The Heart of Story: Part I - Character

Character

This is usually characterS, plural, but we’re dealing with concepts not specifics.  Though I usually come up with my characters last, I agree with the idea that this is the most important part of story.

Characters have many different classifications and I’m sure someone will disagree with the way this is laid out, but it serves as the best illustration I can give.  They also may not affect your writing much as most of them are interchangeable but they are good to know so that you can talk about writing with other writers and writing professionals.  If you’re not one of those people that believes in categorizing everything then please just skim over them so you have an idea what they are.

•    Main Character  -This is primary point of view character through which the story is experienced or the narrator of the story in 1st person.
•    Protagonist  - This is the character with a story arc or, the character who changes because of the conflict.
•    Hero  -This is the character who does something heroic or has heroic qualities.  This character often moves the story along.
•    Anti-hero  -This is typically a character who isn’t innately good and could even be considered evil or lacking redeemable qualities but becomes the focus of the story and usually does something heroic.  He/she could easily be the villain in any other story.
•    Side Character  -This is like a non-player character.  They usually help tell the story, typically don’t get their own point of view and act as a foil to the main character.  I call them collateral damage usually.
•    Villain  -The character whose goal is diametrically opposed to the other characters.  He/she should be well equipped to cause them the most grief, be understandable (as in motivations) and, above all, believe he is the hero of his own story.  There are stories where villains are evil for the sake of evil but by and large they feel that what they are doing it the right thing or can justify their actions.  Most often it is the villain that is the greatest source of conflict and either directly or indirectly causes the protagonist to change.

These are all subjective terms and usually the roles of main character, protagonist and hero (or anti-hero) are all played by the same character.  Think of the movie Pitch Black, if you’ve seen it (spoiler).  The main character was the female pilot who is also an anti-hero because she tried to dump the crew to save her own butt before the ship crashed.  Riddick is a villain who becomes an anti-hero as the female pilot redeems herself and becomes the hero.  The story is told mainly through her perspective so she is the main character and, since she redeems herself, she is the protagonist as well. 

Confused yet?  Good! 

From here on out I’ll just be using the term “main character” to cover all the above (except side character, whom you’ll recognize them by the bloodstains they leave behind, and villain).

As a concept, character is the brush by which the story is painted.  We only see what they see.  The world you’ve built can be amazing but we can’t see it without characters.  No one will want to read a story that doesn’t have interesting characters that make them want to read.

So what makes interesting characters?   

Likability vs Relatability

Some writers will say that your main character has to be likable.  While I do believe you that you have to make the reader care what happens to the maid character, they don’t necessarily have to be someone you would like in real life. 

My theory is, if you make your characters--good, bad, likeable or unlikable--as human as you can then they will be relatable.  It’s not likability that matters but relatability.  I think that you can relate to anyone with feelings and flaws and insecurities and quirks.  Emotional reactions create a clear sense of personality.  If you understand someone’s motivations for their actions, beliefs and behaviors then you understand the person.  You create a connection be placing yourself in that person’s shoes.
   
You don’t have to like my characters on a personal level to be interested in what happens to them.  The anti-hero is great proof of this.  Riddick isn’t a likable kind of guy.  He’s cold blooded killer who is only out for himself.  When he is forced to put his superior sense, strength and skills to work to help the others and himself, you’re suddenly interested in him.  You find yourself wanting him to become one of the good guys.  This happens anytime a super villain teams up with a superhero to fight a greater evil.  You find yourself hoping the life long bad guy redeems himself.
   
Look at the series Dexter, cable or the books.  (Nother spoiler!)  Dexter is a sociopath and formidable serial killer.  He is obsessed with blood and keeps blood slides of each victim so that he can look at them under his microscope whenever he chooses to relieve the thrill of the kill.  He is the main character and I wouldn’t even call him an anti-hero, but I find myself rooting for him, hoping that he makes the kill, that he can satisfy his “dark passenger” because he only kills others multiple murderers.  He also happens to be my kind of smart ass and its funny to watch his pretend to be a normal human.  I love this guy!  This sick, sadistic, evil evil killer.  What’s wrong with !?  Well I’m not alone.

Flaws

Another common statement about characters is that they have to have flaws to be interesting.  Maybe they don’t have to but it all goes towards the relatable human thing.  Unless you have a Nietzsche-esk superman who is a symbol of perfection, your characters should have flaws of some sort. 

I always liked Wolverine better than Superman simply because Superman was boring while Wolverine wasn’t earth shatteringly powerful, had problems and bad hygiene.  Now, put Clark Kent in high school without full control of his powers, teenage insecurities, girl problems and issues with this parents--such as we find him early on in the series Smallville--and you’ve got my attention.  Superman just became human.  A flawed Superman is relatable.  A flawed Superman is interesting.

The Character Must Change

It is also widely accepted that your main character must change by the end of the story. This is where conflict and character collide to make it all happen.  For a long time I didn’t understand this concept and wasn’t sure if I was utilizing it.  Like many storytelling basics, I was using it through emulation without understanding what IT was. 

Here is the best explanation I’ve found.  Conflict is what forces your character to change.  He must change in order to resolve the conflict or be destroyed by it.  There are so many forms that this can come in that I don’t think it worth going into description of every way a character can change.  You’re the writer.  They are your characters and conflicts.  You’re the only one qualified to explore this.

The Power of Character

Readers will always remember characters first.  Characters make the biggest impression and are a guide to your world.  No one will travel your world because you asked them to but they will travel it with a companion, a friend, a brother or sister at arms.  That companion is your character.  Is George Lucas remembered because he thought of a space station the size of a moon called the Death Star or is he remembered for Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Yoda?  Even the droids are practically household names. 

There are two kinds of writers who sell books.  Character writers and plot writers.  Plot writers might sell a few books, or even several but Character writers are the writers who sell the most, who make the most bank and will always have a career, even if they never truly master plot.  Plot writers have to learn characterization or be doomed to short careers.

Stay tuned for part II Conflict!

Listening to: Nonpoint- In the Air Tonight