Tag: how do I make my characters believable?

3 ways to cure Gorgeous Hero Syndrome

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You might have noticed a similarity between the two cheesy romance examples from the post at the beginning of this month: both start with “two attractive people.” The vast majority of fictional romances share the gorgeousness trait, which seems a rather unfair statement about all the people who aren’t supermodels, like they either don’t fall in love or their stories aren’t worth writing.

But that’s not the only reason we should think twice about writing all our protagonists to look like Greek gods:

It feels amateur. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, character attractiveness is not important to the plot. Unless you’re writing about actual supermodels, taking the time to point out how drop dead gorgeous your protagonists are is a red flag that you are still just recording an elaborate daydream, rather than writing a real story.

It’s cliché. Most real people aren’t beautiful or ugly, but fall into a “kinda cute” grey area, so it might damage your story’s credibility to even hint at once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess and a handsome prince.

It feels more silver screen than literature. As Jubilare pointed out in our discussion about the three suspiciously fine looking dwarves in The Hobbit movie, looks are important on screen, but not so important on the page. I would rather look at Christian Bale for two hours than at Steve Buscemi, but the written word is a unique opportunity to get to know and love the Steves without being distracted by all the heart-fluttering nonsense of the Christians.

It doesn’t encourage reader sympathy. There are layers of immersion in fiction. There’s the first, superficial layer in which your readers can pretend for awhile that they are beautiful people doing exciting things. Then there’s a deeper layer in which readers come face to face with characters who are eerily similar to themselves. By extension, every event – good and bad – hits the reader harder, because the unconscious implication is that it could happen to them.

 

How do you cure Gorgeous Hero Syndrome?

Make their chief attraction subtle. Something only the people closest to them and/or their recently-introduced soul mate would notice. A unique mannerism that becomes an endearment, like the way he shuffles when he’s standing, or (maybe this is a bad example, but) the six smiles of Rosalee Futch in Win a Date with Tad Hamilton.

Give them something to be self-conscious about. Even the most attractive people have something about their appearance they don’t like. Something that makes them awkward, even if only in their own minds. Maybe she hates her widow’s peak, or he can’t grow facial hair to save his life. But be careful not to fall into the equally bad cliché David pointed out (and the British Biebers take constant advantage of) – the attractive character who thinks she is ugly.

Don’t talk about appearance as much. You are writing about living, breathing people. Not magazine covers. So focus on expressions, rather than features. Body language, rather than shape. Those are the things that keep telling us about the person after the first-glimpse impression.

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Related stuff:

6 ways first person narrators can describe themselves

5 ways to make your characters more believable

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In other news: Welcome to the new digs, everybody! WP Support kindly moved my followers over here yesterday, but I seem to have gained more than 100 followers in the shuffle, so I suspect some people got double-subscribed? If any of you receive this email twice, you might need to adjust your subscription settings. I’m sorry for the annoyance!

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3 tips to avoid writing a cheesy, shallow romance

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image by K Kendall

image by K Kendall

Two attractive people meet. Adventure ensues. They get shot at together. One or both of them shares a moving past experience with the other. Suddenly, it’s love.

Sound similar to the romance in your story? Sorry, it’s also the romantic subplot in pretty much every action movie.

Or maybe yours sounds more like:

Two attractive people meet. One is awkwardly hesitant. One is powerful and forward. They are inexplicably drawn to one another. There are a lot of smoldering gazes and fluttering hearts. It doesn’t matter that they’ve only known each other weeks, days, hours. They know they can’t live without each other.

The problem? You’re just making Cool Whip. The relationships are based on nothing but physical attraction and a few gushy player lines. Corn syrup, oil and air.

You might have done this unintentionally. You might have intended to write something that spoke to the human condition…and watched with horror as the cheesy Jerry Maguire you-complete-me dialogue came oozing out of your fingers. “I’m supposed to be the next Markus Zusak,” you spit at your computer, “Not Stephenie bloody Meyer!”

I know. It’s happened to me.

So here’s the approach I’m taking: Try to forget for the first eight tenths of your book that there even will be a romantic relationship.

Develop the characters individually before you develop their romance.

It might help to think of primetime dramas instead of movies or books—the ones where the two leads are always dancing around a relationship. They work together, struggle together, probably see the best and worst of each other, and still go home alone at the end of the day for years. This means:

  • The audience really gets to know the characters.
  • The characters really get to know each other.
  • You build a ton more tension.

