Writing Good Fiction Characters part 2

Non-human Characters

            When writing non-human characters, consistency is the key. Don’t go flip flopping around about rules, limitations, and species specfics, or change the rules half way through (important in any story).

There are three types of non-human characters. Each requires a different approach

Basically a human: These characters possess the same anatomy as humans. They may have slight visual differences (really short, really tall, really hairy, pointy ears), but they physically function like a human. They often have a different way of life, traditions, beliefs, and reactions than there “regular” human counterparts, but otherwise are very similar. They may also have special abilities or qualities in the race such as an ability to perform a specific form of magic, or a skill, primarily unique to those people. A good example would be Santa’s elves. They are visually different (short, pointy ears), live at the north pole, have crazy work ethics, are annoyingly cheerful, and wear funky outfits. They also are particularly good at making toys (unless of course you’re Hermie and wish to be a dentist). Though they are not human, they function very much like humans.

Humanoid: These characters appear outwardly to be human, though their bodies function different and may require different things to support life, visual differences are minor. They may or may not share human feelings and reactions, and often have “special powers.” They most certainly have a culture of there own, and probably don’t live and interact with “regular” humans on a daily basis. Consider Spock from Startrek. He looks very much like a human (aside from the creepy ears), but as he himself says, his anatomy and physiological function are different from “regular” humans. He lives on planet Vulcan where they have all sorts of bizarre traditions and a culture completely unique from humans. He does not feel emotions like humans. He also possesses the ability to perform the Vulcan “mind meld” to read other people’s thoughts. They important difference from the essentially human character is that the reader, once past the initial impression, will find it very clear that this character is NOT a human, even if visually similar. The basically humans characters are more of a human “sub culture.”

Totally Non Human: This is where it gets fun! The totally non-human character does not appear to be a human outwardly. They could be green with five nostrils and feathers, have fins, or be covered in fur. They are almost completely different from humans in beliefs and life styles. Their living requirements may or may not be compatible with humans. Examples include nyads, dryads, satyrs, trolls, shape shifters, sphinxes, werewolves, sprites, and any of the alien species in Star Wars. This also includes any animals that may be capable of “higher thought” and/or communication in your story such as dragons, griffons, unicorns, or other creatures of your imagination.

            Successful portrayal of the non human character requires careful planning. You must not break your own parameters about the character. The best and most memorable characters will not be the girl-with-antennae-who-is-in-no-way-different-from-normal-humans-besides-the-antennae, but the character who develops into a unique, engaging character that views life differently from “regular” humans. (a prime example would be Henny the Hoola from the Avalon series)

Description

            A good rule of thumb here is to never have more than a short paragraph of straight description for your character. Rather than mentioning their height, eye color, hair etc, all at once, sprinkle it through out the passage so your story doesn’t become stilted.

            Billy was a kid that was pretty tall. He had brown curly hair, and glasses with wire rims that magnified his hazel eyes. He wore a red polo, with a pair of khaki slacks. His shoes were a worn pair of black converse. He was of medium build, and seemed unsure of himself.

            Vs.

            A brown, curly, head peeking above the masses caught Jim’s eye. That must be the new kid, he thought. He managed to jostle his way across the room and sat down next to him.

            “I’m Jim,” he said, “what’s your name?”

            “Uh, I’m Billy,” the new kid said staring intently at the scuffed toes of his converse.

            The first example is just plain boring, not to mention poorly written. The second example has more action, and we find out almost all the details mentioned in example one with out being hammered over the head with Billy was et al. Jim and Billy should then proceed to interact some more, and eventually we’ll find out that Billy has glasses and hazel eyes, as it best fits in the story.

             I honestly don’t think the fact that Billy has a medium build, or is wearing a polo and khakis is worth even mentioning. Now, if Billy was lanky, fat, or wore unusual clothes, then it would make sense, but adding such mundane unnecessary details is a sure way to lose your reader’s interest fast.

            Also be careful of the descriptive terms you use. If you are writing an intense battle scene and I start giggling because you chose to describe Sir Lancelot in the terms “His ebony tresses were fraught with perspiration,” that is not a good thing. Also try not to make your metaphor’s super ridiculous (unless of course, you are intentionally trying to make your readers laugh, and it is done well). There is no place for metaphor’s or similes such as “her eye’s glinted like the scales of a rainbow trout in the sun,” or “the mug was the shade of blue of a Siamese cat’s eyes.” Over the top description and flowery terms are not necessary. Use the best words to communicate your meaning and characters, but please, don’t stick in random words from the thesaurus just because, especially if you don’t know what it means. Synonyms do not always mean the exact same thing! Most important of all, let the story shape the character, and drop your load of excessive descriptive nonsense.

Owning your character

The bookworm, the dreamer, the thief, the small town girl, the unlikely hero, they’ve all been done before. That doesn’t mean that your character is a nothing special done to death persona. Just like the love story, the life and death chase, and grand adventure stories have all been done before, it’s the way YOU portray the story and the characters. The way you build them into believable characters that your reader can come to know intimately, the way you shape their thoughts and reactions, the unique quirks you give them, and the subtle twists you add to the normal perception of that character type. “Stock” characters are not boring, shallow, and useless. You can effectively utilize them be developing them into deep, wonderful characters that are solely yours.

