My family and I saw a great performance of Cats on Saturday. I’d seen the musical a couple of times before, but it’s been forever since I last saw it.
One of the things I hadn’t remembered from 20 years ago is that the cats who weren’t on center stage were still acting around the edges of the stage…in character. So while Old Deuteronomy might be in the spotlight, singing a solo, Rum Tum Tugger was flirting off to the side of the stage. Grizabella was trying unsuccessfully to engage with other cats. They were acting in character, even while the spotlight wasn’t on them.
It made me think about character development. One way that I like to learn more about my characters is to think about what they do when my characters aren’t on stage.
Most of the time I don’t actually use the information in a book (although sometimes it comes in handy.) But usually it just helps me to know how a character would react in a particular situation. How do they deal with emergencies? Do they laugh when they’re embarrassed or are they the kinds of people who get angry, instead?
Knowing a little bit about what characters do in their spare time and their background helps me to figure out how to portray them in a story—and sometimes they take the story in a different direction.
If you’d like some resources to help you think more about your character’s identity, here are some helpful links (and you can find a ton more on the Writer’s Knowledge Base):
Character Questionnaires and Worksheets:
The EPIGUIDE.COM Character Chart for Fiction Writers
The Script Lab’s Questionnaire
Fiction Writer’s Character Chart
Adventures in Children’s Publishing worksheet- Part 1 (the other parts to this excellent series are in the left sidebar)
Scribe Sisters Questionnaire
Mind mapping for Character Development and Plotting:
Quips and Tips for Successful Writers
Write for Your Life
Routines for Writers
Nice article on Character Development
Story Fix: 3 Dimensions of Character Development
What kinds of things help you develop your characters so they come to life on the page? And–Happy Memorial Day to all my American friends…and a big thanks to all our soldiers.
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You have amazing power of association. I tend not to write about the secondary characters that much. So they will be lurking around with a lot of free time on their own.
Chemical Fusion
I’m usually attached to my characters even if they’re creeps. I probably don’t want to know what they are doing behind my back.
LOVE this post, and the links, Elizabeth.
Elizabeth – Thanks so much for those very helpful links. You’re quite right that thinking of what our characters do when they’re not “on stage” is really helpful in developing them. It also helps the story’s timeline make more sense. For instance, if you want a major character to be doing something during the early evening, other characters would probably be having dinner and that helps anchor the story in that time.
I usually have to rein in my secondary characters–often they end up in their own books. I learn the most about them when they’re acting as sounding boards for the primary characters.
Terry
Terry’s Place
Romance with a Twist–of Mystery
These are fabulous resources, Elizabeth. Thanks. I wouldn’t have thought to think about what the characters are doing off-stage.
Karen
Thanks for the links, Elizabeth and the reminder that *all* our characters have lives and reactions and for them to be real, we should have more than just a passing acquaintanceship.
This is such a great thing to think about because how other characters act where they aren’t on the page or in the spotlight often affects how your POVs are going to react. I find this especially helpful when thinking what the bad guys are doing. What actions are they taking that the protag might run into? Do they run into anyone the protag is about to interact with that might be influenced? It’s a great way to have people mess up your protag’s plans without ever meeting them face to face.
Thanks for the links! I like to have characters doing stuff in the background when its not their turn so to speak. Its fun to add little quirky things. Just for the fun of it.
Great links. Quite extensive. I will probably try to fill out the form for my protag and antag, and keep it in mind for the rest of the characters >:)
Cold As Heaven
Jasper Fforde has written a whole series of books around what characters from literature are doing when they’re offstage – I thoroughly recommend them!
Excellent point! Gives them more depth. And Cats is an excellent play.
And you know, when you’re writing a mystery, thinking about your characters off-stage is a great habit to acquire.
You have to do this with your murderer, of course, but with all the characters, it gives things to investigate. And if all your characters feel rounded, and as if they do things when they’re off stage, that helps cover the clues you lay about your killer and victim.
Excellent post! I get close to all my characters, particularly my antagonists. For some reason, it’s easier for me to get into their heads than it is my hero/heroine, so I’ve got to go the extra mile with them. I use worksheets as well as ‘”free writing,” just putting together a short piece with the MC in a daily situation. I know it won’t be in the book, but it really helps to get to know them.
Thanks for the additional resources!
My current WIP is told by the MC, so you never “see” what happens unless she is there. And even then, you don’t “hear” what is going on inside the other characters head.
BUT, in my head, I tend to make up stories about the other characters lives, what they have going on outside of her world. Basically, I spend some time getting to know them. (I guess you can call it legitimate daydreaming?)
I find if I don’t do this, then it’s virtually impossible to have believable dialogue between the characters, since I would only be understanding one person’s voice.
(Great links! Will be bookmarking this for later)
Enid–Maybe they’re getting into trouble behind your back!
Teresa–Thanks for coming by! And hope the links help. :)
Margot–Good point. And also a reminder that we need to check for continuity errors like those!
Terry–Sometimes they’ll want to steal the show!
Janice–I’ve never thought about it that way…what a terrific idea! Thanks. :)
Karen–Hope they’ll help!
Stephen–I love that quirky stuff!
Elspeth–Something I know you’re well-acquainted with, with your stage background!
Cold As Heaven–It’s really kind of fun to fill them out. Like I said, I rarely use the info, but it gives me a much fuller idea of the characters I’m writing. :)
Sheila–I hadn’t heard of them…I’ll look them up–thanks!
Alex–We had a great time! :)
The Daring Novelist–You’re absolutely right. And, the more we know about our suspects, the better!
Thanks for the shout-out, Elizabeth, and for the great resources. This is such an important post. I think it’s crucial to know what characters are doing off stage. Not only does it color how they react when they’re on stage, it also inspires all sorts of new directions for plot. I have to say that I haven’t really found a great way to keep track of it yet, so I’m eager to look through these links for ideas!
Thanks as always for sharing your expertise!
Martina
What an interesting article! It’s really changed my perspective on character development, and it’s so true–we have another side when we aren’t “on stage” for our public lives, so of course our characters would too. I’m really looking forward to bringing another dimension to my characters. :)
I like the idea of my characters having a life backstage. So far I have succeeded in keeping track of them in my head, but I know that one day when I return to Rhapsody Gershwin, I´ll have to fill in some information about her so I don´t contradict myself.
And I am sure I don´t succeed all the time, but at least a couple of my characters are so real that my beta-readers feel they know them very well. Those are moments when I know I did something right.
Thanks for these wonderful links :D Coincidently, I designed a character tool myself and published it last week: The Main Character Survey (http://www.manoneileen.com/2011/05/28/writers-tools-main-character-survey-by-manon-eileen/)
I’m a clinical psychologist myself so what I missed in most lists I came across was depth regarding personality and mental wellbeing and the like. I think I’ve created a pretty comprehensive list! ^_^
Getting to know my character by taking online tests (like a personality test, or stupid, useless facts tests on Facebook) “in character”, helps me get to know the character. It usually is very interesting to see the results, lol, because they’re so different to my own results.