I don't know if it was because he was a boy or because I was
creeped out by his growing nose and foolish mistakes, but as a kid I never
liked Pinocchio. So, I could never understand why Giuseppe
would want him to become a real boy. I mean who wants to deal with a pain
in the ass, dishonest little kid who doesn't listen? (Thanks for putting up
with me Mom.) Giuseppe, much like a parent, did see something in
Pinocchio; he saw a chance for his ideas to come to life.
Since committing
to the transformation of my writing from hobby to career, I am beginning to
understand Giuseppe better and wish Pinocchio could be truly real.
Because if he could be real, then my Kaitlin and Gracie could be real
and we could hang out and talk just once. I spend so much time
developing them in my head and on my computer it's as if they are my children.
As I write, I can hear their voices and see through Kaitlin's eyes.
I feel their emotions and understand their thoughts. Now, there is
the chance that my meds quit working again, but I like to think I have gotten
good at developing my characters. At
least that's what the people in my writing group let me believe (and that has
nothing to do with the fact that they are with me in a small room at the end of
a long hallway as they critique my work).
Last night, at
writer's group, I was asked what I do to develop my characters. I tried
to answer this on the spot, but I was drowning in the flattery and really
couldn't think about my process clearly enough to explain. It seems I
remember reading an article or chapter about character development that talked
about interviewing your characters. I am sure that works great...if you
are good at asking questions. I am not.
I tend to work
more on intuition and this character sketch lesson I have taught to my 7th
graders. What are the habits of my characters? Habits you wouldn’t
explicitly write into the book, but that make them more human. My
character, Kaitlin, for example, is a Diet Coke addict. It's a little
thing, but anytime food is mentioned, you know she will have a Diet Coke--just
like you know what your best friend would have to drink. These little
habits help readers connect to the characters more and brings fictional people
to life.
Another way
character can be developed is by writing notes on their back story and items
they own. My character, Kaitlin, was abandoned at the age of four, yet we
know her birthday. How is that? I was going to brush it off as YA
literary magic and hope my readers never wondered. This deception kept me
awake and I decided to ask the question myself. Immediately, I found
myself jotting notes about the items found with her in a backpack. There
is information in these items that give us her birth date. However, these
items also began to tell me who Kaitlin's parents were and in turn who she is.
Suddenly, I could see her as well as my own kids.
Finally, I think
about what the characters look like and then I watch people when I am out.
I still haven't "seen" Kaitlin, but her adoptive mother I have
seen. I was sitting in a class one Saturday morning when instructor came
in and it was clear, she was Gracie. I knew it as soon as I saw her.
I don't think I could tell you much of what I learned in this class, but
I have copious notes about her mannerisms and belief systems.
When building your
characters, the best thing you can do is spend time with them. Look for
them in your day to day interactions. During typical encounters ask
yourself, what would my character do in this situation? Then, weave these
mundane daily actions and habits into the fabric of your fiction to add depth
to who your character truly is. Create your Pinocchio.