           

Writing Good Fiction Characters part 1

Note: The Following pertains particularly to dynamic characters. Sometimes you may wish to create a static character that breaks all these rules just to drive you readers crazy, or annoy your others characters.

What makes a good fiction character? Many things go into creating a multi-faceted character that captures your readers interest, but without believability or "relatability"  your character will fail.

Believability and "Relatability"

Skills and abilities

Billy is really smart and has good grades. (believable)
Billy is really smart, has good grades, and is a very good singer in the school choir. (believable)
Billy is really smart, has good grades, is a very good singer in the school choir and is on the varsity soccer team. (still pretty believable)
Billy is really smart, has good grades, a very good singer in the school choir, on the varsity soccer team, plays ten instruments at a virtuosic capacity, a gourmet chef, eagle scout, speaks five languages, runs the local animal shelter, baby sits for free every night, and works three jobs. Oh, he's also never stressed or tired, and he's NEVER EVER crabby, mean, selfish, or reactive (NOT believable)

No one is perfect, and no one can do everything well. Just because your character is fictional, doesn't mean he has to seem fake. Your reader will quickly loose interest if there is nothing Billy cannot do. Does that mean your character can't do a lot of things? No, "jack-of-all-trades" characters that dabble in many things, and may be fairly good at quite a few, are believable. Just as long as while they are bouncing from hobby to hobby, they aren't crazy good at all of them. Most likely, they will specialize in a few certain areas (for example, Jim enjoys sailing, woodworking, hunting, fishing and basketball. He is particularly good at fishing and sailing.) 
Your character, if in some sort of fantasy or sci-fi, might possess some ability(s) that allow him or her to do things other people can't. The may even have a power to enable then to do many things (For example, how the wizards in Harry Potter can use magic to apparate, transfigure, modify objects, and a million other things). Again it's important that your character still remains beleivable through your protrayal and limiting the amount of powers he possesses. It's also important that your character isn't infallible, which brings us to...


Character Flaws and Weaknesses


The man of steel becomes naught but a helpless babe at the sight of Krypotonite. Harry Potter and friends can't do diddly squat (magically) without their wands. Even though these character are powerful, they still have weaknesses. Because your character can become vulnerable, your readers won't just set down the book knowing the main character will beat the villain since he's invincible. Rather you will have your reader so enthralled and questioning whether or not they really can do it. HP Spoiler Warning Speaking of Harry Potter he even has to die before good can triumph. I personally prefer keeping characters special abilities at a minimum, but whatever you do, be sure they can be beat.


If your character is perfect in skills, you can still pull off believability under one condition, your character is can be related to through character flaws. Real people have feelings and react to situations. Real people are selfish. Real people, no matter how nice they are will have times where they are angry, mean, prideful, or jealous. You will not ruin your character because they snap at people for no reason, or can act selfish, on the contrary, your character will be enriched because your readers feel the can RELATE to the character and how the feel.
Your readers will also feel a disconnect if your character never struggles to do things, or those struggles are minor. If your character was illiterate, and suddenly is reading fluently in by three days, you've lost believability AND "relatability". Stories are so much more engaging if nothing ever seems to go right for the character. Your readers will understand what it is like to grapple with a difficult task or new skill, and thus through relating, you get believability.


Dealing with Trauma and Tragedy

One of my biggest pet peeves are characters that despite a horrendous past, or a terrible tragedy, are completely normal and un-scarred. If your character was abused as a child, orphaned, had all their siblings die, lost their dog, and became crippled in the left foot due to a terrible accident (which it so happens also killed the character's one and only friend), Are they going to just stand up, smile, and bounce off happily like nothing happened? Heck no! They are going to be intrinsically changed, because of the trauma.


The first half of this is the initial reaction. For example, if your character sees someone die that is close to them (or just witnesses someone's death), they will react in some way. The may cry, go numb, act like nothing has happened, blame somebody, or lash out. The tragedy/trauma will effect them. It's understandable if the character is in the middle of a battle and sees his friend die, he may not have much time to process if he's preoccupied fighting, but you can be sure it will hit him eventually.
The second (and very often overlooked) part of the trauma reaction is the long term ramifications. Ever heard of Post Traumatic Stress (PSTD)? If not, look it up. People are permanently affected by trauma. Even if the event may only be traumatic to your character, or be not so "traumatic" as to cause something such as PSTD, it still can affect and change your character. If your character has more of a long term tragic life, that was hard and/or abusive, and they haven't known any other way, they still will find ways to cope. They may become withdrawn, stifle their feelings, have anxiety or anger problems, depression etc. For example, I have a character who's reaction to trauma and tragedy was to go intermittently mute.
Another important part of good writing and character development is portrayal of the grieving process. Your character will react (Hannah cries and cries when her dog gets hit by a car), go through a mourning and grieving period (Hannah has trouble sleeping because she misses her dog, she cries a lot, and doesn't want to be around other dogs, she may get angry and lash out at others), and reconciliation (Hannah begins to talk about her dog to others, she begins to interact with dogs again,and may eventually get another dog.). Even when your character comes to the point where they are at terms with their grief, they still will be affected (Hannah still misses her dog, and sometimes becomes very sad). 


Characters that can be related to and are believable are the first step in creating a good story.