How can we make
our characters seem like real people and not cardboard stereotypes?
Here's a fun
activity that I've used in writing classes.
Pick a character
and give him or her a label. For example, cheerleader.
Brainstorm the
characteristics that you would expect a cheerleader to have: popular, good
figure, pretty, athletic. Then add one surprising thing to your list - shy. We
don't usually think of a cheerleader as shy. We now have the beginnings of an
individual.
A mountain climber
is strong, athletic, disciplined, loves the outdoors. Could he also be afraid
of heights?
What about the
soccer team captain who likes to knit? The bouncer at the bar who owns a
poodle? The teacher who steals from kids' lunches? The detective who is a
hoarder?
You don't have to
stop there. Often the "one surprising thing" raises questions that
can liven up your plot. What motivates a person who is afraid of heights to
climb mountains? Is he living up to a dare? Trying to overcome a bad experience
from his past? Proving a point? Or is there something on that mountain that he
needs?
A word of caution
- if you give your character too many "surprising things", he will
seem just plain weird. One or two works great.
Some advice
from Nigel Watts in Write a Novel and Get It Published. . .
Human beings are
never as predictable as we think they are.
MY FAVOURITE
KIDS BOOK OF THE WEEK:
Almost Eden
This is the story
of a twelve year old Mennonite girl, Elsie, who is struggling with her mother's
mental illness. The back cover describes the book as a "beautiful portrait
of a town, a family and a young woman with wicked wit and clarity who is
willing to challenge what doesn't make sense and to fix what doesn't seem
right." This book stayed with me long after I read it.
FUN FOR KIDS:
What if . . . you got a part time job at a
dog shelter? What dog would you fall in
love with? How did he end up in a shelter? How will you persuade your parents
to let you take him home?
Next week:
Be Specific
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