The idea that the writer needs to understand their characters is an obvious one. With respect to the protagonist, we need to not only get inside their head, but be able to live there pretty comfortably. It’s a natural process as far as basic plot and character questions, such as, “How did the Nazi and the Bishop come to be friends?” But my tip today on characters runs deeper than that: Know the basis of every decision the character makes like the back of your hand.
Every decision? Sure. Of course I do this. If I didn’t, the character’s actions wouldn’t make sense. That is absolutely true, and missing the point. I mean EVERY decision. Think about how many decisions you’ve made before you hit the door each morning. Am I getting out of bed? What for? Should I shower? Should I shave my legs? And do I give a damn one way or the other? Brush my teeth? Deod or would I rather offend people today? What should I wear? Should I keep going or crawl back into bed now? Gosh, the kitchen is a mess after the kids blew through. Should I clean it? What happens if I don’t? Does that matter to me? Wow, the breakfast decision… a SlimFast shake in the car on the way to work? Bacon and eggs at the table? Leftover pizza? Should I heat that or not? Wait, why am I going to work? Sure I have things to do, but what are the consequences if I blow it off, and do I care about them? And if I don’t go to work, should I watch Pinky and the Brain re-runs on the Cartoon Network all day? Or clean the house? Or work from home? Or read a book? Or ….
Of course, no one goes through life consciously thinking through all of these decisions. If we did, we’d be exhausted before we left the house – and it would be lunch time by then as well. Your characters won’t be making these decisions expressly either, but you need to know them. You need to understand the conscious, subconscious and sometimes contradictory drivers the spur every movement, decision and action of your characters. It’s not always easy, especially if its a character you don’t like. But it is worth the work.
Why would I do all that? My novel is plot-driven. I don’t need that much detail. I hope the level of motivational detail I have just described will NEVER be expressly used in your writing. And if it is, don’t send it to me to review – it sounds awful. But then again, I am not a fan of character-driven novels. I like good, meaty plots. Nevertheless, doing this homework is important. It will take the useful character in your plot-driven novel and turn them into a real person in the minds of the reader. That rich internal world will be conveyed to the readers subtly through their pattern of speech, their clothing choices, the places they go, the people they choose to interact with – as well as, of course, their decisions and actions at the major plot points. But the fictional character is no longer confined to the pages of the novel, but lives in the readers mind as fully as their neighbor, work-nemesis, daughters, or lovers.
Achieving that “aliveness” will never detract from your plot. In fact, the stakes will suddenly become personal to the reader.
Happy writing!