Nano Log: Creating and Developing Characters

The character creation process is, for me, a tricky thing. Because there’s no such thing as a “usual” when it comes to the people who populate my stories or my methods of developing them. Some I have to psychoanalyze before they start to open up to me; others show up, introduce themselves to me, and tell me exactly what they’ll be doing in the story they want me to write. There’s plenty of room for variation in the process.

We’re a third of the way through Camp Nano, and one of my biggest priorities in the past ten days has been adding words to my draft as quickly as possible. But I’ve also been taking all the time I can afford to develop my characters.

Though character creation and development can come in many forms depending on the writer, the type of project, or even the character themselves, there are a few key practices that I follow.

I let my characters form naturally.

When a character idea first comes to me, it can be incredibly vivid or frustratingly blurry. What remains constant is that I get a general “feel” for the kind of person that they are. That character “core” is almost always the first thing that materializes in my mind.

Inspiration can come from anywhere. For me, a character idea can be inspired by something random that I see going about my life, like a stranger that I see on the bus or a cool knickknack I come across at a thrift store. Or a character can suddenly appear to fill an empty spot in my story. For example, if I need a sometime-antagonist that can double as a part-time role model, sometimes someone will just show up who happens to fit those qualifications.

Once a character idea is in my head, I usually leave it alone to incubate for a while. I try not to act too quickly so I don’t lose those core characteristics. Character ideas are elusive when they’re first forming. And if I can’t hold onto them until they’re more concrete, they change on me.

I write down details as they come to me.

Right now, I have a template that I’ve been working off of. I like to use this as a character development exercise and also as a reference sheet that I can look back at during the rest of the writing process. I’ve created the form by collecting and adapting character development material from a variety of different sources. I’ll link to a blank version of this form here.

There are a few of things to remember with this form. The first is that each writer’s process is different. The items on my form may or may not fit your needs. And if that’s the case, feel free to play with it to make it into the tool that best suits your style and your project. That’s how I created this resource in the first place.

The second is that I’ve purposely left certain fields up to interpretation. When I’ve shared this with writers I’ve collaborated with, I’ve had a lot of questions about what’s supposed to go in certain fields. The answer is simple: write whatever makes sense to you. If you’re going to be using it as a reference, it only makes sense to use structure and language that will make your job easier.

Finally, this resources is very extensive but not exhaustive. What you put into this form will not be all there is to your character, but feel free to add fields or categories if you want addition info. Similarly, don’t feel pressured to fill out every detail the form asks for. One writer friend complained to me that there was just too much to fill out. If it’s too much for you or for your character, then just skip over what you don’t want or need.

I track changes with my characters as they occur.

I’ll often continue to develop my characters through personality tests or interview questions. There are a lot of good character development threads on the NaNoWriMo website. Whether I’m giving a character the Myers-Briggs test or the Pottermore Hogwarts house quiz, I learn a lot about them with the questions I ask.

I also like to develop my characters by roleplaying them a little. I might, for example, write a scene where a character has to choose which Divergent faction to join or a scene where two characters from different stories meet and push each other’s buttons a little. I’m also a fan of written roleplaying, so I’ll sometimes throw in characters from works-in-progress to see how they do under completely different circumstances than their own.

Finally, I add to my characters as the plot deems necessary. Sometimes the story will need something very specific to happen and there’s only one person for the job. When that happens, it will usually fit with a character that I already have.

I like to just build on my characters’ core traits as I go. Characters can change within their own arcs or through the writing process. Sometimes storytelling will reveal something about my character that I never knew before. Maybe he’s a closet nerd. Maybe she’s secretly in love with her best friend. When I learn interesting little things like this as I go, I’ll add it to that character’s form.

This might even mean overriding something that I’d thought before. That’s fine, especially if the new information fits the character better or makes the plot more interesting. Don’t resist change. Former Pixar writer Emma Coats says, “Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.”

Whether because of story planning or character arcs, you’ll want to write these changes down so you can remember them.

I trust my characters to reveal themselves to me in due time.

Don’t be afraid to leave blanks on the form! Just because there’s a field doesn’t mean you need to use it. When I write, I only fill half to three-quarters of the fields I’ve provided for myself. Sometimes I put random information in as a placeholder just to test it out.

But don’t force anything that doesn’t fit. If I test run something and it isn’t working, I remove or replace it and continue to develop my character form there.

If you approach character development with the mindset that each person in your book needs to develop organically, both in-universe and out-of-universe, you’ll be setting yourself up to create more believable and relatable characters.

I create and develop my characters by letting ideas form naturally, writing down as many details as I can about each character, keeping track of changes in my characters, and trusting each of them to reveal themselves to me in their own time.

Nano Log: This Month's Challenge

Once I’d written my first novel, I was hooked. The crazy roller coaster of emotions connected to the project was dizzying, but I’d never been as proud of myself as I was when I looked at my full wordcount meter days before the deadline. For the past several years, I’ve participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo or just Nano) and have written a few novels in a month each.

I’ve been writing ever since I learned to read, but attempting my first full-length book opened up an entirely new world to me. Participating in Nano each November and in Camp Nano, a spin-off event that takes place in April and July, has taught me a lot about how to put a story together. The editing work I’ve done since then has taught me how to nicely polish a story once it’s been put together.

Nano and Camp Nano helped me to create new characters and worlds, to discover new things about my own writing style and habits, and to become a part of an incredibly supportive and creative online community of writers. Through NaNoWriMo, I’ve improved my writing, increased my confidence, and connected with fantastic writers.

