THE STAGES OF CHARACTER BUILDING

NaNoWriMo looms on the horizon, which means I've begun preparing for the epic month-long event. Most of my preparation includes stocking up on coffee, chocolate, and epic soundtracks. But I'm also giving another go at plotting. (hahahaha let the crying and frustration begin) 

Even though I'll officially start plotting in October, I've already had a few quick brainstorming sessions. So far I've exited them without a plot -- only hundreds of more questions and the miserable reminder of how terrible I am at characterization.

Maybe you love creating characters, maybe you hate it, or maybe you're like me and land somewhere in the middle. Regardless of how you feel, characterization is something that's essential to the writing process. 

Normally, this is where the post would segway into "Five Great Tips To Make Your Character Come Alive!" But I struggle just as much as anyone else, so instead we're going to talk about that struggle. :P

When crafting characters, I find myself slugging through three stages. They're not recommended stages -- I suggest you skip straight to the third one if possible -- but unfortunately I am not superhuman and must obey the laws of the writing process.

(This post was inspired by a conversation with the lovely Hannah!)

[[alternatively titled: the "old and crumbly gingerbread man" stage, or the "thin and spindly stick person" stage.]]

Ahh, you've heard of cardboard cutouts. It's a common phrase when referring to flat, boring, and unpersonable heroes. In this first stage, it's impossible to define my character as the hero -- instead they're basically an unemotional blob meandering through my novel's plot. 

My character wouldn't even react if they were stabbed, since they have no feelings or motives or understanding of emotions. I have to drag them through the actions like an amateur robot whose coding is completely whacked up. Trying to build a connection with my character is like pulling teeth. Or smacking my head on my keyboard a bajillion times out of pure frustration. 

Needless to say, I'm not on great terms with my character during this dreaded first stage. They always frustrate me with their lack of personality, and the thought of editing my novel with a hero this boring drives me insane. Sometimes, before I drift off to sleep, I quietly chant to myself this important reminder: don't kill them out of annoyance, don't kill them out of annoyance, don't...

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Stage number two is where improvement slowly starts to happen (very... very... slowly...). I stop wanting to kill my character and maybe just seriously injury or maim them instead. Now they've transformed from the thin slab of cardboard into a functioning lego character, complete with dimension, shape, movement, and the possibility of a small brain in that little yellow noggin of their's.

At this point we're not best friends... but in mutual agreement that there's hope for the future. It's a growing relationship! And whether we like it or not, we're stuck with each other, because once a character, always a character. (Unless they die. Or unless I'm completely ruthless and cut their whole story arc out of the novel. #beentheredonethat)

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After HUNDREDS of long hours, working late into the night, and countless drafts... my cardboard lego person finally evolves into what they were meant to be from the beginning: a character. It's like my little child escaped the "terrible twos" and now everything in the story can come together. My hero reacts to hand stabbing or terrible events like a normal human. They have fear and strength and problems and moments of victory.

This sounds awesome, right? I mean, my character and I are getting along! They've become a hero a reader can relate to -- it's what I've been working toward from stage one... but now I feel guilty about their hard and perilous journey. 

When they ache, I ache. When they must travel through haunted forests and fight creatures of the deep, I get scared! When they become injured in any way (or die. WHOOPS.), I feel horrible. I finally built up this connection with my character, only to betray them by killing off their parents or best friend or pet. Go me.

It's a lot easier on my conscious to lead a soulless cardboard cutout through my story instead of a friend... but it all pays off in the end when the novel is a thousand times better because of it. My character would otherwise disagree, but OH WELL. These are the woes of a writer. :P

<3,
katie grace

what about you? do you struggle with characterization?