THE STAGES OF CHARACTER BUILDING

Saturday, September 16, 2017
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...

via
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)

via
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?

55 comments :

  1. Ugh I laughed so hard at this. It's so freaking relatable. ;)

    I'm planning to attempt my first NaNoWriMo this November, but I'm going rogue cause I don't have a NaNo account and I'm only aiming for 30k cause, you know, life. Good luck with your plotless superhero novel lol. Can't wait to hear how it went.

    Considering that I've never finished a novel before, I can't say that I'm an expert on characterization. However, so far, my characters have been super difficult most of the time. But I still love them because they're mine and I'M THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAN EVER COMPLAIN ABOUT THEM because #authorauthority

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    1. YOU CAN DO THIS! Also... I don't know how old you are, but depending on your age you can participate in the NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program! You're able to choose your own word count goal, so that might be something of interest to you if you still want to have all those awesome charts. ( https://ywp.nanowrimo.org/ )

      YUP BASICALLY. I love them to death but am also frustrated to death by the struggles they cause me. xD

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    2. Haha, thanks, but I'm an older teen so I don't think I'd count for that. I'm a senior in high school. ;) so probably almost the same age as you.

      Yessss same!!

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    3. *nod* You're able to use the YWP up to eighteen years old, so it should still work! But if you'd rather not use the site that's okay, too. :D

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    4. Lol, I just like saying that I'm going rogue for NaNoWriMo cause it sounds cool. XD

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  2. Yes, characters can be a total pain sometimes! They all seem to be very similar to one another when I write...like...ugh. It's really hard to get the diversity I want. ;)
    But after a while they come into their own and I'm like- I LOVE THIS CHARACTER. YES. AWESOMENESS. I CAN'T WAIT TO DESTROY EVERYTHING THEY LOVE. XD XD XD
    This NaNo prep season, my character is super developed but my plot is saying- HA, you wish you knew anything about me. XD
    -Emma-

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    1. I know! It's so hard to make them unique and stand out from all the other thousands of characters out there. o.o

      HA I feel you. YOU CAN DO THIS. I hope the rest of NaNo prep goes well for you, Emma!

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  3. Ugh, YES SO HARD. I am creating my characters right now and it is the worst thing ever like what even I'm not God, I can not create an entire being. O_O
    I've made my MC an extroverted, peppy sorta guy, but my mind keeps seeing him as my typical quiet, serious, introverted guy and I'm like literally yelling at myself - NO THATS NOT HIM HES HAPPYYY XD
    Can I like hire someone to create my characters cause I can not. XD I legit could rant about creating characters for eternity, but I'm tired and I don't wanna take over the comment section with my ranting. XD
    KATIE ARE YOU STILL WRITING A SUPERHERO NOVEL FOR NANO? O_O
    ~Jaclynn~

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    1. *chuckles* I've never heard that analogy before. Too funny. xD

      IT WOULD BE SO NICE TO HIRE SOMEONE. Though I guess that means they're not truly my own characters... but maybe that's kind of like adopting a child. XD

      AH YES I THINK I AM. IF I CAN FIND A PLOT. BUT I BETTER FIND A PLOT BECAUSE AS OF RIGHT NOW I DO NOT HAVE A BACKUP STORY. xD

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    2. OOH YOU HAVE SO GOT THIS KATIE! I'm so excited for NaNo to start cause your NaNo posts are so amazing. O_O
      Oh, I wanted to ask you something! So, the past couple of years I've done the YWP, but this year I want to shoot for 50K, so I wanted your opinion - do you think it matters if I stick with YWP or would you recommend doing the adult program? I'm just really not sure of the differences and stuff XD
      ~Jaclynn~
      P.S. I was also wondering if you could do me a favor? I'm not one to really ask people to advertise for me, but I made a Facebook page for my writing and I just wanna get the word out there with other teen writers who have Facebook, so if you could check it out or share it with people you know that would be great! Its very new, so I haven't posted much, but as the NaNo season looms closer I'll be posting more. ;)
      It's facebook.com/JaclynnMarieWriter
      Also, I totally understand if you'd rather not share it, so no pressure! :)

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    3. I personally like the adult program, since that's where all my buddies are... (and we could be friends on there!) but it's really up to you! My first year of NaNo I actually updated on both sites, so that's also an option. :)

      And I liked your page! How exciting. ^.^

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    4. Oh my goodness gracious, I had no idea graduating from the YWP was a thing so apparently I don't really have a choice now that I'm 18! Guess I'll be joining you then! XD
      And oh, thanks so much!! :D
      ~Jaclynn~

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  4. I actually absolutely adore characters and they're normally the things that spring up on me before any story idea. It's just -boom- another character. XP I just have this thing with characters and I really like making and developing them and they're funnn. (And y'know, I HOPE THEY'RE ORIGINAL ANYWAYS. If they're not- oops. XD)

    To this date I only have one character who has been this frustrating. I am still frustrated with him and 80% convinced that I should just cut him out completely because writing him was just SUCH A PAIN. I don't want to subject myself to him ever again. I'd NEVER had that much trouble before this POV character came along and I never connected with him or anything. UGH.

