Over a week ago, I wrote a post about figuring out what your specialty is as a writer—realizing what you’re especially good at writing and then writing it.
But I think it’s also helpful to be able to look at our story with enough objectivity to determine the strengths within a manuscript, too. That requires us to narrow it down even a little farther than our general strengths.
I know that my characters are my strengths.
But which characters are strongest?
Early in a manuscript, I look really hard at my characters and seen which are stronger than others…just naturally stronger. They seem to always get the best and funniest lines. They steal the spotlight.
I’ve upgraded some characters to more important roles. Once I even took a less important character and turned her into my protagonist because she was stronger than my protagonist—and I “got” the character. I nailed the character automatically—the kind of person she was, her sense of humor, what she liked doing in her spare time….I knew it all intuitively.
My latest project, I even brought a character back from the dead.
She was supposed to be my second victim in the mystery. But she hung on with tenacity to every scene. My editor loved her and heaped praise on her (not knowing from the short sample I’d sent that she was going to die later in the book. ) She wouldn’t die. And, honestly, she was such a strong character that she didn’t need to die—she was going to be a selling point for readers to read the next book in the series. Why would I kill her—for shock value? And then I’m stuck—a charismatic character would be dead and she could have helped me out with future plots.
So she was only assaulted, not murdered. And I gave her more lines and built a subplot for her, too.
The same holds true for other manuscript strengths. Is the romantic element in your book making the project strong? Increase it. Is the page-turning suspense the strongest element in your manuscript? Increase the suspense. Is conflict driving your plot? Add more conflict.
What’s making your manuscript strong?
I’ve got to go with characters too. I have a lot of training to help with plotting, but characters are my thing.
And yeah, I have had to rescue or promote a few in my time, too.
I like your description of how you tell when a character is your best work. They click. And they perform for you – often doing the heavy lifting. (And yes, I think “getting” the character is really really important.)
This is great. Sometimes it is hard to deviate from the path you’ve planned. But, it can be so much more rewarding!
I like to think my characters are strong, but I’ve also been told I have a great “sense of place.” I should–I write about Montana and I grew up there. :)
Great advice, Elizabeth. Characters are my weakness, in that I need to pump them up. I’m learning.
ELizabeth – What an interesting question – as ever. I admire you for being willing to be so flexible and go with what’s really strong in your manuscript, rather than what you started out thinking you wanted to happen.
As for me, I like my characters, too. I think they’re doing well and they are “real.” In my WIP, though, I’m finding that the setting is also a strong part of the story – stronger than I thought it would be. Interesting how that stuff sneaks up on you.
Since I don’t really plot very far ahead, I never know exactly what’s going to happen. Heck, In Hidden Fire, I had no clue who the victim was, much less who killed him, even though the body showed up in the first chapter.
My strength has to be my characters. If I don’t love them, I can’t write their stories.
Terry
Terry’s Place
Romance with a Twist–of Mystery
Right now my core characters are holding their own, but the scenes and situations are changing rapidly.
This was the perfect post for me to read this morning. I’m editing. Before I dig in again, I’m going to take some time to think about what makes my wip strong. Thank you.
Over the years, I’ve began to strengthen my characters but honestly, I’m a plot person. I think about the characters afterward. However, once I’m attached to my MC’s I’m forever attached. I love them. Great advice here.
CD
Minor charcters didn’t take over my first book, but they fueled the subject matter of subsequent books.
Great post
I’m at that place in my writing where I am still trying to figure out my specialty. I’ve written across genre’s including mystery, science fiction, suspense/thriller, and even paranormal romance.
There are things I enjoy about each genre. I will also add that I have had minor characters take over in a story.
I’m learning to be very sensitive to plot changes, and pot holes in the story. Sometimes my characters get a little beside themselves:)
I do have a few character cuts that were hard to do, and some that became much stronger because of the change.
Another helpful post Elizabeth, thanks:)
Ha! I know which character that is! I won’t say, as you don’t need a spoiler, but I’m glad you spared her. She is definitely colorful.
