Writing Great Fiction: An Introduction

Chapter 7: Writing Great Characters

So, to get the most out of introducing and building our characters, let's talk about the steps of our relationship with them.

First off, our readers need to meet the characters, and the most important of these are the protagonist and antagonist. Supporting characters should get a chance to stand out, especially when you have an ensemble cast, but in most stories, it's the two main characters you really need to introduce well. Let's focus on the protagonist.

The moment we meet a character is of utmost importance. You and your hero only get one chance to make a good impression. It's the same in writing as it is in dating. You don't want to blow it right off the bat.

So, in order to hook your readers into a long-term relationship, your characters need a few things in particular. At first they need to be vivid, identifiable, and we need a hint that they will be active in shaping the Story.

The first of these is the need to have the character stand out in some way, to have them be vivid. This is the first step of good characterization, but it doesn't mean there is a need for lengthy physical descriptions. Many of the most interesting characters are only described with a few words. Remember that dumping too much exposition and description can slow things down, and the beginning of a story is dreadful place to be slow.

Like using description in general, a good technique is to find the one or two details about a character that stand out, especially if they relate to the other elements of the introduction. Is there something about the character's job or position in life that we will need to know? Maybe that is shown in a few words about how they dress. In Wool, Hugh Howey shows us the main character Jules with just one sentence. "A young-looking woman in overalls, a hard hat on, brown braided hair hanging out the back, was leaning into a wrench nearly as long as she was tall."

Does the character have a problem that is holding her back? That's something you can show too. When we meet Offred in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, we are given no description of her at all. We simply experience her world through her experience.

Or is the hero doing something that will help us see some part of ourselves in her actions? That can also be quickly shown.

These questions deal with making a character identifiable, and luckily, this isn't too hard of a job to tackle. Have you ever noticed how nobody ever reads a horoscope and says, "That's not me at all!" Our brains are wired to look for connections, and this makes identification a natural tool for you as a writer.

The late writing coach, Blake Snyder, wrote a book called Save the Cat. The main idea in the book is in building identification with characters by having them do just what the title says...save a cat (or something similar). Introducing characters doing something admirable and perhaps selfless is a technique that has been used to great effect in books and movies. We admire characters like this, and want to be a part of their lives and journeys.

But, just be careful and make sure you fight against the cliché with this technique. There are a number of films and books where this approach is overused. Think of ways you can adapt it and make it all your own. In the beginning of the animated film The Incredibles, the hero does actually rescue a cat from a tree, but how he does it is so funny and surprising that the cliché is completely turned around.

Remember, small, cute mammals don't have to be in danger in order to spark a reader to identify with your characters. Anything that allows the reader to see a part of herself in the protagonist will do the trick. The feeling for readers, when they find a similarity to latch onto, is almost like they are in an exclusive club with the character.

There are a lot of other techniques that are similar to identification. You can make the character fascinating by giving him something like an interesting job (treasure hunter or superhero or a wizard detective are just a few examples). Giving characters paradoxes or juxtapositions in their inner and outer presentation can also make them fascinating. You can give them qualities we admire. The character might even also be a great leader or have a quirky sense of humor. The possibilities go on and on.