So, you want to write a book. We have been tackling the five Ws and the H … that’s What, When, Where, Why. Who, and How. We’ve delved into the What, When, Where and Why. Today we’ll discuss the final W — Who. They are all interconnected.
In short, Who are the characters. We’ve outlined {at least to ourselves} the storyline (why) and placed our story (what) in a specific time and place (when and where). Now it’s time to bring the story to life.
We do that through the characters and character development. Its the lynch pin that ties all the elements together. The role of the main characters are to bring the story to life. Arguably creating your characters may be the single most important part of novel writing. Your characters have to give your readers a reason to turn the page and see what happens next. If they don’t, well, your readers won’t turn the page. They will close the book and your great American novel sits on the shelf.
Since no one lives in a vacuum — not even fictional characters in a book — they need a supporting cast to serve as foils or friends, active or inactive participants in the life of your main character.
Your role as an author is to make the audience care about your characters. You develop them. Your words bring them to life.
I read a good explanation once. “Put a character the reader has no strong feelings about — or, worse, doesn’t know at all — on a high window ledge, and they won’t be bothered if they jump or not. Make the character one they care about, just like they care about people in the real world, and they won’t be able to put the novel down.”
There is a lot of discussion about what it more important in a novel — plot or characters. In my mind, both are equally important. Your characters don’t grow without the plot, but the plot doesn’t move forward without the characters. Without characters you have no action, and without action you have no characters. The two blend together, complementing each other. You have to have compelling plots and well-rounded characters.
So, how do you develop characters?
Make the characters likeable. Whatever it is that draws you to people in real life, give your fictional characters those same traits.
Make them good at what they do. As an example, how would you feel about James Bond if he failed every mission and the baddies always won? There has to be something about your character that allows them to win in the end. The only exception might be comedies where the character is totally inept (think Maxwell Smart) who succeeds because the character excels in their ineptitude!
Make the characters charismatic. There needs to be something about their personality that draws other characters in. That will also draw your readers in.
Make them dynamic. They must be doers, not passive bystanders in their own story. Make them act (rather than react) and get your audience rooting for them.
Make the characters suffer. The events of the novel (the plot) will throw plenty of obstacles in the leading character’s path, so there will already be plenty of opportunities for the character to elicit sympathy from your readers. It doesn’t always have to be physical; it can be emotional as well.
Concentrate on your main character. You as author have to know your character completely — strengths, weaknesses, emotions, reactions, fears — so when you place them in your storyline they fit. Spend some time living with your main character {at least in your imagination}. As one writing help site noted, “you’ll get some very odd looks if your have an actual conversation with them in public or save them a seat on the bus.” In truth, though, in your mind, that’s exactly what you need to do. The more conversations, the better developed they will become.
Next comes the supporting cast and how they interact with your main character. You could have strong supporting characters, but they have to relate to your main character in some way, again feeding into their strengths, weaknesses, emotions, reactions, fears. While they may be strong characters, remember they are support and complements for your main character.
Finally, you have your fill in characters. They might not have anything to say, but are placed in your story to help expand a scene.
Also remember, not all your characters have to be the same. In fact, the more diversity the better.
You’ll probably find your outlined script — either plot or character — evolving as you write. That’s okay. No, that’s great. Never, never, never let your plot dictate your characters, their development or their actions. The plot may advance your characters, but it shouldn’t limit them. Just like real life, you might have a particular plan in mind, only to alter how you achieve it.
You might say that’s putting characterization above plot. I say it’s rewriting the story to make it better.
THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: When you have a goal, you have to dream it, believe it, say it out loud and write it down.– Ciara
Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat it out, saying it was awful. It apparently had become stale because of the long journey in the old leather container. The student challenged his teacher: “Master, the water was foul. Why did you pretend to like it?”
When Mary arrived, she greeted Elisabeth. And, immediately, Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (1:39-43).
Sisters Marianne and Barb are a concern for Cindy and her family. Little sister’s surgery was Tuesday. Middle sister leaves for Cleveland Clinic Tuesday to for tests to prepare for her heart surgery. Although Cindy is getting ready to be with her as she undergoes heart valve repair surgery, she feels so far away and is worried about how her mom is doing with all of it! Please lift them up.