Pretend you’re writing about two people becoming friends.

In literature, as in life, it’s best to build the friendship first. This will force you to stop depending on the cheap thrills of his devastating smile and her million stomach butterflies, and start finding substance on which to build a real relationship, like:

  • Values, fears and interests they have in common.
  • Things they can teach each other.
  • Ways they can grow together.

For some reason, we don’t usually think of these things when we think of romance. Perhaps because most of it’s so cheaply crafted. But a few classics remain shining examples; Pride & Prejudice just celebrated its 200th anniversary.

Sure, it shares elements with a lot of shallow romances: things that appeal to our most basic desires:

  • To be singled out by someone selective.
  • To be adored and sacrificed for.
  • To be protected and provided for.

But it goes much deeper. The heroine and hero of P&P:

  • Value each other’s integrity and intelligence.
  • Discover their own faults by interacting with each other.
  • Become better people from having known each other.

They should fall for each other’s actions, not each other’s words.

There’s little mention of Mr. Darcy’s looks, and no pretty words but one impassioned proposal, which didn’t work for him anyway. It’s Darcy’s actions that win our hearts, from his awkwardness in pursuing Lizzie, to his strength in saving her sister whilst enduring horrible humiliation.

And while Edward Cullen is immortal by way of being undead, Mr. Darcy has been alive and adored for centuries. And, by all accounts, for centuries more.

Aspire to that.

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The awesomeness of Voice Week 2012 and how it went

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I had forgotten, since last year, just how fun Voice Week was. In fact, what with the wedding and all, I was a bit leery of how much time it would take to collect all the links and so on and so forth…

Then I started reading. All the unique voices. All the different perspectives. All the little glimpses of life and layers of genius. And with story after story I was gasping with awe and delight.

Most of us wrote one scene from the perspectives of five different characters – and these ranged from ancient mythology to space-age cruise ships – while a few of us used slightly different methods. Let’s take a look!

Billie Jo Woods showed us a scene in a bar from the perspectives of four very different characters, each piece revealing more about the characters and the story through their thoughts, their drinks – and, of course, their voices. I hope to see a fifth piece soon!

Carrie gave us a wedding reception with a collapsing bride, skipping round from a vengeful sister to an innocent flower girl, each voice illuminating the chasm between the faces people put on, and who they really are underneath.

Chris White detailed the thoughts of passengers and staff on a space cruise to Holinx 3, from a religious zealot to a prostitute, both amusing and intriguing us with what the characters think of each other – and how little humanity changes even in the distant future.

Craig Towlsey’s scene had great depth, contrasting innocent imagination with harsh reality through a dramatic pretend train robbery and the thoughtless violence of an abusive father.

Elmo explored five alternate realities centered on a man escorting his aging mother to a boat on a shore. Each voice shed a different light on the scene, from sorrowful, to frightening, to comforting.

Juan Villagrana let us into the minds of five characters awaiting a great, terrible – and to the reader, mysterious – event. The voices were alternately terrified and ecstatic, and we were left somewhat disturbed (in a very satisfying way).

Kim Patrick Moody began with a third person narration of a 60-year-old man being hit on by a younger (but not quite young) woman in the office, then followed with the man’s inner perspective, and beyond – all the way to the hilarious voice of extraterrestrials.

LoveTheBadGuy gave us a gorgeous retelling of the myth of Hades and Persephone, from the perspectives of all the major characters, making us feel the not-quite-healthy love of Hades as well as the mixed emotions of Persephone.

Mike brought us to the deathbed of an old, hated rich man, and through various voices made us ask ourselves whether or not he deserves to be hated – and whether or not he’s really dying of natural causes.

Parul’s brilliant approach involved writing the thoughts of a character who has spent years chasing down and killing another – but each of five voices sees the dead character differently.

Paul cleverly used one story, from one perspective. That perspective was his first voice – the story continued with the first character interviewing four others, who consequently had their own unique voices.

Raina used both poetry and prose to explore life, death, and truth through the voices of characters both human and inanimate, but somehow all intrinsically connected.

S.W. Sondheimer wrenched our hearts by showing the death of a hero from the voices of those who loved him, those who despised him, and those too self-absorbed to care.

Undue Creativity wrote about a rock star – brilliantly keeping the thought process of each piece almost identical to its fellows, so that the stark uniqueness of the voices could shine through.

I decided to make time my guide this year and wrote about a rainy picnic in five different eras, from the judgment of the Great Flood through a divine revelation in a future that has rejected God.

