, and goodnight!
Note: This discussion WILL contain spoilers. If you haven’t read Imagine Someday, I highly recommend you do so. The ebook is available in all major stores for only $2.99, and it is also available in paperback. More details about the book at Loyalty Press' website here.
Okay? Here we go.
I started writing Imagine Someday back in 2007 when I was 16/17 years old. The book has grown and changed a lot over the years (Thankfully. The first draft was pretty horrendous). I DID make a self-publishing attempt, oh, a while ago, but I chickened out and took it off sale because it still wasn’t final draft material. I had actually abandoned the project for good, writing it off as a first novel that probably shouldn’t be published, but I kept coming back to it every now and then, making small changes until one day I read the draft and one line at the end almost had me crying. I knew then that I’d done something right and Imagine Someday deserved to be published. It’s by no means perfect, no book is, but I figured it was worth a shot. So I launched my career as a full-blown author, editor, and proofreader and established Loyalty Press as a means to do so.
From the beginning, I’d established most of the characters in my head. Diego was the brooding young man who kept himself isolated because of a childhood that the reader only learns about as the book progresses. Miho was his girlfriend who’d gotten him to open up and enjoy life a little bit more. Colin was the jokester from the UK and the newcomer to the group that Diego doesn’t like right away. Rahim (he went through a couple of different names during the process before I settled on Rahim) was Diego’s loyal best friend. Jane was the badass park ranger who would show up every now and then to help out. Aglaciel was the young, immature griffin Diego had found who wanted to know more about who he was. Christian Avery was going to show up and be the villain from the beginning. Jillian wasn’t near as fleshed out in the original draft, and more backstory and purpose for her actions and beliefs was added, overall strengthening the story. Anu is Mr. Exposition and the Sacrificial Lion, and his role can more or less be summed up with those two tropes, for better or worse. Though he is kind of a vain jerk. :)
For the most part the Fantastical Creature mythos has remained the same as well, with some minor changes. Originally the creatures were going to bond with their human, but I realized that a) had been done a lot already and b) didn’t fit the Fantastical Creature characters I’d already created. There’s some remnants of that idea in the finished project, but it isn’t as at the forefront as it was originally.
Essentially most of the key players and plot elements were in place from the beginning. Little things got tweaked here and there, and the climax became a bit more exciting, with Lineh taking much more of an active role. I also chose the extinction ending (I hadn’t really any plan for the creatures’ fate when I started writing) because I didn’t think there really was any other way for the story to end convincingly. And who knows, maybe Aglaciel ISN’T the last Fantastical Creature in the world. :)
Fun Facts:
Originally there was going to be another male character, Todd, sort of set up as a rival to Diego, who would have a drake as his partner. Looking at my old notes, his mother was somehow involved with Avery too (no idea what I was thinking). This idea was eventually axed because he didn’t fit into the story.
I don’t know how many people noticed this, but the scene near the beginning when Diego is loading Anu into the horse trailer, Anu acts like he doesn’t trust Diego. I didn’t think anything of it, but my friend pointed out when she read it that the exchange was a perfect subtle piece of foreshadowing. Diego isn’t a virgin. Unicorns traditionally can only be tamed by a virgin.
My favorite character (in case you didn’t guess) is without a doubt Rahim. He was always meant to be the cornerstone of the story, even if he starts out looking like he’s going to have little impact on the plot. His ability to be the host and partner for Lineh truly shows his strength and determination.
Miho always was going to die at the end. I felt kind of bad doing it, because in a few ways it plays right into the “Women in Refrigerators” stereotype (that the woman always dies to motivate the man). That wasn’t really my intention, as I consider myself very much a feminist, but it still might come off that way for some readers nonetheless, so I apologize.
Originally Jane was going to die, but for two reasons she escaped the “meat grinder,” as my cousin likes to call it. 1) I’d already killed off a lot of other characters and 2) I really, really liked Jane. So I had her survive, becoming more of a badass in the process for coming back after all those wounds.
So now you know a little bit more about Imagine Someday. If you’ve read and enjoyed the book, consider leaving an honest review on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog. They go a long way towards helping indie authors and publishers. Thanks a bunch you guys, and goodnight!
Creating and Building Good Characters
A good character is a well-rounded
character. It doesn’t matter if the character is good, bad, or
morally ambiguous. It doesn’t matter if the character is male,
female, or somewhere in between. What matters is that they are a
well-rounded, well-drawn character that feels organic to your
audience.
Elements of Good
Characters:
- A well-defined personality.
- They want something.
- They have relationships with other characters.
