In my experience, a successful
story doesn’t need a whole hell of a lot to be “Good”, but plenty of aspects to
make it “Great”. Here’s a checklist for your viewing pleasure:
1 Do you have a plot? Check.
At its bare roots, storytelling is
about power; who has it and who doesn’t. Your characters job is to thrust into
this power struggle, whether they seek the power for themselves or have the
power and aim to keep it from others, they “must” act on that power. A
compelling character aches for adversity. It’s true, ask them! Any great character
wants you to test their mantle. You wouldn’t ask them for anything less.
Let me paint you an example with a
favorite character of mine from the well known book series, A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R.
Martin. Jamie Lannister (spoiler alert coming up, but honestly, shame on you
for being late to the party.) is a very complex person; son to the riches and
most influential man in the Seven Kingdoms, a handsome, courageous, expert
swordsman that all the woman fall over each other to attract. It is here that
he is set up as a typical perfect person, perhaps you may have a character such
as this that is a bit of a reflection of what you wish you could be?
However his heart belongs only to his twin
sister, who he has loved and secretly been sleeping with for years. Over the
course of the books, he is captured and the status of his past does nothing to
help him when he is in the arms of his enemies. He even loses his sword hand,
the last bastion of who he was…and at this point is where his character begins
to grow, become more interesting. Without all the markers; his money, his name,
his sword skill, he has to redefine his place in world. We get to understand
how being the heir to an overbearing father can have a drastic effect on ones
personality.
This realness is what you want to
strive to achieve. You are around people like this everyday, who hide their
true natures for the sake of image. Compelling characters are taken out of
their comfort zones and are asked “Now what?”, and they will shine if you allow
them.
Understanding the
psychology of human beings is a fantastic boon to your writing skill set. I
recommend the book The Writer’s Guide to
Character Traits (http://www.amazon.com/Writers-Guide-Character-Traits-Edelstein/dp/1582973903).
Within it you can find a bevy of psychological outlines to give your
characters depth and realness, answering questions such as “How would a middle
child feel emotionally in a family dynamic?”, “What are the internal struggles
of my Narcissistic character?”. Especially if you’ve never known or been a
middle child or hang around Narcissist everyday.
Another
book I’d recommend is The Plot Thickens,
8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life (http://www.amazon.com/Plot-Thickens-Ways-Bring-Fiction/dp/0312309287/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376498327&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Plot+Thickens%2C+8+Ways+to+Bring+Fiction+To+Life).
I’ve only started reading this book, but it has been a grand eye opener in only
the first chapter. Though it’s a book on plot development, in the beginning
chapters the authors asks you a series of questions, presenting different
situations that any person might find their selves in. You may “know” what your
characters look like, but have you ever considered giving them a Police Sketch
treatment in their description? What about medical history? Do they never get
sick or do they deal with asthma on a daily basis? Things I never considered to
incorporate to a person I’m writing, but can add definite drama when they are
having an Asthma attack at a highly dangerous moment.
I
hope that I was able to shed some light, and cause a dialogue for the
compelling character. They are waiting, patiently, for you to give them life,
and your readers are waiting to be enthralled by their exploits.
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