Your girl needs a nap, but instead, she's writing a rant. And today we're going to talk about: The Great Big Character Depth Rant (Mental, Physical, Emotional Challenges)
I couldn't think of a better name for this chapter, but essentially we're going to be talking about interesting challenges, problems, and flaws characters must work around in the story. Because the more I think about it, the more I've realized I haven't really seen too many problems that they live with and have to work around. Usually, the most "depth" a character has is when they have a mental disorder (and we've talked about this). They're usually dealing with depression (that a love interest fixes), anxiety (that a love interest fixes), or some sort of OCD issues (that a love interest fixes).
So I did some thinking about things we could add to our character's lives to give them some conflict and depth, and to make our stories more interesting. And this is the list I came up with:
1. Health issues
Usually when there's a health issue in the story, it's that a character has cancer or some horrible, terminal tumor or something. But there are tons and tons of health issues no one has discussed that affect millions of people and could help make for a great, real story when actually written about in a caring manner.
I've never read about a diabetic character. I keep thinking about it, and I can't think of one story where there has been a diabetic character...published or not. Like, I seriously can't, and I would appreciate it if someone would tell me of one, because I swear there has to be and I'm just forgetting it. But think about how awesome this would be! I've known tons and tons of diabetic people. My grandpa was. One of my uncles was. I've had a few friends that were. Co-workers. There are tons of people! And it's not one of those things that has to completely dominate the story (like cancer). It's seriously just a character trait and I think that's really interesting. Because I can imagine the possible plot conflicts that could arise from this.
My ex-boyfriend's dad was a doctor and he told me he's 99% sure I'm hypoglycemic, but I've never had that professionally tested, but it does play a role in my life. If I don't eat for a while I will get really low blood sugar and it used to be a horrible problem when I was in high school. It got to the point where my best friend would keep snacks in his locker (and he didn't use his locker, he left his shit in mine). And that's a serious problem. Like, I'll get super confused about what I'm doing and I'll shake really bad, so we would have writing assignments and I couldn't do them. Or if I did, I'd be shaking so bad you couldn't read them. And it makes you super anxious when you really don't feel good like that.
My best friend used to do this weird thumb popping thing where he could grab someone's wrist and push up on their thumb and pop it, and when he thought I was having an issue, he'd do it to me so he could check my pulse. It was this subtle system we had and I think something like that for your characters would show amazing character development. Or my coach would check my times when running and if they were below a certain point I'd have to sit out with a snack.
So that's a problem your character could have. But, I'd rather someone do full on diabetic. Because I think that would be awesome. Like I said, it doesn't have to control the story, but I think it's awesome to give your character something like that. Something to help them build character. Something to help twist up the plot away from the mundane.
Another thing I never see that's really common that I never see: asthma. I know so many people with asthma that it's not even funny. And I know a few with incredibly severe asthma. So that's another tiny thing you could add to your story for some extra flare. Sometimes you gotta have your inhaler. I ran with some amazing girls that had inhalers. I knew a kid that was late to our fourth hour class every day because he had to stop at the nurse's and use his inhaler. That's just something you can add to your story, because maybe something happens while that kid is going through empty halls on his way to fourth hour after using his inhaler. Like maybe he overhears something that he isn't supposed to. Have an imagination people.
I don't know that I've ever read a story with someone that had cystic fibrosis (though my brother said one of the characters on Bates Motel has it?) My aunt had it and that was a serious thing for her. That's one of those disease that would actually play a major role in the story and I'd like to see that. It's never explored and I know she had a hell of a lot of trouble with it. But she actually managed to graduate high school without anyone knowing he was sick, even though she'd have terrible coughing fits and what not. But there you go, another disease to consider.
Or what about a character with irritable bowel syndrome? (Romanticize THAT!) Or someone with mono. Or someone with an STD/STI (I would LOVE if someone wrote that. My senior year, half our basketball team got chlamydia and...yeah...interesting season). Or endometriosis. I have that and I can tell you, it would most definitely play a role in your character's life.
My point is: there are other problems besides cancer. These things millions upon millions of people deal with daily and I think it's time we start exploring these with our characters. Have you tried writing a character with an illness like this (major or minor?) Lemme know in the comments. I'm interested in this now.
2. Minor injuries
Speaking of characters I've never seen, I've never seen one with a cast or brace (at least not for an extended period of time), but those things stay on FOREVER and a day, it seems like. And they cause major problems. My best friend's wrist was broken for the majority of middle school (don't ask. I just remember it was broken for three days before anyone finally told his dad and he had to go get a cast. When it happened I remembered he threatened to kill us all if we told. And his little brother finally ratted him out (as usual) and now any time his little brother tries to convince him to do something he just says "Hey, remember that time when you told on me for breaking my wrist and then I had to wear a cast for years?" And then his brother shuts up).
