There was a funny episode of Seinfeld ages ago where George Constanza decides that all his instincts in life are misguided and that every life decision has been wrong. His life is the direct opposite from everything he’s set out to accomplish.
His solution? Do the complete opposite from every instinct he feels. He approaches attractive women and asks them out, introducing himself : “My name is George. I’m unemployed and I live with my parents.” Immediately he encounters great success with this method and begins applying it to job-hunting (“My last job was in publishing … I got fired for having sex in my office with the cleaning woman..” he confesses during his interview), and even his choice in food (“Nothing’s ever worked out for me with tuna on toast. I want the complete opposite of tuna on toast. Chicken salad, on rye, untoasted … and a cup of tea…”).
Sometimes I feel like I know my characters so well that I’ve stuck them in a rut. It’s particularly easy to stick them in a rut since I’m writing series. I know what they would do when faced with a dangerous snake in their yard. I know which ones would run off screaming, which would shoo it off and continue gardening, and which would get a hoe and commence whacking the creature to death.
What interests me is eliciting different reactions from characters. The bigger the stretch, the better:
Timid, tiny Tina flings herself at the armed man because her small son is threatened. (Unusual courage under duress.)
Stern Gertrude bites her tongue instead of scolding her sassy son-in-law Simon during Thanksgiving dinner. But her restraint results in a wild rainbow of color across her face. (For comedic effect.)
These are cardboard cutout examples, but I’m going to spend time today playing around with the idea.
What I don’t want to do is manipulate the character in an unnatural way (the usually intelligent heroine irrationally descends into the dark basement after hearing a suspicious noise scenario.) That’s the kind of thing that makes me throw books across a room.
But I also don’t want my regular characters to become predictable. Maybe they won’t have the success with their opposite-day approach that George did, but it might provide them with some opportunities for growth.
And, I think it could be fun. A bonus is extra internal character conflict. It’s stressful to leave our comfort zone(although, maybe, not for George Costanza.)
Having our characters do the opposite of their usual personality instinct can show deeper character conflict if done well. Thanks for getting me thinking this morning!
Great information…makes me think.
It’s a fine line to walk. If you don’t have your characters do something “out of character,” then they can come across as boring or stereotypical.
If you have your characters do something “out of character” then some will complain that your writing is sloppy and inconsistent because that character “would never do something like that.”
Skill and a light touch are required.
One of the reasons I love fiction so much is that I come across characters saying and doing things I would never do. But Helen’s right, real people do change over time, so I guess so should fictional characters.
Karen
What a great technique! Using this can definitely show growth as well, especially if these changes come towards the end of a novel.
Yes, sometimes those moments in character shift can yield interesting results. In Book III of my series, quiet & shy Maria decides to take a risk and date someone with the appearance of being a troubled bad boy. The entire story is the result of that pairing!
L. Diane Wolfe “Spunk On A Stick”
http://www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com
I really like that. But you really need to know your characters very well to get them to do things that are out of character. Because however out of character the actions may be, there are still pointers to the action in their past.
Yes I agree. Once a character is “well developed” – has lived in your head a long time and in your writing is well established, then it is okay and in fact even realistic to occasionally have them surprise you and the reader and do something totally out of character. It happens in life, it should happen in good fiction.
Marvin D Wilson
Jody–It’s fun to make them suffer. :)
Diane–So you took that approach all the way through a book. Very cool. But we’re both series writers, so that approach does work well (we know our characters and so do our readers.)
Rayna–You really would need to know them. I’m revising book 3 of one series, though…so that’s where I thought it might come in useful. Freshen things up a bit.
Journaling Woman–Thanks. Good luck with it.
Marvin–I think series can get stale. Just like real lives!
I agree with Helen. People change and (hopefully) learn from past experiences. Every character has their own history and as a result their own set of values. Putting them in a new situation can be fun, but tricky. I’d say that the author really has to know the character before you can predict how they’d react.
