Author: Elizabeth Spann Craig

It’s a rough world out there right now, job-wise.

It’s even rough for characters in manuscripts. I’ve found that if one of my characters isn’t doing their job in telling the story, then it’s time for them to get canned.

After all, we don’t have all the time in the world to just let a story meander around. If I’ve written a character in, they need to perform. Some of them need to create conflict for my protagonist (like the interfering son who won’t let my sleuth do her investigating.) Some of them need to provide clues or red herrings for my detective. Some need to be killed, some need to be murderers, and some of them need to be bystanders….but even the bystanders have a job to do. They should be entertaining or colorful in some way.

I need quieter characters, too—like Ratty and Mole in The Wind in the Willows. They were gentle, quiet creatures—and great foils for Toad. Some of my characters are straight-men for my funny protagonist. Some of them are sounding boards so my sleuth isn’t having long conversations with herself, wondering who the killer is.

But if I have a character that isn’t really doing anything, or if they’re just kind of hanging out in my manuscript without a purpose, it’s time for them to get their pink slips. Let them mess up someone else’s manuscript.

I’m taking a three day break from blogging to celebrate Thanksgiving with family. Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and will enjoy these older posts of mine. :) This post originally ran June 8, 2009. Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends and all the best to my others!

Lately I’ve read some interesting articles online on a variety of writing-related topics. There have been some excellent posts by commenters on this blog, too—but I’m thinking many of my readers read your blogs, too! Maybe some of these sites will be less-familiar.

I’ve tweeted these—but I know there are many of you that aren’t on Twitter that might find some of these interesting reading.

Writing Technique and Content:

7 tips to nail that perfect title: http://ping.fm/QtlTc

Six elements to writing a good scene: http://tinyurl.com/yf46oyp

Top 7 Reasons Readers Stop Reading: http://tinyurl.com/ylbmywk

Make your characters’ flaws work for you: http://tinyurl.com/yj6gzmq

5 Tips for Creating a Distinctive Character: http://tinyurl.com/yfwe7w7

Develop characters through dialogue: http://tinyurl.com/yfsp2gl

How to Kill a Character—And Avoid Hate Mail: http://bit.ly/4OkxkO

Technology and Tools:

Need Photos? Where To Find Free & Legal Stock Photos Online: http://tinyurl.com/lttcfp

20 online tools for writers: http://tinyurl.com/nw542r

Agents:

7 Reasons Agents Stop Reading Your First Chapter : http://tinyurl.com/ybutk9o

An agent’s 10 pieces of advice for a successful author/agent relationship: http://tinyurl.com/ybjarau

After You’re Published: Promoting and Money Management

9 Tips for Successful Author Readings: http://tinyurl.com/y8pe4f9

Practical and unique tips for book signings. http://bit.ly/15tZ2o

When authors shop at bookstores–should they resist checking the stock for their novel? http://tinyurl.com/yhbqg23

An agent discusses financial aspects of publishing: http://tinyurl.com/yhaol6t

50 Things Under $50 To Promote Your Book: http://bit.ly/3jpvuQ

Random:

100 Useful Links for ebook Lovers: http://tinyurl.com/yf9phzv

Help for writers with cluttered desks: Eleven Myths of Decluttering: http://tinyurl.com/yz75r8z

One popular stock character in books and film is the nosy neighbor.

Have you had a nosy neighbor before? They collect a hodgepodge of random and fairly useless information about their neighbors. If you’ve had plumbing problems, dirty carpets, or electrical problems, they’re sure to spot the van in your driveway and make a note of it. Have family over to visit? They’ll know that too–or at least that you have someone over and they’ll speculate who they are until they finally break down and ask you.

I’ve had a nosy neighbor before. She’d call up our house and ask if everything was all right: she’d seen my husband’s car there–was he home sick from work? Was the baby okay? Did I need a casserole?

Nosy neighbors? They exist. And not only in books and on TV.

The Mysterious Matters blog is written by an anonymous editor….or, maybe, publisher, of a smaller press. In the post, Ten Characters to Put Out to Pasture, he made a list of ten stock characters he’s tired of reading.

The nosy neighbor isn’t on there, but a garrulous neighbor is.

His points are valid ones. Here is his list:

The pill-popping, alcoholic, cold society woman; the overly garrulous neighbor; the bitchy teenage girl; the sleazy male boss; the precocious and wise-beyond-his-or-her years niece or nephew; the cub reporter and her hard-as-nails-but-secretly-sensitive editor; the snobbish matriarch fiercely protecting family secrets; the cocky dude whom the heroine falls for, despite his arrogance; the wisecracking detective; and the town crazy.

Wow. What a group!

There are different ones for different genres. But why are they stock characters to begin with?

I think many people have met folks like them. It makes them believable.

Like my nosy neighbor. Everybody’s had one in their neighborhood.

