On Writing: Characterization

The last few books I've read (with the notable except of The Iron Admiral: Deception) have had so-so characterization. To me, poor characterization is the mark of a writer who doesn't care enough about her work to breathe real life into the people telling her stories. Yes, it's difficult to write full, complex, realistic characters. But it's not impossible. All it takes is attention to detail and a willingness to understand.

As a reader, I want to believe the character. I don't have to like her, or agree with her, or support her decisions, but I do have to believe her. As a writer, I strive to create consistent, strong characters. I believe that any character mentioned in any story should be completely developed, whether we see that full development in the story or not. Here are some of my favorite tips for creating characters.

Use a character chart.
This is the one I use. It has been cobbled together over the years from various sources and from my own needs. I rarely use that actual document, but I typed it up to share today. (You're welcome.) Even if you don't use that chart or at least a chart, it's a really good idea to write down the basics about your character and solidify her history in your mind. Those things are important because...

Characters are people.
Or dogs. Or horses. Or robots. Whatever. The point is that they're real. They have personal histories just like real people. They have reasons for doing what they do. They have ways they speak, dress, behave. They have goals, ambitions, fears, desires, dreams, good habits, bad habits, secrets. As the writer, you need to respect them. Your reader doesn't need every single detail of your character's personal history, but in order to effectively develop and write your character, you need those details. In your writing, you'll dole out those details as needed.

Characters are not mouthpieces or puppets.
Characters should not exist solely to convey information in a dialogue and they should not exist solely to give voice to your thoughts and opinions. Characters are not you, the writer. They do not exist only to live out your fantasies or do things you wish you could do or be who you wish you could be. Characters exist to tell a story.

Characters are vital.
And without them, there would be no story to tell. If the characters you're writing don't belong to that story--as in, without them, the story would be just fine; or, without them, you could sub in any characters--then you're doing it wrong. Be sure you're writing the right story with the right characters.

More tips:

• Debbie Lee Wesselmann's Tips for Characterization
• Publetariat's summary of 14 Tips for Effective Characterization
• Charlotte Dillon's Building Fictional Characters (complete with a character chart and many, many links)
• Fiction Factor's Character Creation articles
• Writing Corner's Characterization (solid tips and character chart if you can ignore the font)
• Eclectic's Character Chart
• Men With Pens: Character Creation