I’ve always wanted there to be—and have often attempted to create—a step-by-step process for writing a novel. And while there are some things that happen in a clear, orderly fashion, many other pieces feel a bit like the chicken and the egg.
My character forms my plot, but also my plot forms my character.
So even though I’ve chosen to talk first about my plot and my research, it’s not like I cross those off a list before I get going on my characters. The creation process is all very entwined for me, so when I’m working on my blurb or research, I’m also thinking about and working on my characters.
For me, it isn’t until I’ve written my first draft that I feel like I really know my characters. Before the first draft, it’s like when there’s a person in your life who you’ve talked to a time or two, but you’ve never had a shared experience. Yeah, you know them … but after you go on that mission trip/play that season of volleyball/survive being lab partners, then you know them.
I’ve tried character interviews, figuring out their Meyer Briggs personality type, archetypes, but none of that has ever served me real well. If you feel like those tools are helpful to you, then stick with it.
The first thing I do, and that you probably do too whether you think about it or not, is mine the story idea for intrinsic character information.
For Within These Lines, there were a few things about my characters that were obvious from the concept of the story. One being that both my main characters, Evalina and Taichi, were the type of people who could be persuaded to break social customs. Since interracial marriage was illegal in California in 1942, obviously dating someone of a different race wouldn’t be very popular either. But they haven’t told their parents, so they’re not rebelling for the sake of making a splash. To me, that suggested that they loved and valued their parents and their opinions.
So just what little I knew about the story has already informed the characters. Before I begin writing or creating a synopsis in earnest, however, I do have three questions that I answer for all point of view characters. I didn’t come up with these on my own, I should say. These are craft questions that are so widely taught, I wouldn’t even know who to give credit to.
What does my character want?
What are they trying to accomplish during the story? If the goal isn’t strong enough, your reader is going to think, “Why don’t they just not do this?”
If the authors hadn’t done their job in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pride and Prejudice, or the movie Tangled, you would think, “Why should Harry Potter look for horcruxes, or Lizzy Bennett wait for true love, or Rapunzel risk leaving her tower?” But you don’t because from the beginning of these stories, you know what the main character’s goal is, and why.
Because my two main characters, Evalina and Taichi, want a happily ever after with each other, I knew in those early chapters my job was to show the reader how good they are when they’re together, and how unfair it is for them to be kept apart.
What lie do they believe, and why do they believe it?
Before the opening of my stories (and most modern stories), my character believes something untrue about his or herself, or the world around them.
The lie is one of the hardest things for me to identify before I write the story, and it sometimes morphs a bit for me as I write the first draft. (Which is frustrating because that inevitably means more work in rewrites.)
When you’re trying to identify the lie, you want something that feeds into the overall message of your story … which means you need to have an idea of what you’re trying to say with the whole thing. For Within These Lines, I knew I had a lot of anger over the way the Japanese Americans were treated, a lot of admiration for how submissive and gracious they were through the whole ordeal, and a ton of frustration with how few people advocated for them outside the fences. I didn’t really know what my theme would be yet, but I knew those were all topics I wanted to touch on.
Taichi’s lie came to me much easier than Evalina’s. Taichi’s lie is, “If I just do what I’m told, everything will be fine.” I knew that lie would feed Taichi’s decisions about how to handle cruel treatment from guards and poor living conditions.
Evalina’s lie started out as something different, but eventually became, “I’m just a teenage girl.” Evalina would lean on her low place in society as an excuse to not speak louder, to not be angrier, to not be more active. She’s just one person. What’s she supposed to do?
Your characters also need a reason to believe what they believe. Sometimes this is called “an origin scene.” For Taichi, I decided he has an older sister who has been very rebellious and gotten into a lot of trouble. From watching her, he learned how to stay out of trouble by obeying. With Evalina, it was a bit murkier to come up with a defining moment of when the lie took hold. I think anyone who has gone through childhood understands that most of the time you feel like a second class citizen who will only really matter once you’re an adult.
The best lies for your characters will have truth in them as well. Take Taichi’s lie as an example. It’s true that if you obey the authorities in your life, things tend to go your way. But what about when the authorities are morally wrong? Or it’s true that Evalina is a teenage girl and doesn’t have much (or any) clout to her name. But that’s not a good enough reason to stay quiet in the face of injustice.
What truth do they need that they’ll discover over the course of the story?
Your main character believes they are working toward something specific (and they are) but they also need to be moving steadily toward learning the truth that will defeat their lie.
Evalina, I knew, would have to learn how to be bold and use her own voice even in the face of oppression from someone who “ranked higher” in society. Taichi would need to learn that there’s a time and place to question authority.
Once I’ve answered these three questions—which sometimes happens easily and other times takes trying and trying again to land on the best option—it’s amazing how much of the plot starts to take shape in my mind. More on that next week!
Do you do very much to get to know your character before starting your first draft? What tools work for you? What have you tried that hasn’t worked?