The trick is to put a unique spin on the characters. What makes them different? What makes them three dimensional and not a cardboard cutout of other characters like them? Do they grow as characters? Do they react differently in different situations? What gives them some depth? What do they do that’s unexpected?

One thing I know about my particular nosy neighbor. She felt like she was taking care of me. Mrs. Triola was an elderly lady with too much time on her hands–and spent much of it looking out the window. I, ten years ago, was a young mother with a very busy toddler and no time to worry over the inconsistencies of the mail delivery or the garbage pickup. What if, one day, Mrs. Triola had actually seen something? What if she’d had a Hitchcock Rear Window moment? She’d have been pleased as punch if she’d been able to stop a crime in progress, call the fire department at the first sign of smoke, or alert me to an approaching tornado.

She had a good heart. Another dimension than ‘nosy neighbor.’

Yes, there are stock characters, just like there are stereotypes. Do they exist because there’s some truth to them? Should we avoid using these characters altogether–or just work harder to make them unique?

I’m not sure I’ve ever been great at paying attention to the world around me. It has to be pretty spectacular for me to notice it.

When I was a college freshman, I headed off to an afternoon class, “Media and Society,” one fall day. After walking across campus and into the library, I saw a note on the door saying that class had been canceled. Hmm.

As I walked back toward my dorm, a security man drove up to me in a golf cart. He was an older, big man, and I remember how red his face was. “What the hell are you doing out here?”

I gaped at him. “Well, I’m trying to get to class. But it’s canceled.”

“Well it sure as hell is! Hurricane Hugo is coming through, young lady! Why do you think the campus is deserted? Do you hear that siren? And look at that sky. Do you think that’s normal?”

Oh. No, I didn’t think it was normal, now that he mentioned it. And the campus was sort of oddly deserted….like that movie The Day After. The siren? I don’t know what I thought that was all about. The outraged security guy dragged me into his golf cart and deposited me at my dorm with stern warnings. Everyone in my dorm had gathered into the commons area to watch the TV….a fact I’d been blissfully unaware of when I’d left my dorm room and trotted off to the canceled class.

Sometimes I don’t pay attention to minor details.

I skip over details when reading, too. I want to get to the main thrust of the story. Ordinarily, tedious setting descriptions, love scenes, and boring bits get a pass over from me.

What I do pay attention to as a reader:

First off: who is the protagonist? I want to know right off the bat who I need to pay most attention to.

Subtle clues to the season, time of day, and general location. Are people wearing sweaters? Coats? Sleeveless tops? Are leaves turning? Are crocuses blooming? Are the characters’ shadows stretching out on the pavement in front of them? I think I pay more attention to setting clues than if the writer comes right out and lays out the information for me.

What year is it? Am I reading something set in the present day? A retro piece? I read a book recently that dealt with World War II. But for the longest time, I couldn’t ascertain if the war was still ongoing, or set in its aftermath. I ignored everything else in the book until I tracked down that bit of information.

I want more details about the setting if I’m reading a tense scene between protagonist and antagonist. Can the protagonist escape? Is there anyone within earshot?

Who are important secondary characters? Which names do I need to learn and which are just bit players I don’t have to remember later?

What is the relationship between different characters? Friends? Lovers? Family? I may even need an additional reminder of their connection later on.

If you sometimes skim as a reader, are there parts that you’re actively looking for? Are there parts you always want to pay attention to or that you flip back in a book to find?

I was putting my daughter to bed the other night and she said, “I want to stay with you forever!”

Of course I told her she was sweet, and continued tucking her in. But she held onto my hand and said, “I really, really do, Mama. Can’t I always live here, even when I’m a grown-up?”

I smiled at her and gave her a hug. “I know you think that now. But you’ll be a teenager and won’t want to spend as much time with Mama. And then you’ll grow up and want to have a family and a house of your own.”

I kissed her goodnight.

The next night was a determined repeat of the last. “Can’t I always live here with you, Mama?”

I opened my mouth to give The Truth of the Matter, Part II, when it finally occurred to me that that was not the ending she wanted to hear. I wasn’t giving her what she wanted. She was going to keep trying for the alternate, better ending.

“You can always live here. Even when you’re a grown-up. You’ll always have a home here with Daddy and me, if you want it.”

Big smile and she was happily off to sleep.

Critics and movie goers frequently like different things. Critics see movies all the time and are bored stiff by formulaic movies. Movie goers are frequently happy with comfortable familiarity. Critics wouldn’t mind some really tragic endings to films. Movie goers are less tolerant of unhappy endings.

Are readers really any different?

What does a reader want? Frequently:

Unambiguous endings

Tied up sub-plots

No cliff-hanging endings

And….for many readers….happy endings.

I’ll admit that I try to plug into what readers want. I really want to make a career of this writing gig. I get emails from readers and read what readers have to say in comments on book blogs. I’m taking it all in. For me, satisfying a reader is priority #1. If I’ve satisfied readers, my editor is usually pretty happy, too.