The work of writing fiction
Stories offer us glimpses into new worlds and new possibilities. They enable us to walk in another’s shoes. Reading can make us better people.
But how do we write a story?
There are, in all likelihood, as many answers to this question as there are writers.
However, not counting plot, there are three core elements that most agree on:
- Character
- Place
- Description
At all times your story must advance at least one of these.
“If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don’t put it there.” (Anton Chekhov)
Everything in your story must have purpose. A lot of good writing is knowing what to cut.
Don’t let that dishearten you. Writing is work. Simple as that. But if you love it, then you love it.
In this article we’ll focus on the first of these core elements, character.
Character
Before we can move forward, you will need to create a character. So, let’s make one.
Of course, if you already have a character that you’d like to develop then go ahead and dust them off.
But if you don’t, then go ahead and answer the following questions.
Writing Exercise: quick character
Name: (not everyone comes up with a name straight away, don’t worry if you want to skip this for now)
Age:
How they identity:
Wants: (we’re talking abstract wants — happiness, love etc.)
Problem: (this is the thing stopping them from getting what they want.)
A simple set of questions like this will help you form a basic character in record time. I find that these questions identify what matters to my characters, and this sets up the conflict around which the narrative turns.
For instance, this is Sam from my fiction podcast, Diary of a Space Archivist:
Name: Samantha Lyons (Sam for short)
Age: 27
How they identity: female (Questioning / Exploring)
Wants: to make Important Discoveries in space / to be a Success and do Important Things
Problem: failed to secure a role on the cool ship, aptly named The Discover, and is stuck on a junk ship, archiving their cool discoveries…
Knowing the problem gives me some conflict to work with, and it also provides material for something that I call character turns.
That’s when the best thing that could happen to your character becomes the worst thing, and the worst thing becomes the best thing. Thinking like this will help you form the character arc.
In my case Sam makes a cool discovery — but it isn’t what she imagined.
Now that you have a basic character, let’s move on to…
Character Development
Fiction is a lie that feels true.
Characters need to seem real because this captures your reader’s attention and emotional involvement.
But a character’s job, ultimately, is to convey your story.
Everything they do and say is there for a reason.
That being said, sometimes characters go in a direction that the writer wasn’t expecting. That’s ok, and it’s a symptom of great character development.
But before our characters can wander about and surprise us, we have to get to know them…
Writing Exercise: getting to know you, getting to know all about you…
In Diary of a Space Archivist Sam doesn’t have much in the way of personal possessions, but she did sneak a box of curly wurlys aboard! This nostalgic chocolate-toffee-bar, has become synonymous with the character and the show. Fans even tweet me to ask where they can get a curly wurly.
So, I would like you to think about some things that your character owns. What is essential to them? Why?
Put your character on a train… a bus… a spaceship… any kind of transport.
Take 5-minutes now to make a list of the things in their pockets and/or bag.
Now describe those things and, in so doing, try to let these items speak for your character.
They’re on a journey, so allow your descriptions to take in their immediate environment and any other characters nearby.
I’d suggest taking about 10–15 minutes on this.
Ready, set, go!
Now that you have a better sense of your character, you can get inside their head.
Point Of View is a powerful tool for character creation. Writing from your character’s POV will help you uncover more about them. It also opens the door for you to play around with the unreliable narrator.
An unreliable narrator might obfuscate or even lie to the reader/ listener/ viewer. Take Lyra from the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. Lyra lies. And given that the trilogy celeberates subjective truth, among other things, it’s a lovely use of the device.
Diary of a Space Archivist is told from Sam’s POV. Whether or not she’s reliable… sometimes she is, and sometimes she isn’t.
But don’t worry if you don’t want to explore that particular device yet.
Our next step, for now, is simply exploring the character’s POV.
Writing exercise: how they see the world
Spend about 10-minutes on this exercise.
Go ahead and get into your character’s point of view. You’ll be writing in first-person.
Now, describe their best friend. Be detailed. The details make it seem real.
Ready, set, go!
Fleshing out the bones
You should have the beginnings of a well-formed character now. You can get to know them even more by describing other people, places or things from their POV, or by thinking of items that used to be important to them.
But to really connect with your reader, you also need to make your character relatable. You do that by making sure they have flaws.
In Diary of a Space Archivist Sam is kind, but she’s also fairly inept and full of self-doubt.
In my next article, we’ll begin to use environment to develop your character even more, and we’ll consider the value that places can add to stories.
In the meantime, consider the emotional connections that people have with things. What is important to them? What is important to you? Why?
Pay attention to the stories you consume. How are the characters are conveyed?
Until next time, happy writing.