By the way, I’m with you on the smart character suddenly doing something really stupid. Makes me crazy.
Elspeth
One thing about people and characters is that we grow. What we do and don’t do affects us and causes changes, both big and small. Just as you are not the same as you were when you were 18, your characters have changed from book 1 to book 15. While X may have run from a snake in book 2, after her nephew got bit by that snake, she no longer runs. I think the key is to remember that your characters are real people.
Helen
Straight From Hel
I loved that show! I surprise myself sometimes with my reactions so it makes sense that characters sometimes do the same. I guess the trick is to show some reason, however minor, that the character may have acted out of character – such as lack of sleep or something.
Helen–That’s a great point. So we could, in the course of the plot, have a life-altering event happen. Then the character’s responses are, naturally, different. Good idea for both plot development and internal conflict.
Alan–Absolutely. Otherwise the character won’t be believable–either way.
Jane–I think you’re right. We’d have to include the mitigating circumstance (lack of sleep, the straw that broke the camel’s back, etc.) It’s got to be explained. Although sometimes I can’t explain my unusual personal responses to situations. :) That won’t work in a book, though.
Karen–Sometimes there’s a comfort factor for me in reading series where the characters DON’T change. But, from the writing standpoint, it’s definitely not exciting.
What about letting Myrtle Clover cook a proper meal?
Thanks for bringing this up. I love that episode and use it myself. I find when I get stuck with plot too, I remember George and his opposites take on behavior. Usually my first thoughts are rather tame and I get bored with what I’m writing. If I play the “opposites” game, suddenly I’m having fun again. I don’t always end up with the extreme, but there is something about the process that energizes both me and the writing.
In a variation that might accomplish what you want, how about having them react within character, as you know them, but have the effect of their actions be unanticipated. That might be interesting. Sorta, changing up but doing so indirectly through effect, rather than character reaction. If that’s clear…
Best Regards, Galen
Imagineering Fiction Blog
Kristen–Thanks! Hope it works for you.
Elspeth–Isn’t it awful? I’d only accept it if a small stroke had occurred. Maybe not even then.
Gay–That’s cool that you use it too! I felt really energized today, thinking about it. I might not use all the material, but it was a fun exercise.
Galen–Nice twist! I love the idea of going on as usual and then encountering unexpected consequences. It reminds me of “Bonfire of the Vanities” when the selfish characters take a wrong turn that changes their lives. Their prejudices and panic causes their downfall.
Dorte–THAT would be good. Oh, Dorte, I may have to use that. Maybe Myrtle could enroll herself in cooking school following her last culinary disaster? VERY good idea. I have some ideas how the scene could both go well or backfire. Options! Okay, if I use it, I’ll put you in my acknowledgments for sure!
I remember that episode. It began The Summer of George. Hilarious. Having a character do something out of character is a great way to have the plot shift left when the reader thinks you’re making a right turn.
Stephen Tremp
http://www.stephentremp.blogspot.com/
Great idea for spicing up your serial characters. I remember trying my own real life opposite day after that Seinfeld episode–My husband said I was being freakishly nice and I should stop it because it was creeping him out! It was interesting to see how others come to expect certain behaviors and how they react when you upset their expectations.
Stephen–Wasn’t it funny? You’re right, the characters can really throw some curve balls for our plots.
That’s a great idea – not to have the character behave in a predictable way – book gets too predictable that way…but twist it a tad. Have them remain in character but thinking outside the box in a natural but, perhaps, different direction.
Nancy, from Realms of Thought…
Nancy–Thanks!
Please do use my idea! Being acknowledged in a crime novel would make my year! :D
Well, good to hear you have plans for new stories about Myrtle. My daughter grabbed it as soon as I put it down.
Dorte–I think I will use it! I’ve been scribbling on it this morning. Hope your daughter enjoys the book. Myrtle is always up to something, yes. I think I even dreamed about her last night.
Elizabeth