After writing a personal piece about how my life was changed by writing my own obituary, just as a writing exercise, I set back to work on my evolving novel. Of course, the personal spilled over into the "writer" part of my brain and I could not stop thinking about how each of these characters would - or could - be written about at their funerals, not just by the end of the book, but at each pivotal moment.
If you feel stuck at any point when creating a character, try to think about this. What are the crucial details or experiences or character traits you'd like people to remember about YOUR characters? Try to get beyond general words like "kind" or "loving" and think of specific or unique actions or personal qualities that set those people apart. Not every character in your book or story has to be a standout. Maybe you want some of them to be mere shadows or "types".
For the main characters, I'd suggest that you try to think about what you'd say if you had to stand up and say something, anything, at the funeral. I found this exercise to be far more challenging than I thought. At first, I WAS stuck with very broad terms, words like "loving father" or "stubborn but persistent teacher" Then I started fleshing out my characters, until I had a sense that I was honestly creating people who were more vivid - and unique - for my readers.
You might try looking at some local obits or the ones in the New York Times before attempting thie exercise. Some of them are very creatively written and may even give you ideas for new characters. I also like to write down character traits of memorable people in books I'm reading, whether fiction or nonfiction. Now only does this help me focus on the book's details but it serves me well when I go back to my own writing.
So try it- and please let me know what you think.
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Comments: 18
I will try just about anything to get through writer's block and this has really helped me, hope it helps others!
Great article. I think I'll try this with a character I'm struggling with.
I would love to hear some of your examples. What characters have you developed this way?
Thanks so much for posting this to the Writing Essential, Jane. I will be pointing folks your way when I post my write up of the week.
I was once writing a mystery and for some reason I wanted to know how the woman who was the focus of this story, a woman who'd undergone a great loss, would look back on her life or how others would think of her after she died. I knew that the major event, the loss, would have to be a part of it but I didn't want that to DEFINE her, to be the only thing that stood out about her, especially since she'd had no control over the situation nor had she chosen it.
By thinking of her that way, I was able to add other characteristics to her, including her attitude, that I hope balanced out the resounding effect of her loss. Sometimes I think we can get "stuck" with characters and forget that, like all of us, they continue to change and grow. Maybe this will sound crazy but I even imagine how their life evolves after a book or story is finished!
Looks like I am not alone.
Oh- the other thing I like to do with my old newspapers and magazines is cut up all the words- first cut the strips of sentences, then cut each word off into a tin. I keep that tin (altoids works great) in my backpack with a notebook and a glue stick in case I truly can't write anything. I take a pinch of words and paste together this wildest short poems or stories. It helps me jog the brain loose.
I love that tip!