Summary:
Interesting, unique characters are integral to creating good fiction, but too often, novice writers take their characters for granted. This often results in stories that have forced action or endings, or that are so far removed from reality that the story is closer to a fairy tale than it is to good fiction. This article tackles the topic of character development in fiction, and how and where writers can find people who will make a terrific story.

Details or Sample:
The creation and development of characters within a novel or short story is critical to the success of that story, but it can be challenging for the author. Too many authors depend on PC-imposed stereotypes or cartoon characters to populate their stories, dangling them like marionettes in the midst of the action. Characters interacting with their environment and with each other make the story, drive the action, and lead to logical conclusions, regardless of how illogical the character may seem. The entire Seinfeld empire was built solely on the interaction of three characters and their peripheral relationships outside the trio; this was considered one of the most entertaining programs ever developed for television. Creating and building effective characters is one of the most important parts of writing any story.

They’re All Over

One aspect of life that can make character creation effortless is that unless you’ve spent the past five years living in a cave with nothing but sand fleas for companionship, characters are all around you. Most writers, before they become Writers (capital W indicates you are published and able to live off of royalties and licensing agreements), have to hold a job or series of jobs. This intolerable situation can provide a wealth of opportunity from the standpoint of character creation. Getting to know co-workers and even buddying up to the boss opens the door to creating characters that have specific personalities, behaviors and values, and a history that makes the total package seem coherent. For example, on one of my most hideous job assignments, my coworkers consisted of a supervisor who grew up in Minnesota, loved to ride horses, was a volleyball fanatic, smoked two packs of cigarettes a day and couldn’t boil an egg without nearly burning down the kitchen. Another was a gay man who had studied psychology and theology in a Christian academy, then chose to come out of the closet, dress like a ‘50s beatnik and devote his life to building and programming computers. A third was a middle-aged man with Asperger’s Syndrome who had a private conversation running constantly in his head that at times, everyone was privy to, and was a savant when it came to finding any place imaginable in the United States because he was obsessed with reading Rand McNally’s road maps. A writer would be hard-pressed to invent people like these. Every job, every customer and every interaction is a potential goldmine for the writer, if only they would take the time to be curious, open and friendly enough to allow these personalities to emerge.

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