But I haven't seen this and I think it would be awesome. I'm halfway through a story called Sunday's Best (it's not here, it's just one of those million side projects I do when I can't sleep) and it's about an athlete that ruins his knee and can't play anymore and so he kind of has to find a new identity outside of the sports guy. And I think that's something we should explore more. Athletes are terrified, TERRIFIED of injuries.
I remember forging a note one time so my best friend wouldn't get pulled from basketball our senior year. His doctor told him to sit out almost a whole season, so we forged a note to clear him and he played until the very last game (at which point the other team (who was disqualified from the state playoffs they beat us out for) for cheating) when in the last two seconds he took a horrible, horrible shot to the ribs (which were the reason he wasn't supposed to play) and had to have surgery that night. And I remember he was so, so happy he wasn't going to have to miss basketball.
I remember crying my eyes out when I had to scratch out of districts during track for tearing the muscles out of my chest. And I remember throwing a little hissy fit when I would have to wear my hip brace after running at cross country meets (usually when my coach would tell me to put it on I'd very dramatically, in all my seventeen year-old angst say "I'd rather hurt than wear that thing"). For most of my senior year I had to wear an ankle wrap for an injury.
My best friend had to wear a boot one year and I remember he was pissed off he had to miss the first week of spring football practice. He was such a little bitch that whole week, because he was mad. And once he came to practice with a hospital bracelet still on when he got a concussion. I'm telling you, athletes, when they care about their sport, will stop at nothing to play. So you can imagine how a minor injury would really affect their lives and shake up the story.
Or even for a character that isn't an athlete. You know you have to put a trash bag over a cast before you shower. And hopefully you don't break your dominate arm, because good luck writing with the other one.
Someone help me out: what are some other minor injuries you can give your characters (and I say minor in a sense that they will eventually heal). Or tell me where I can find a story like this, because I think it just sounds like a good time of angst and a lot of comedic relief.
3. Perfectionist Personality
So I see a lot of characters that a "perfectionists" and I keep thinking about how it's just an excuse to make your character a Mary Sue and have a good reason for it. She's good at everything because she's such a perfectionist, but this kind of personality can actually be a real conflict and a serious flaw. I was a perfectionist for most of my schooling career and it wasn't something that just made me good at everything. It was something that made me obsessive.
I got to the point where I wanted to be so perfect in track that I was actually hurting myself. I'd set times for myself (very unrealistic ones, like, usually state record times) and if I didn't make them I'd force myself to keep trying over and over until I got it right or someone would stop me. And it always ended in someone coming out to stop me. I think the worst day was when I was trying to run a 400 in forty seconds and I ended up running (or sprinting, to make time) almost seven miles that day. I was so exhausted and I remember my best friend came to find me on the track and refused to let me run anymore. Like, I collapsed on the field and I was so upset with everything. He had to carry me to his car and drive me home and I didn't talk to him for the entire next day because I was so mad he stopped me.
Being a perfectionist isn't always this pretty little habit that makes you great at everything. More often than not, it's something that really takes a toll on your mind and body.
That was actually part of what started my insomnia. When I was really little, I was super into art and I decided that all my pictures that I drew had to be the absolute best I could do. So I would stay up for days on end working on assignments for art class. We only had it once a week and so I would work tirelessly for a week straight on one assignment. And I would always cry right before art class because I thought it was so bad. Once I ripped up this huge picture that I did because I was so mad it wasn't what I considered perfect and my art teacher finally had to take me in the hall and tell me she was proud of all my work and I shouldn't be so hard on myself. But I was in, like first or second grade (and granted, I was working through a lot of problems then) and I would come to school exhausted. I would sleep through recess a lot, because my best friend would sit with me and "keep watch" while I slept.
Perfectionist don't just do great work. They tear themselves apart trying to reach this idea of "perfect" that's impossible to achieve. So, I think that's a side of it that we should explore more. Instead of them just being great little Mary Sues, let's maybe try to focus on the obsessive side of things. There is something to be said for someone who puts so much pressure on themselves to be perfect. What happens when they aren't?
So I better just go ahead and end this rant here. I have papers to go grade, so now it's your turn to expand (because there is SO much more to be said). Your job: leave me some comments. What kinds of things would you like to see characters handle or face? Or, what are some things your characters face? Do they have to deal with anything we mentioned here? Let me know.
Until then I'll be grading papers and wishing I could take a nap. Have a lovely day/night/whatever the hell it is