Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card
What is a character?
In order to satisfy the reader, the characters in your fiction must seem like real people. By the end of a story the reader wants to know the main character as well as they know their friends or family; as well as they know themselves. Not only does it provide more satisfying entertainment, but it gives the reader a better understanding of human nature.
There are a number of ways that you might get to know people in real life, and each can be used effectively in building a character.
- Actions: The strongest and most irresistible way of forming impressions about a person is by their actions. If you tell a secret to a friend and the next day it's common knowledge, that says one thing. If that same friend takes the blame for your mistake, that says another.
- Motive: Behind each action is a motive. By revealing the motive, you reveal an important aspect of a person's character.
- The Past: Knowing someone's past reflects upon their character. By knowing what they've experienced, we are able to infer what type of person they might be and why.
- Reputation: We sometimes have an opinion of someone before even meeting them based upon their reputation.
- Stereotypes: The moment we see someone, we immediately start classifying them based upon stereotypes we may have. By giving someone a certain set of characteristics, you can cause the reader to stereotype the character. (And later, you may then break the stereotype to provide an interesting surprise.)
- Network: People have many different relationships, and a different role to play in each. A woman might be a mother, daughter, doctor, wife, and friend. Each facet tells us something different about her.
- Habits and Patterns: Does she carry a can of mace wherever she goes? Does he always drum his finger on the table while waiting? A habitual action give us important information about a specific character trait.
- Talents and Abilities: Abilities tell us both what someone likes to do, and what they are likely to do.
- Tastes and Preferences: Much like with stereotypes, tastes and preferences define a person. We think one thing about a man who prefers cognac and Mozart; we think another about a woman who reads Soldier of Fortune and has an impressive gun collection.
- Body: Perhaps the shallowest and least useful, still it tells us something about a person because the things a person has gone through are affected by their physical fitness and appearance.
What makes a good fictional character?
As a person reads, he is constantly asking questions (subconsciously if not consciously), like:
Why should I care about what's going on?
Could that really happen?
What exactly is happening?
It is your responsibility to have ready answers for these questions, or to prevent them from even being asked. Remember three principles: emotional involvement, plausibility, and understandability.
Giving the reader emotional involvement is key to creating an interesting story. The reader must care about what happens to the characters, or it's all just so many words. A character's suffering, both physical and emotional, can provoke the reader's pity or wish for justice. A character's sacrifice can bring the reader's sympathy. Jeopardy can be used to instill tension and apprehension. Lastly, sexual tension can affect the reader vicariously and make us wish for a union for the characters.
A Bible
We all know how important a first impression is. In a book, an important part of that first impression is the character's name. A name says a lot about a person due to our preconceptions about demographics. First name, surname, title, all of these things affect that first impression. Would you expect the same things from a Dr. Wilfred T. Penniworth III as you would from a man known only as Billy Bob? Perhaps not.
Another important factor in choosing names and other traits for a character is clarity. Even if you know your story perfectly, your readers may become confused if you aren't cautious. A good rule of thumb is to choose names that start with different first letters and have different sounds, and to never use the same name for more than one character.
Often times, even you the writer may have troubles keeping all of the minor characters straight. This is where a bible comes in. A bible is a compendium of the decisions and details, a list of the characters, their traits, what happens and when. In making a movie, a certain person has the job of keeping continuity - measuring the length of an actor's cigarette to keep it correct from one shot to the next, making sure that positions, hairstyles, clothing and more are all correct according to precedents set in previous scenes. In writing a book this is your job, and keeping a bible can uphold the understandability and credibility of the story.
MICE
The characterization for a story is decided by the type of story. There are four main types of stories: milieu, idea, character, and event.
A milieu story is one that focuses primarily on the setting. The culture, traditions, and locations of the setting are primary, while the characters are secondary and are there to introduce you to the setting. A great example of this is J.R.R. Tolkien's series The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien's purpose is to entertain the reader by showing the reader Middle Earth. As such, light characterization is used. Many of the characters are little more than stereotypes; the elf, the dwarf, the wise wizard, the mischievous hobbits, the power-hungry evil enemy. Little is put towards making them multifaceted people. Instead, Tolkien focuses on the tales, songs, and traditions to be found among the various peoples of Middle Earth.
An idea story has a simple structure. At the beginning, a question is asked or a problem presented. The story ends at the resolution of this question. A good example of this is a detective story. In an idea story, the characters are usually not dynamic. The reader does not expect the main character to be transfigured by the events, and is satisfied so long as characters are sufficiently amusing.
A character story is about a person's attempt to find their role in life. Often, it begins at a point when the main character's life becomes unbearable or complex, and ends when the character finds satisfaction. Character stories, naturally, require the most complete characterization.
An event story is one in which the plot is centered around a set of events. Typically, event stories involve an imbalance or injustice, and end with the restoration of balance to the universe, the righting of wrongs, the removal of evil. The Count of Monte Cristo is a good example of an event story. It is the chronicle of a man's quest for justice, and ends when that justice is found.
With each story type, a contract is made with the reader. The reader has certain expectations for each story, and in order for a story to be satisfying it must meet those expectations. For instance, if the Count of Monte Cristo had suddenly deserted his quest for justice on a whim, it wouldn't have nearly the power that it does.
Point of View
The way that your characters are perceived will be profoundly affected by the voice you use. Most stories use either third-person ("he went") or first-person ("I went"), unless perhaps your story involves talking to an amnesiac ("you went").
First-person narrative is perhaps the most personal and allows the reader to easily identify with the main character. It's hard not to understand someone that's telling their own story. The primary disadvantage is of course that the story is seen through only one set of eyes, and requires that the narrator be present at or acquainted with all of the major events of the story, not always a plausible thing. Also, the narrator knows the conclusion of the story which begs the question, "Why don't you just tell me the answer?"
Third-person is the dominant view, and is split between omniscient and limited, each with its strengths and weaknesses. Omniscient third-person allows us full view and explanation of each event and motivation. The narrator tells the story with the ability to peak into the mind of each character and show their innermost thoughts, things that they themselves may not be aware of. The power of this is clear: the narrator has full control of your understanding of each character.
Limited third-person is the point of view that most movies are made in. We witness the events as they happen, then form our own conclusions regarding thoughts and emotions based upon actions. Limited third-person's main strength is that its the viewpoint with which the reader is least conscious of being told a story. A limited-third person account makes a reader more of an eyewitness and less of a listener, immersing them in the events in a very real way.
Conclusion
If you're interested in the craft of writing fiction, I'd recommend Orson Scott Card's Characters and Viewpoint. In addition to more fully developing the points mentioned above, Card gives many examples throughout the book that are amusing and make me wish I'd written them. Stay tuned for a review of other books in the Elements of Fiction Writing series (unfortunately written by other authors.)
