Planning To Write A Novel? Part One - PEOPLE
When planning to write a novel there are always a million things to consider. And let me assure you, the details matter. Continuity is so critical. Character development makes or breaks a good story. Where you choose to set your story in space and time can make it compelling or a dud. So, when starting out I look at three key building blocks: people, place, and time. I’m going to do a 3-blog series. Here’s the first one – people.
People
The best place to start any novel prep is with your characters. In order to make someone care about your characters, you have to care about them yourself. They must become alive to you. Your characters need to have all the layers that contribute to making someone a somebody. How do you do that exactly? How do you ensure that your characters have enough depth to develop? One of the easiest ways of doing this is to study book characters you love. What attributes drew you in? Their empathy for others? Their ability to get up every time life knocked them down? Their cool attitude in the face of pressure?
Sometimes we meet people in books we like right on page one. But the characters that have lasting power are the ones that change. In another word, develop.
These are characters that might start off shy, but their deep desire to prove to themselves, and others, that there is a courageous heart beating beneath their meek exterior is why we come to love them. We are cheering them on as they learn how to push themselves outside of their comfort zone. We bleed for them when all their best efforts fail, but they don’t give up hope. These are the characters that stick with us. Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. Or Frodo Baggins in The Lord of The Rings. In the face of the odds, they fight for what they know is right, while growing in their personal strength. It’s this growth that hooks us. So, start with people. Read up on the characters you love and dig deep to discover why.
Another great way to build out your characters is observation. Watch people around you. Take notes! Head to a café, grab a coffee and do some people-watching. Ok, this might sound creepy but do a little eavesdropping. Listen in on conversations around you. There’s a whole wide world of people out there to observe. Get to it!
On a tactical note, write up sketches. Run your characters through scenarios. If this happens, what will they do, how will they react? Make sure there is a real live heart beating in there. Nasty characters, the ones we’re not meant to like, matter too. We must find them despicable, yes, but even better we need to find one little bit of saving grace in their badness, just in case there is hope. Most of us don’t like to believe that a person is outside the realm of redemption, and this possibility makes for a better character.
Don’t forget, if you don’t care about your characters no one else will either. True.
Next up, Place.