    Dude though. NaNoWriMo planning ALREADY?? HALP NO, PLEASE LET ME BELIEVE IT'S A LONG WAY AWAY STILL. *hides* I can't decide what project to work on. I want to do superhero, but I can't get an original plot idea for the life of me. And then I've got a bunch of others but I also have this horrible and completely random fear that they won't work and I'll get myself stuck right in the middle of NaNo. (Which is a weird fear considering I won my first NaNo last year on day ten?? I'm confused at myself. help. >.<)

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    1. Ooh I love that characters come about easily to you! That makes me even more excited to read one of your novels someday. :D EXCEPT FOR THAT BOTHERSOME CHARACTER. I DO NOT LOVE HIM FOR CAUSING YOU SO MUCH FRUSTRATION AND PAIN. :P

      EEK I KNOW. I haven't realllyyy been planning... just freaking out about the fact that I should start planning. :P And dude, you should totally write a superhero novel! Then we can be superhero story writing twins. o.o

      AND I GET THAT SAME FEAR, TOO. o.o I always tell myself it's a stupid fear, because I always power through... but I get scared that suddenly I won't remember how to write fast, or the story will just not come, and I won't be able to think, or something. xD You're not alone in that. :P

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    2. Twinning would be so cool though. *strokes chin* I shall have to think about that story a little more because that would seriously be so cool.

      WHAT? It's not just me?? *flops in relief* Oh man that's absolutely what I feel. We can do this!!

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  5. I have a few characters like this, but most of the time they either spring into my head fully formed or they only need a little tweaking to reveal their personality and backstory. I'm so worried about that now. *like am I normal*

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    1. Ooooh, that's so awesome. O.O And it seems pretty split -- some people are like you and have no problems with characterization... and others are like me and just fail at it. XD

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  6. Interesting post. I can say that this isn't a struggle I really have; most of my major characters, at least, start out fairly well-formed (though they obviously develop even more over the course of the story). The exceptions tend to start out at Lego Man stage and then become better once I throw stuff at them and see how they react.

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    1. Oooh, that's awesome. I admire people who can know their characters easily right away, since I usually have to write with them and see how they react first. Super interesting!

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  7. Character building is something I love doing. Half the time they come before the story does, but it can still be pretty frustrating at times. Some characters fall into place a lot faster than others. Some get changed 5432332332 times because I can't decide on certain character traits, roles, or backstory things. There are so many things you have to consider when you're making a character, you know? Some just start developing intuitively on their own as I'm planning the story or whatever (making it much easier to write them for real later on), some I have to force through several stages of cardboard/Lego/person development. Anyway, it's hard but fun. I can spend hours on it before I get too frustrated sometimes.
    [Also, WHY IS NAMING THEM SO HARD?]

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    1. Yuup I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND YOU THERE. Like humans, characters should have tons of different dimensions and thoughts and backstory to them, and it's exhausting to think of all of that. XD


      [DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON NAMING. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW DIFFICULT IT IS. I dread naming characters more than creating characters themselves. I named a random fantasy man "John" for three drafts because I couldn't find a replacement name. -.-]

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  8. xD This post was so great, oh my goodness.

    Characters are actually my favorite part of the writing process. Plot drives me insane, but I adore creating characters. They can definitely be frustrating sometimes, though!

    I loved reading about this process!!

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    1. Even though characters cause me so much trouble, I agree that they're one of the best parts. Because I feel like that's where the heart of the story comes from!

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  9. Yes!!!!!! I literally went to bed after completing another chapter wondering what's up with my MC. People talk about how they love my characters. But they're either super duper easy for me or the hardest. thing. ever.

    All my characters in Matinee Regulars so far are falling into that last category -_- I've even personality typed them all, which is usually my road out. Character sheets are next!!

    And hand stabbing wait what? o.o

    Psst, so what are you doing for NaNo?? <3

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    1. Oh my goodness, that's awesome! I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS STORY, and now even more pumped knowing that you are excited about the characters you've created! Did you use a resource or outline for the character sheets? *is curious*

      Well, that was an example. :P But... now that you mention it... ;)

      HAHAH WHO KNOWS. I'm going to try to write this vague idea of a superhero novel?? But it needs a lot of brainstorming since there are SO many different ways I could take it. I'm going to have a brainstorming session with a friend soon here, so hopefully that will help carve the path I should take. *crosses fingers*

      Are you doing NaNo? What are you writing??

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  10. "Or die. WHOOPS."

    I laughed so hard XD

    Hailey
    www.haileyhudson.wordpress.com

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  11. Lol :) I don't usually have that much trouble with my characters, but then I haven't really stretched my skills to multiple people in multiple novels yet xD I struggle to make them "un-cliche" though :D And different from all the others in the same story.

