pull on a character like your favorite comfy sweatshirt
When we were kids, my grandpa called all the boys Rabbit Pie and all the girls Cherubs.
I pretty sure that was because there were so many of us grandchildren that he couldn’t remember all our names.
The one exception was my older brother.
Grandpa called him, “Goddamnit!”
Because of all the trouble he constantly got into.
Grandpa grew up hard during the worst of the Depression. If he and his brother didn’t catch anything hunting, they didn’t eat.
They survived one winter on cornflakes.
To the day he died, my grandpa was one of the most generous and stubborn people I’ve ever known. He loved deep and strong with his whole being. From his experiences, he knew how fragile and fleeting life was.
Grandpa had a certain way of doing and saying things that were unique to him.
He looked at the world from his unique vantage in place and time.
We all look at the world from exactly where we’re standing right now and all the steps that got us here.
The characters in your book need to be that way too.
Your readers will never live my grandpa’s life -- BUT you can create a character that shows them what living his life might have been like.
Part of the magic of writing is that you are giving your readers the opportunity to inhabit another person’s life.
One of the common issues I see with a lot of drafts is that characters all sound the same.
They can be anyone anywhere at any time.
My grandpa would no sooner have said, “WTAF madness is this?’” than my husband would call his nephew Rabbit Pie.
And it’s not just because those aren’t words my grandpa would use, it’s that it would never ever occur to him because of who he was and when he was born. Those words wouldn't have meant anything to him. Same with my husband and Rabbit Pie.
Understanding your characters’ voices come from knowing who your characters are.
Readers want to see the world through the eyes of your characters -- not you the author.
The two absolute basic things you have to know about your characters when you start designing them are:
Where was your character born?
When was your character born?
From these two questions you can start putting together regional and era specific information about your character.
Here’s an example from Tanya French’s novel, THE SEARCHER:
Away to the north, a line of low mountains rolls along the horizon. Cal’s eyes are still getting used to looking this far, after all those years of city blocks. Landscape is one of the few things he knows of where the reality doesn’t let you down. The West of Ireland looked beautiful on the internet; from right smack in the middle of it, it looks even better. The air is rich as fruitcake, like you should do more with it than just breath it; bite off a big mouthful, maybe, or rub handfuls of it over your face. (Page 2-3)
If you're thinking that Cal doesn't sound like a local, you're right. He's a retired cop from Chicago.
Cal is infatuated with his new home. It's difficult to image his neighbor's thinking of the air like fruitcake they should rub all over their faces. They'd probably think he's nuts for having such a thought.
No matter where and when your character is born, you need to get hyper specific with your characters’ perspectives.
Those perspectives are going to influence what a character says, how they think, what details they notice about the world, what biases they have, and all the pieces that determine who they are as an individual.
It's going to tell you how they need to show up on the page.
Your readers want to slide into your characters’ skin like they're putting on their favorite comfy sweatshirt.
And you want to be standing there ready to help them pull on the sleeves.
Keep going!
Hello!
My name is Jocelyn.
Story warrior, book lover, day dreamer, gardener, and creative. I help serious writers roll up their sleeves, get their novel ready for publishing, and reach readers. When I’m not elbow-deep in the story trenches, I’m outside world-building in my garden and battling weeds with my three criminal mastermind cats.
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