We come to You, Lord, because prayer is the least yet the greatest thing we can do for each other. When two or more are gathered in Your name, we confidently know You are with us. What better company can we have? You reign and we trust You! We may be broken and battered but know You heal and quiet the soul. You are the source for all that happens in our lives. We thank You for the progress being made. We thank You for the many blessings we have received this week — some we unfortunately didn’t notice. Nonetheless, those blessings are ever-present in our lives. We thank You for healing. We thank You for slowing us down. We thank You for providing us our daily needs — no more and no less. We thank You for being with us, listening to us, walking with us on this journey. We thank You for the support of our family and friends … for seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary — sunrises, sunsets, flowers, kids laughing, adventures, good news — amid the bad news. We know we can come to You with our concerns and they will be heard. Through Christ all things are possible. We lift up those family members and friends who are battling various physical, emotional, financial, career or spiritual issues and ask not for Your guidance and healing (although that would be welcomed) but to keep reminding us we are not alone in our battles. Specifically we lift up Marianne, Barb, Cindy, Madi, Harold, Andrew, Barb, Nicolle and all those needing Your healing touch. We pray for the families of all those You have called home. We grieve … You celebrate. We pray for obedience to Your Will so Your “Son” Light shines through us through the power of the Spirit. And we come to You through the confidence of the words taught by Your Son Jesus. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Watch the children.
The days of keeping up with the toddlers may be over, but that doesn’t mean we can’t participate in their lives, guide them, play with them. And then it’s time for a nap.
It’s hard to believe but the first leg of my late year journey is almost over. To recap, I’m spending about two and a half weeks with each of my kids/grandkids/great-grandkids. This was the Massachusetts chapter. And it has been fun! Constant chaos with two little ones, five and six; two teenagers {technically a tweener and a teenager}; and two dogs {including Angelina}, but fun nonetheless.
I must admit I had forgotten about five and six year old energy levels. Over the last few years, I had experienced it in short bursts. This time, from dawn to dusk — and sometimes well beyond — it was constant motion. My Little Pony and Danny and the Dinosaurs marathons or Lego Jurassic World and Lego Batman video games for the younger set were almost constantly on screen unless Grandpa usurped the TV for football or baseball. I joined the family at an alpaca farm {which also featured emus, donkeys, chickens, ducks, and turkeys}, spent quality time with the family, had interesting conversations individually with 
the two older boys, supervised as the dogs and younger ones roughed and tumbled with the mutts, experienced the change in seasons up close and personal, had a grandchild on each side and a dog in the middle as I read them The Jungle of Jojee {they listened intently except the dog, she slept through it}, saw my Christmas cactus start blooming {I’ve entrusted its future to my daughter-in-law}, spent the better part of a day at the New England Air 
Museum with the crew, watched my first pre-Christmas Christmas movie (Christmas at the Castle, hey I hadn’t watched a Christmas movie since July), had the younguns help me make a Twinkie cake, spent a gorgeous night under a bright full moon with s’mores, a roaring fire and family, helped (?) the little ones decorate their My Little Pony figurines, figured out the landscape {nothing in Massachusetts is a straight 
A-to-B straight line} and found the post office, landfill {don’t ask} and pharmacy without benefit of GPS, even managed some quiet time. Angelina and I found some time for walks at Wells State Park and Spencer State Park as well.
I would say Angelina and I packed a lot of fun and squirreled a lot of memories in 17 days — and we still have more stops ahead of us.
Saturday, we head to New York for 18 days of visiting, book sharing and even preaching. In Massachusetts tradition, we’re not going by way of the direct route, but veering off for a visit with my uncle and cousin in Connecticut first. We should settle in Saturday night in Ovid. One of the planned visit is with my newest great-granddaughter Ivy Lynn, who was born Sept. 27.
Just A Note
For some — especially journalers, poets, and to a large extent, bloggers – the answer is self-satisfaction. They’re not necessarily writing for profit. They are satisfied capturing their words and sharing them with a narrow audience.
Along with prayer, what about cultivating something holy, pure, and Christ-centered within our hearts? Through spiritual reading? In fellowship and conversations? In our actions with others? What do we do to dwell with God, and cultivate His Spirit in our lives?
The Light 