Slice of Life: Day 21: How Much of the Character is You?

How much of this character is you or the exact opposite of you, and do either of these make the writing more challenging or more engaging for you?

 

Thank you, Suzanne, for the thought-provoking question. It had me thinking about the answer for a few days now. I don’t know, it may seem clear-cut when you first read the question, but it digs deep into the heart of my writing.

 

First, to put her question in context, you’ll need to go back and read my four-part post, Pieces of Another Puzzle. They are ghostwriting scraps from a recent job I had in my grasp, or at least thought I did. The job was to heavily revise a story about a soldier’s experience from boot camp to a life-changing moment which, in turn, became a mystery. It has the bones of a great story, and I was looking forward to flexing my writing muscles, making it a solid story. Setting aside all my hours of reading and research, I had first to create a background for the character. Unfortunately, nonwriters don’t understand how much writing relates to golf.

 

My youngest brother once said golf is the most difficult sport. I’d have to agree on the fact it’s one of the very few sports where I am no good – except putting, but I never make it to the green. He reasoned that a golfer must do so many things correctly at the same time to be effective. Writing a good story is the same. Exactly the same. This is why writing is one of the most challenging tasks and why many begin but never finish their book. One of those essentials is creating dimensional characters. A great way to achieve this is by drawing upon your own experiences. 

 

Think about it. You have experienced every emotion in your life that a character needs in a story - heartache, anger, love, elation, empathy, guilt, confidence and stress (to name a few). Now tag those with some exciting events, and you have yourself a story – once you add setting, dialogue, pacing, establish the desire of your protagonist and their arc and, not to mention the painstaking editing/revising process. But a strong character is a good start.

 

I had a feeling I’d get long-winded over the question…

 

Drawing on your own experiences is essential. Because you experienced it, it will make the characters real and relatable – something you must have, no matter the genre. 

 

How much of the character is me? My nameless character, reflecting upon his childhood and approaching enlistment in boot camp, talks about relationships. Relationships aren’t planned, and you never know when they will happen. Sadly, you never know when they’re going to end. My character’s reflection on the uniqueness and the fragility of friendships is critical because he will eventually become part of a brotherhood that compares to no other relationship he has ever had.

 

Writing this challenged me to think about past relationships in ways I never have before. When I was in first grade, I met Chris on the playground. He dug my black and yellow Little League hat and asked to borrow it. We were best friends until he moved. Then there were girlfriends. Lots of them. If they ever wrote notes to me, I still have them. So, they may show up on this blog before too long. When you’re in “love,” you can’t see anything else around you because nothing else matters. Your girl is who you will marry…until she’s not your girl and you have googly eyes for someone else. I wanted to establish the uncertainties of friendships with my protagonist because when he discovers his battle buddies in the Army have his back no matter what, it will change his life. 

Reflecting on my past didn’t make it challenging, but it certainly engaged me in my writing. My love of the stage often gets overshadowed by my wife’s passion for it, but my minimal experience has helped me. I put myself in every scene I write, forcing me to think about my body movements, mood and diction. I believe this is why dialogue is typically a strong point for me.

 

Incorporating your own experiences is vital, but so is observing others. You can blend the fingernail-chewing habit of a student and a coworker who has no clue to shut their mouth eating, and wah-la! you have a unique character – but please make them more interesting than that. When you’re mindful of the benefits of doing this, you can’t help noticing people’s quirks. It makes pointless and boring professional development meetings bearable. Mostly.

 

My character in these ghostwriting scraps is a lot like me, but yes, the challenge is to piece together a character that isn’t all you. Otherwise, the names of your heroes and heroines will be the only different aspect separating them from your other stories. Common themes are okay, but making your character unique is a bit like walking on a dry-rotted wooden bridge. However, the more unique, the more engaging.

 

-rs