//Cutting Through the Static
Static: lacking
in movement, action, or change, especially in a way viewed as
undesirable or uninteresting:
I'm going to start by referring to the
Campbellian idea of a hero's path to personal transformation. Usually
called the Hero's Journey or the Mythic Journey, it puts for the idea
of a three-step journey all heroes take. Each step in the journey has
minor sub-steps (or baby steps, if you will), but in the end the
three main points are Separation, Initiation, and Return. A perfect
classic example of this is The Lord of the Rings, in which
Frodo undergoes Separation (leaving Hobbiton on a quest), Initiation
(a series of tests he must endure), and Return (he arrives back at
Hobbiton with new insight). According to Joseph Campbell, who named
this process in his dissertation, The Hero with a Thousand Faces,
this idea is a monomyth - an Ouroborean cycle of mythology,
continually on repeat.
There's a reason we're drawn to stories
of heroes and quests. Not only is it a grand adventure where the
stakes are high (if it's a good tale), but we get to travel with the
hero as he or she embarks on their journey. We fall when they fall,
we rise when they rise, and we come out the other side all the better
for the undertaking (hopefully).
Or rather, that's the ideal.
Unfortunately, much of modern fiction has taken a turn from the idea
of character growth and has instead handed us more static characters
than we know what to do with. A static character, as you might now
imagine, is someone who never changes. They don't grow, they don't
even backslide - they are exactly the same at the beginning as they
are at the end.
This is a personal peeve of mine, and
it's all-too prevalent - especially in young adult fiction. I don't
think it's usually on purpose - I think it's a reflection of our
culture. As life demands less and less of us, we demand less and less
of other things, including stories. We settle for mediocre, and soon
even mediocre becomes better-than-average.
Suffice it to say, character
development is, to me, the most important element in writing, and I'm
thrilled to be able to talk about it today.
Nobody wants a static character. Now,
when I say static, I'm not talking about characters like John Watson
who remain solidly heroic and undergo no striking changes in
personality. I'm talking about characters like James Bond, who
undergo various and sundry adventures that would change the ordinary
person, but leave 007 surprisingly unscathed - both physically and
mentally. The actor may change, but the character does not - at
least, not in any major way.
Personally, I think James could do with
a little character development now and then, but that's just me. But
character development isn't necessarily easy. It takes less work to
keep a character the same as you write them, because you don't need
to think as much. You know exactly who they are and how they will
react at any given time - which in my opinion is a terrible thing,
both for the writer and the reader. Character development is what
helps us grow as people. Nobody wants to travel on a journey
alongside a fictional character and come out the other side exactly
as you went in. How boring would that be? (Answer: Very. I've been on
several such journeys. Sigh.)
But I did just say writing character
development can be hard, so over the years I've cultivated a few tips
that ensure the personal plot carrying on inside my characters is
always moving.
• Throw a situation at them and see
how they react. This situation doesn't have to make the final cut,
or even enter the novel at all - it's an exercise to see how well you
understand your character. Place them in a difficult position. Give
them a dilemma to solve. Give them a devastating heartache. Give them
an incredibly happy moment. What do they do? Their reaction will help
you get a grip on their personality.
• Step back whenever you come to a
major plot point. How will this affect your character? Don't just
keep writing on autopilot - take the time to really think about it.
What is the outcome of this? Does this challenge your character in
any way? Will this break them, or will they rise to the occasion?
• Keep asking those questions. Never
fall into the trap of thinking you know everything about your
character. Question everything they do before they do it. Ask 'what
if?' and go with an option that surprises you. Keep things rolling.
Keep things interesting.
• Don’t forget that your character
is not isolated. (Or at least probably not.) Most characters are
constantly surrounded by other characters. No man is an island, so
don't forget that your character needs to be very real, which means
what other characters say and do will have an impact on him or her.
This may not seem like it has anything to do with character
development, but it has much to do with understanding your character
- and understanding your character paves the way for development.
• Not all development is forward in
motion. Sometimes a character who began as the good guy becomes the
bad one. Sometimes a character makes a stupid choice. Sometimes a
character breaks your trust. These are always fascinating situations
to explore the character's psyche and throw a twist into the plot -
both of which are opportunities you should never pass up.
• Compare. Look at your favorite
fictional characters (the ones you didn't write). Why do you love
them so much? What trials do they undergo? What changes them? Look at
your own character and see if they measure up, if they're the kind of
character you would root for. If not - you should probably fix that.
• Your character should learn from
his or her mistakes. One dumb decision is fine - good, even. Two is
acceptable. But three, and you've developed a bad habit. Your
character isn't learning. They're running into the same wall over and
over. That's the opposite of character development, and it's an issue
I see most often in young adult fiction. I can't count the times I've
wanted to strangle a YA character because they kept making the same
mistakes, caught in an endless cycle of poor choices.
• Make a list
of major plot points. You'll have to work for the filler that comes
in between, but you'll have something to keep you moving forward. I
usually like to have at least three major plot points figured out
before I start writing. These plot points usually deal with the main
character, but don't forget that they should have an impact on the
minor characters, too.
• Write down all those cool ideas. I
pretty much always have a notebook with me when watching a movie or a
drama or a TV show for those 'Oooh. That'd be cool,' moments. I don't
end up using all of them, but I never regret writing them down.
Seriously. Losing a good idea is one of the worst feelings ever. Not
that I'd know anything about it. Ahem.
• Ask someone! This final step is
particularly hard for those of us who are private, or sensitive to
criticism. I used to be so terrified of anyone reading my work that I
didn't let anyone see it. Take it from me - you can do it. Pick
someone you trust and have them give you their opinion. You don't
develop a thick skin by keeping yourself locked away in a safety
cocoon.
This learning process is different for
everyone, and as far as I know, it doesn't ever stop. It's a constant
thing that practice refines and refines some more. I stated earlier
that it was hard, but I don't want to daunt you. It's hard. Writing
is hard. Most things worth doing are hard! (Particularly writing. But
I'm also biased.) I'm not an expert, although I've just written an
entire blog post on the subject - but I've been writing for a good
long while, and these tips have proved consistently helpful. I hope
they're as helpful to you!
~Mirriam Neal
Mirriam Neal is a twenty-two-year-old
Northwestern hipster living in Atlanta. She writes hard-to-describe
books in hard-to-describe genres, and illustrates things whenever she
finds the time. She aspires to live as faithfully and creatively as
she can and she hopes you do, too.