    <3
    lisa

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    1. I feel that struggle. >.< I think this NaNo novel will have a larger cast than I'm used to, so I'm nervous about making their personalities different enough! We'll see how it goes. o.o

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  12. ACK, THIS WAS EPIC. Characters/Characterization/ANYTHING CHARRIES may or may not be my biggest passion when it comes to writing, so this post was a ton of fun to read. And the thing I struggle with THE ABSOLUTE MOST is not making my main character boring and dull. I have not figured it out yet. WHAT EVEN IS THE SECRET. *sets out to find it*

    ~ Savannah | Scattered Scribblings

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    1. RIGHT. IF YOU FIND THE SECRET PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE IT WITH ME. I must know, because I'm scared of the exact same thing. *le sigh*

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  13. Huh, this is really interesting because this isn't really how it is for me! Usually I have a good idea of who they are, I just need to get to know them better. At the conference, Shannon Hale said that there are two types of writers--those that start with the concept, and those that start with the characters. I always start with the character, so I usually don't have to deal with the cardboard cutout stage.

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    1. *nodnod* That's cool! I kind of agree with Shannon? I don't usually start with characters or plot -- more of a vibe/mood/feeling/aesthetic of the story. The plot and characters come later.

      But those two types of writers are most common. :)

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  14. THIS IS SO RELATABLE. Usually though for me the cardboard cutout is the caricature, ahem. I have a problem with making everything bigger than life.

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    1. Heh, I understand that. Us writers have mountains of problems. xD

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  15. For some reason, plot is what really gets me. I feel like characterization can be tough but DANG! Plot is just so hard! I truly envy writers who can plot and plot for days. PLOT IS MY NEMESIS - I can never decide where I want the story to go! LOL

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    1. Ugh plot is hard, too. I feel like I kind of just struggle with everything that goes along with writing a book? XD Eventually I can get it close to right, but it just takes so much timeee. o.o

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  16. Loved this post Katie. Characters for me are something that usually comes easy. I think of the characters before I do a plot! Then I build a world around them. I've been told I write good descriptions, and I can do characters, but I have the hardest time writing CONVERSATION. Maybe because I'm an introvert and don't want to have conversations. XD

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    1. Ooh, that's interesting! For me characters always come after the plot, so I find it neat when another writer works differently.

      Ha, maybe! I think I'm the other way around. I can write conversations fairly well, but everything else that deals with writing I feel like a complete and dismal failure on. xD We'll just have to balance each other out. :P

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  17. I love this post! HAHAHA: "My character wouldn't even react if they were stabbed." THIS MADE ME LAUGH. Due to my story building process, I don't personally struggle much with creating characters but I'M SORRY. It sounds pretty rough o.o I don't know what I would do if my characters didn't come hand in hand with my plot o.o I have ALL the respect for you! <3

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    1. I'm probably making it worse than it sounds, BUT IT FEELS HARD. And since reading The Dream Walkers, I do know that your characters are brilliant and unique and just pop out from the page. And that's from reading a second draft, so goodness you're awesome. xD I have all the respect for YOU!

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  18. Haha, I'm the same way half the time. The plot and world are coming together, but the character is just beginning to transition cardboard cutout to lego dude. :P

    The other half the time I have an awesome, multifaceted character... with no plot that clicks with him or her.

    #writerstruggles xD

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    1. YES YOU JUST DESCRIBED THAT PERFECTLY. Ugh. *headdesks* It's always one way or the other... :P

      (also, where did your pretty flower profile picture go? o.o)

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    2. I don't know! o.o *investigates*

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  19. The struggle is real! I always seem to have a difficult time with my character development. It depends so much on plot, but the plot depends so much on characters, and it's sort of this deadly spiral that I can't break out of. Ugh. But it's always so rewarding to have a character that you love at the end.

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    1. Yuup, you know exactly what I'm talking about. It's fun reading back on first drafts and noticing how the plot and character developed through all the edits! The not-so-fun part is actually doing all the edits. xD

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  20. old and crumbly gingerbread man <~ *dies laughing* XD
    This is interesting, because I find that characters usually come fairly easily to me. But plot...ME AND PLOT DON'T GET ALONG. XD

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    1. Unfortunately I don't think my characters or my plot get along very well. xD We're all just "acquaintances" and then through time we grow to be better friends. Lots and lots of time. >.<

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  21. I laughed so hard...this is perfect! I'm starting to plot my NaNo novel as well, but it's the last of my trilogy, so I already have got most of the characters as my best friends(though there are some new ones coming in *squeals* so that'll be fun watching them grow).

    Personally, I tend to struggle with description. Like I can work out their personality, their struggles and strengths, and all that stuff. But I tend to just generically have "XYZ color hair, and 123 eyes. Tall/short. Clothes that go with their job and status." And I have /no idea/ how to describe them in the story...ahhh!

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    1. EEEP! Yay for NaNoWriMo and plotting and best friend characters! That's the easier part of a series -- the characters are already developed. The problem is creating new story arcs and journeys for them to grow in. But that's awesome that you've kept with your trilogy for all this time! :D

      UGH SAME. I rarely describe my characters in my novels and it's such a bad habit of mine! But I don't really know what they look like, and I don't take the time to care... and... ugh. You and me both. xD

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  22. I hope to reach the final stage of character development one day! (Hopefully soon, please. My story is pretty old.)

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  23. THIS POST- pure awesomeness. I love it. So true!!!

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