I mentioned during my post on outlining, that I’d found that the outlining process tended to flatten my characters out. I’d had to fluff them up later, during revisions.
So I got a tweet asking exactly how one goes about fluffing up characters. :)
I think there are lots of ways of doing this. Character worksheets are one of them. You can print out some worksheets and answer some questions about your characters…stuff that helps you think more about what makes them tick. Or you can interview your character…pretend you’re a member of the press (reputable or tabloid) and fire off some questions.
Some days I spend the day with one of my characters. It sounds a little crazy (and probably is), but it works. I wrote a post about it on Penguin’s blog.
The quickest thing I did to unflatten a flat character was a little trick I picked up somewhere. Since flat usually equates stock character, I made a list of all the stereotypes a particular character might have. For instance, one of my characters was a police officer. Lots of stereotypes for policemen come to mind: hard boiled, aggressive, cynical, etc. Then you make a list of the opposite of some of those traits. Soften the opposing traits and incorporate them into the character in a showing-not-telling way. My cop became a frustrated novelist who’d do anything to keep the peace so he can keep working on his manuscript.
Remember where your characters came from—who was behind their genesis? Are they an amalgam of several different people? What makes those real people real and interesting to you? Incorporate some of their traits, quirks, talents, dislikes, and attitudes.
There are lots of ways to fluff up a flat character. What are some of your approaches?
Ah, this was useful! I know that I need to fluff up several characters in my current WIP (though I didn´t know that that was what I needed to do to them) :)
And thank you so much for your very generous review of Candied Crime.
Elizabeth – You know it’s funny; I’ve had to do the same thing – fluffing up a character. And your ideas for doing that are great. I’ve also found that asking the question “Why” about some of my characters helps, too. For instance, in the manuscript I just finished, I asked why one of my characters is involved in the research project at the core of the story. Turns out that tapped me into some interesting things about the character’s background. It even works for simple questions like why a character is buying something at a supermarket. You never know where “Why?” will take you.
Elizabeth, I think I need to gather up all your posts on writing into one document and work from there with my novel. This is so darned helpful. Thanks.
Karen
I love all your ideas. I try all kinds of things. My new protagonist is keeping a journal now while I’m pre-planning.
Great point – I love breaking those stereotypes too – makes for fun writing and reading :)
Dorte–Fluffing can be necessary! And…I was happy to do it. Great collection!
Margot–“Why” is definitely one of the best questions in a writer’s toolbox!
The character stereotype list is a great idea. I will try that.
I “fluff” my characters by giving them a talent and a fear not directly related to the situation at hand.
The talent is normally something I don’t have.:) One character can sing, another is an artist. Neither of those are in my particular skill set.
The fear is something that isn’t always directly related to the plot. For example, one character is a security specialist and you find out she is terrified of boats, which shouldn’t really be an issue… until, of course, it is.
I create a character’s back story, which helps me see who that character is today.
LOL – now all I can think of is the movie Despicable Me and the line “He’s so fluffy!”
I have to tell you that the term ‘fluffing up a character’ made me laugh – what a great way to put it! I generally try to discover an achilles heel for those flat characters. Usually if I threaten them with deletion, they’ll show me their flaws.
These are great tips.
I do a bit of backstory with the same kind of idea you use – Change the typical to the untypical.
Helpful post.
Oh, great post! I’m finding my sequel characters a little flatter because… you know I already DID that… so this is a great set of stuff to keep in mind.
I also read a post today on having the MC write a blog (that never goes public) and thought it was a nice way to figure out some nuances the book may not HIT but that can feed reactions or actions.
I use character sheets. Never thought about writing down stereotypes though.
Nice tips – will have to see if any of these may help some of my flatter characters on revision. Thanks!
Dawn–That’s a great way to approach it! You could use the fear as either a flaw to cause the character to make an error in judgment later on, or to rise above their fear and triumph. Creates good conflict, too.
Diane–I think I’m the only one in my family who hasn’t watched it! I’ll have to ask my kids.
Karen–Thanks so much for saying so!
Carol–Oooh…cool idea!
Jemi–It definitely makes things a lot more interesting to readers, for sure!
Loree–One blog I read even suggested to switch out the list of stereotypes associated with ONE character, with the stereotypes associated with a *different* character! That made it interesting, too.
Hart–I know just what you mean. And having a character blog is a great idea. Actually, there are a couple of blogs where you can actually RUN a post as your character…wish I could remember which they were.
Alex–It’s kind of fun. I had another character who was a middle-aged, unmarried woman, who came across as a bit of a spinster. A spinster is another stock character with a lot of different stereotypes. Oh, and I had an aging hippy and a sweet older lady…lots of fun stuff to do to avoid stereotypes.
Cameron–Good luck with it!
Elspeth–Ha! They have to pull their weight, don’t they? Flaws are a fantastic way to make them fluffy. :)
Interesting topic :)
I usually prepare free-written biographies for the characters with no rules than just keeping a timeline from the beginning (either birth or the intro of the character) until the time that the book starts.
Those biographies are useful in many ways, since they are detailed (like individual stories) and provide info about all aspects, characteristics and traits of the characters and their lives. Also, they provide most answers to potential questions about the characters and their inner conflicts.
This I do at the same time with the outlines.
Thank you for the interesting post :)
Great example. Flat characters are my forte. I always have to go in and fluff them up.
Now I know how to do it with relative ease!
Jacqvern: That sounds like a very useful file to have! I have story bibles, but nothing so detailed on my characters (except the style sheet my publisher sends me.) Great idea! And it might help to spur future stories with the characters, too.
Excellent tips and timely. James Scott Bell’s “onion” (from Plot & Structure) also helps. This allows the writer to analyze the belief structure of the character which will later allow for a deeper internal change/character arc.
Thanks for a great post, Elizabeth.
Very interesting post. I prefer to create a psychological profile for the characters. If you develop a solid psychological persona then not only will they be believable but understandable as well.