- They have flaws.
- They change and develop over the course of the story.
This article is not just for fiction
writers. My advice applies to any art that requires
character-building, from video games to role playing.
Creating a Character
Things to keep in mind when creating a
character:
- What will this character’s role in the narrative be?
- What does the character look like?
- What does the character want?
- What are some base personality traits of this character?
- What are this character’s strengths and weaknesses?
- Who/what does this person care about, if anyone/anything at all?
- What is the gender/race/religion/species of this character and how might that affect his or her life experiences and world outlook?
- How will this character’s experiences in the story change him/her, or will he/she change at all?
Ideas For Inspiration
Not sure where to get “inspired”
for a certain character? Here are some common methods for gaining
ideas:
- People you know. Authors will say this a lot and it’s true. You undoubtedly have noticed aspects of people you spend a lot of time around. Take bits and pieces of them, from their interests to their weird habits, and incorporate them into your new character to give him or her more depth.
- People you don’t know. People you don’t know are just as much a source of inspiration as your close friends and family. Watch people in a public place and see how they interact with one another, or take inspiration from the weird store owner down the street.
- Your life experiences. Never underestimate the power of including snippets of your life experiences in your writing. Most people do this subconsciously without realizing it. Perhaps your character and you have nothing in common except for the fact that you both like coin collecting or that you both have a daughter. It helps give your character depth and it’s something you’re personally familiar with.
- People you’re interested in. For example, even if you’re not a Native American, you can be interested in Native American cultures or issues. Do a bit of research. Interview people. But remember that people are people, like you, no matter their gender, religion, or ethnic origins, and you need to write them as such.
- Fictional characters. You’ve got to be a little careful with this one because you can’t just copy someone else’s character. On the other hand, well-drawn fictional people are people too, and there’s nothing wrong with being inspired by traits of your fictional heroes.
Building Characters Within the Story
When you’ve started writing the
story, here are some ideas for how to continue building a character
as you write:
- Determine how, or if, the character reaches his or her goal. Perhaps they don’t get what they were searching for but gain something much more valuable instead.
- Have them change over the course of the story based on events that happen. Note this does not necessarily mean they become a better person. It’s just as possible to have a character who becomes worse as the story goes on. They might not even change at all, and that might be the point. So do what works for the character and for the story.
- Know what the character’s afraid of. You don’t need to necessarily come out and say this in the narrative, but it can certainly be helpful in determining a character’s actions.
- Give the character interests, and not just one or two. This is a problem I’ve seen a lot recently. People have interests outside of the big things in their lives.
- Have the character tell an anecdote or two from his or her past. Don’t overuse this one, but I’ve found having a character say or think of things that have happened to them helps flesh them out. Our minds wander and think of the strangest things, even at random times.
- Develop the character’s relationship with other characters. By this I don’t necessarily mean romantic relationships. If your main character has a best friend or someone they’ve just met, they’re going to interact with that other person. Put these two characters in the same room and have them have a conversation. See what happens.
- Have the character’s flaw(s) REALLY screw something up. A flaw isn’t a flaw unless it causes problems for the character and/or the people around him/her.
Other Tips
- Don’t be afraid to experiment! The old adage “write what you know” is actually pretty bad advice when taken too literally. Unless you really just want to write one type of character, you’re going to need to expand your horizons. And the only way to do that is to try new things.
- Just start writing the story and see where the character goes. This may not work for some writers but for others this is the best way for them to write. You can always go back and edit later to fix continuity issues.
- Don’t be afraid to cut characters. If a character isn’t working in your story, they might need to go. Perhaps you can find room for them in a future work. Inversely, don’t be afraid to add a character if you need to. Just be careful that he or she fits into the story.
- Write a character sheet. Again, this isn’t something all authors do, but it certainly works for some. A character sheet can help you keep track of your character as you write the story by giving them basic information, personality traits, and goals. It can also help you visualize different characters relationships with each other.
- Be careful with dialects and accents. Having a character speak with a strong accent can be effective, but make sure it doesn’t detract from the writing.
- Don’t get too caught up on flaws/a tragic backstory. A person is more than their problems.
- Get feedback. This is true about any creative expression, but if a character isn’t working or you’re not sure what to do with them, bounce ideas off someone else. This doesn’t have to be a writer, and in fact, shouldn’t always be. A casual reader’s outsider point of view can be invaluable.
- Details, Details, Details! It’s not the grand, sweeping character arcs that set your story and characters apart from the rest. It’s the details of their lives and their behavior. If you’re worried your character isn’t “original” enough, add details about them to make it so!
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