A book character shouldnt do things without reasons. They work within the frame of who they are, so for them to suddenly do something out of character needs to be justified, in my view. We are all capable of doing things out of character, or seem to do things out of character, but circumstances dictate that change. Something happens to alter us, if even for a moment. In fiction a character should do things that are inspired by who they are, not because the writer wants to move them about like pieces on a chess board. You can also present a character that seems really with it, a good person, and give them more depth. Say they love their family and dog, are conscientious at work, but they are a serial killer, or they are an assassin. These are simplistic examples, but I think it makes the point. You can have someone who hates dogs, isnt good with his family, or steals, but he might see a child in danger and end up going to the childs rescue. Another simplistic way of looking at it, but I think as a writer, that kind of thinking helps me produce characters I can believe in, and then hopefully the reader will believe in them. I think trying to write for the reader is a tricky thing, and leads to repetition, which is hard enough to fight against. In a series with the same character, or characters, you will have repetition, because those characters are who they are and they will react in a certain way, unless circumstances change them or force them into different views, or it forces them to do something that goes against their nature, like say, murder. But even in a book series with the same character, or characters, there have to be changes, and they cant be without reason. A brave man suddenly becomes hesitant and cowardly because time and having to be in tight spots has finally caught up with him, weakened him. Or a person who would never hurt a fly is thrust into a situation where they have to save someone they care about, and they have to work outside the law, something they would have never considered. Again, simplistic, but I think it makes the point. Another thing is I try not to think of my characters as absolute heroes, even if they should act heroic from time to time.
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 15:50:08 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015