 

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What was your favorite part of Voice Week! Spill it in the comments!

 

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Voice Week starts Monday – here’s some stuff you need to know

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Inspiration Monday Postponed

InMon will be postponed during Voice Week. This means you’ll have two whole weeks to write InMon pieces from the prompts I posted on September 24 before I post more prompts on October 8.

 

Voices Linked Daily

Every day, I’ll visit the blogs of the Voice Writers to read, comment and link to their pieces. I’ll reblog all the pieces on the Voice Week site, so you can go there for links to all of them!

 

…But Maybe Not Thursday

Uh. Yeah. My sister is getting married on Thursday, so I’ll be a little busy ALL DAY. And I’m not sure about Wednesday, either. If I’m lucky, I’ll get to read and link voices late that day, but it’ll more likely be Friday.

I Won’t Notice If You’re Late

We live in several different time zones. If you miss a midnight deadline, I will assume you’re on time in your time zone. In fact, I’ll probably still be linking well into Saturday. So don’t worry about it; just post when you can!

 

But what if…

Not sure you wrote exactly what I’m looking for? That’s okay. Last year, everyone interpreted the challenge a little differently, and it turned out awesome! The important thing is that we all learn from each other. I guarantee we will.

If You Aren’t Writing for Voice Week

We still need you! Visit the Voice Writers, read and comment on their voices!

Questions?

Ask me in the comments or at bekindrewrite (at) yahoo.com

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I’m confused.

Check out the rules

See answers to frequently asked questions

 

I need examples. How did Voice Week go last year?

Read last year’s voices

Read my summary post

 

I can’t wait to get started!

Still time to join in! Comment below, and…

Get your Voice Week badge!!!

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How to write in an other-worldly voice

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The robot bares his soul on paper. Photo by Mirko Schaefer.

Last week we talked about how to craft an authentic voice by listening to the voices around you and in media. But what if your character is a type of person you can’t find in any of those places? What if they’re from the future, of which we know little, or from the ancient past, before there was a written language to record how they spoke? What if they are not even human—an alien, an angel, a robot dinosaur?

What if you want a voice just as unique as the character? A voice that will blow your readers’ minds?

Here are some steps to help you create one.

NOTE: this is a list of ideas, not a checklist. All will not work for your character, and there are probably additional methods you will need. This is simply a starting point. Choose wisely, but don’t be afraid to experiment!

 

First – a few questions to get you in the mindset:

Is the narrator intimately familiar with the modern human world? Would he be able to use and understand our weird human idioms and expressions?

Imagine a day in the life of this character. What does he spend most of his time doing? How does this effect what he thinks and talks about?

If this character doesn’t speak English, whatever you write is a translation. Ask yourself what his native language is like, compared to English. Is it as descriptive? Is it more rigid? Is it simpler, or more complicated? Are there some concepts in his language that can’t be translated to English at all?

Are there human or earthly concepts he cannot understand? Does he understand gender? Light and dark? The passage of time? Physical space?

Will this story be like describing color to a man born blind, and if so, who is the blind man—the character, or the reader?

 

Now, some fun things to try:

  • Remove all idioms and clichés – or get them intentionally wrong
  • Remove any pop culture references
  • Make up pop culture references
  • Occasionally try, then fail, to describe something, then explain that human words are inadequate
  • Replace common words with words you make up, or words from an obscure human language: especially replace words that are measurements, such as in time (minutes, hours, years), distances (feet, meters) as well as days of the week, etc.
  • Change the spelling of words – think of Olde English, or 1337 (leet)
  • Remove common words like articles (a, an, the), like in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
  • Cut words down to their roots, eliminating ings and eds and the like
  • Eliminate punctuation, using only line- and paragraph-breaks to differentiate between phrases and sentences
  • Use all the senses except sight in your descriptions
  • Describe from a sixth sense, like telepathy – bonus points if you can make up a sense nobody has thought of before
  • Don’t use adjectives
  • Don’t use pronouns
  • Write normally, then remove every fifth word and see what happens
  • Describe events at a molecular level
  • Describe events as if watching from miles away

 

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What wacky voice ideas do you have? Spill them in the comments!

 

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Other posts to help you prepare for Voice Week:

When I announced the first Voice Week

How to find your voice – explained in 5 different voices

5 fantastic examples of voice

How last year’s Voice Week went

How to craft an authentic voice through research

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