To be real, a character must have strengths and weaknesses. I have been creating a profile for Chip, the hero of my work in progress, and I know some of his strengths: he is independent, can cope with adversity, has high ethical standards. The only weakness I know about so far is that he is distrustful of women, which women see as a failure to commit.
Strengths and weaknesses are arbitrary. Independence can become an inability to depend on others, an ability to cope can be seen as indifference, high ethical standards can become intransigency. Which is great for the book: the resulting misunderstandings can cause conflicts among characters and the plot or subplots to thicken.
I can already see that Chip's high ethical standards and principles will be a driving force in the story. He is a vegetarian and an animal lover who will be forced to kill to feed those dependent on him. His independence, exemplified by a need for freedom, is also at stake. He will be forced to decide how much of his freedom he is willing to give up for safety, and how much of his safety he is willing to give up for freedom.
So far, I haven't been able to come up with a special strength or weakness that would set Chip apart from any other character, but since plot and character are so closely related, this may not be a bad thing. It does no good to assign a special strength or weakness to a character if it is not going to be tested during the story, and I don't want to Chip to be constrained by a particular trait before he even begins his adventures. If he needs a special strength, I will write it in when necessary. The great thing about writing is that we are not stuck with what is past. We can always go back and recreate it to answer present needs.
If only life outside the pages of our novels worked that way!
reprinted from Bertram's Blog.
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Comments: 8
As per usual, much enjoyed and thank you.
Lynn: My characters never actually take control. As the writing progresses, they do dictate their needs and I have to follow those needs, but that is only because of the choices I have already made for them. By establishing certain criteria, such as a distrust of women, I limit the choices I can make for the characters, so by the time they are fully fleshed out, they seem to have become partners in the writing.
I'm glad you enjoy these character posts. This is the first time I ever sketched out a character ahead of time, and because of it, I'm getting a whole new idea of the conflicts that will be arising.
As in real life, the character comes into the story with one set of strengths and flaws, but it's the events in the story that will challenge and hopefully bring those traits out.
I had to smile while reading this sentence: The great thing about writing is that we are not stuck with what is past. We can always go back and recreate it to answer present needs.
That is one great thing about writing...another is being able to write whatever you want in fiction and not having to be restrained by reality. : - )
I love it when I decide a character needs a different car or a better house or a mentor, and I can go back and write it in. Presto! I write, and it is done. The only problem comes in making sure that the new past coincides with the old present.