I think my strength is my dialog, but I like this idea of examining it more, as there are some interactions that have unexpected magic. My MCs BFF is my most interesting, but it is sometimes surprising where she has chemisty, and it isn’t a bad idea at all to draw on that… in fact my manuscript is running a little short, and you’ve just given me a couple ideas for great convos to add!
Good topic for discussion. My characters – I’ve been told, and do believe myself – are among my books’ major strengths. I’ve had such a wild and varied long life, met, known, been intimate, and interacted with so many different types of people I have a considerable storehouse of “people-isms” from which to compose realistic and unique characters. I think authors who create “real” and believable characters are the ones who have a leg up on those who have difficulty with that. And I can tell you are among the former group, for sure.
As so many times before, your post is very useful for this cozy mystery trainee!
When I set out writing my WIP, I had planned to sacrifice one character as my victim no two, but after a few chapters I realized that my readers would probably think he was ´too good to die´- so I killed off someone else.
NB: my very first beta reader has just finished reading my very first draft – and she is thrilled about my characters so that is also one of my stronger points.
My characters are the starting point, I follow them around, see what they do, and voila, I have a story! Now I’m trying to move beyond that, to write stories where plot and/or setting has a stronger role. I don’t like to write the same book twice so I’m always looking for some new area to explore.
Marc Vun Kannon
http://authorguy.wordpress.com
Interesting question, to get awareness. When it comes to my own writing I have problems finding any strength at all, but I’ll think about it, for sure. Maybe I can find something to build on >:)
Cold As Heaven
I think my characters are probably my strength, too. However, I have to say I think you nailed all your characters in “Delicious and Suspicious’ – the good guys and bad. They were all so easy for me to picture.
Heidiwriter–I think it’s fantastic when you can write about a place and have readers feel like they’ve been on a vacation afterwards!
The Daring Novelist–Isn’t it funny how some characters really click with you right away and others you have to work harder at?
Alex–Sounds like your characters have a lot to deal with.
Journaling Woman–I have a feeling they’ll end up getting much stronger with practice!
Margot–It’s always interesting to me when someone is good at setting and it comes so easily…it doesn’t for me!
Clarissa–Since the protagonist is the one the reader is spending the most time with, it works out well that you get so close to them!
Terry–And if we don’t love them, we can’t expect our readers to…and who wants to read a book when you don’t care what happens to the characters?
Diane–That’s how you ended up with spin-offs, right?
Carol–And then you play up the good parts! Good luck!
J.L.–I think it’s nice to be able to write lots of genres equally well! That would be a nice problem to have.
Hart–Sounds like a secondary character is about to get some more screen time! :)
The Old Silly–And congratulations on your new release–and for introducing us to some more great Old Silly character creations!
Author Guy–And maybe prod those great characters to have new adventures!
Tamika–They’re really not easy sometimes to cut, but I’ve found it made my story stronger the times I’ve done it.
Dorte–I’m not surprised about your strong characters! And, I think you’re right that readers are pulling for the bad guys to die. Sometimes that’s not always possible though (says Elizabeth, with an evil smile!) :)
Cold As Heaven–I think you’re being modest! What about your dry sense of humor?
Jane–Thanks so much! I really appreciate it. :)
I wish my characters were my strength but my critters keep telling me to work on their POV and keep their maturity level consistent, etc.
My descriptions seem fairly decent and I haven’t had much in the way of complaints there but I have to say that my biggest strength is dialogue. I never get complaints on dialogue. In fact, I’ve had critters tell me that while they would normally skip banter, and that a scene largely classifies banter, it was entertaining enough that they didn’t mind and weren’t going to tell me to cut it.
Personally, I wish my characters were my strength but there you have it!
I was thinking of doing a noir with Tarkas. “They call me the Fixer. How right they are.”
This is an awesome post. For me, characters are not my strength, so this is beyond helpful!
Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse
I’m making my MS strong