And that’s why I’m going to experiment a little. I’m going to try something this month that I’ve never tried before. I’m going to write, instead of a book, a short story collection.

I look forward to challenging myself this month. My fastest writing sprints have taught me that I’m capable of writing 1,000 to 1,500 words per half-hour, and I’ll be pushing myself to get into that range with each writing session. My goal is (1) to write 30,000 words by the end of the month and (2) to have clear outlines for my main plot and subplots and a strong understanding of how they all tie together.

To help me reach these goals, I’ve allotted 1-hour blocks of time each day to dedicate solely to working on my camp project. In addition to drafting, I also like to take time after I’ve worked on increasing my wordcount to put together notes for my next writing session. If I have a few scenes outlined (whether it’s with an actual outline or just a few sentences detailing what I want to happen) it’s a lot easier to get started the next time I write.

When I have time, I also like to get around to non-writing activities that affect my writing, like interacting with other writers, reading camp care packages (mini-peptalks full of writing advice), or participating in events like virtual write-ins.

I also plan to create and publish a blog post each week for the duration of the month, rather than the one per month I usually post. I’ll just put aside a little time a few days a week to work on blog posts. Hopefully, that’ll be enough to get me a post for each week of Camp Nano, because posting on my blog is one way that I stay connected with my community and chronicle my journey.

The tools that I’m using to follow my strategy and achieve this month’s goals are Scrivener, a couple kinds of writing exercises, and interaction with the Nano community.

My exercises include a poetry book and these part-of-speech prompts that I put together specifically to use this month.

I bought the book of poetry writing warm-ups at a thrift store about a year ago, and it’s been pretty helpful to me in getting my creativity flowing when I don’t know what to write about. I pick and choose which ones I want to do and then give myself five to ten minutes for each exercise.

I also have the part-of-speech exercise I put together. I wrote, on color-coordinated paper, 30 each of random nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, tossed them into a little box, and mixed them up. Each day I’ll draw one paper of each color and incorporate each into at least one scene that I write that day.

Yesterday’s combination (stained patio learning hesitantly) didn’t seem to make much sense when I first read it aloud. But it actually inspired a completely unplanned scene that taught me more about my characters!

I’m looking forward to tackling this challenge during April. With a solid plan and the tools to fall back on, I know that I can reach my goal.

What are your writing goals for this month, whether or not you’re participating in Camp Nano? How do you plan to reach your goals and what tools have you prepared to get you there?

Writing Tip: Learning as You Go

“No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on –it’ll come back around to be useful later.” –Former Pixar Story Artist, Emma Coats

My 2014 NaNoWriMo novel was a wreck. Though I did reach the 50,000 word goal, the project fell apart at the end of November. You can track that disaster,  which starts with this post (the pre-Nano portion of my Nano Log), if you’re interested. And, in case you don’t know what Nano is, you can check out the website here. It’s a fantastic program for writers of all kinds that comes with a supportive and inspirational community.

Despite its early end, the project was a great exercise in character development for me, and I really had a lot of fun writing it. I also learned a lot about my personal writing style. And whether or not I continue work on that particular novel, I can already see the positive impact that it’s had on every project since then, whether directly or indirectly.

I think the biggest writing lesson that I’ve learned through failure—other than the importance of backing up my work, which I had to learn the hard way—is that I excel at preparation.

I don’t, however, excel at improvising (or, as the writing community often calls it, pantsing—as in, flying by the seat of your pants).

That November, I’d decided to experiment by trying this method. I knew plenty of writers who wrote this way, and it seemed worth it to give it a try. When I started writing, I had a hazy idea about what I wanted to happen in the story. My characters were paper-thin collections of facts. To push myself along in the process, I’d collected random writing prompts from the internet, hoping that they’d keep words coming as I wrote my draft.

As someone who likes to plan ahead, I often prewrite for about as long as I draft or revise. Generally, I can be found outlining or graphing plots and subplots or creating detailed analysis profiles for characters or designing fictional worlds.

Because I’d decided to pants, I did none of these things. The plot followed my internet prompts and whatever ideas popped into my head. And it took a while for my characters to go from two-dimensional ideas to believable people. I just jumped into the whole thing and did whatever came naturally.

Some of it was good, some of it was bad. And I managed to grow a lot as an author because of that. My good points got better, and my weaker points improved with the practice.

By the end of the month, I had an entertaining plot, engaging scenes, and relatable characters.

By the end of the month, I’d also discovered a problem during my research. I’d based my entire novel on an incorrect assumption. The premise that was the backbone of my book was flawed and I couldn’t use it.

So I had to shelf that project for now. I may find a way to repair and finish it, or I may not. Either way, it was an enjoyable learning experience.

When it comes to writing, I’ve seen that effort is never wasted. I don’t trash any of my ideas; I recycle them. I’ve seen themes, characters, and plot ideas return reincarnated, better than they were before and more fitting in my newer work. Whatever I don’t use the way I’d originally intended, I learn from.

Don’t be afraid to experiment as you write. Learn from your mistakes. Build future stories on the foundation of all the lessons you’ve learned. As a result, everything you write post-error will automatically start out stronger.

For anyone who’s interested in checking out some of my 2014 work-in-progress, Flying Change, I posted several excerpts throughout my Nano journey. You can read those stating with this post here.

What lessons have you learned through your writing, whether you went the easy route or the hard one? Let me know in the comments below or link me to a blog post of your own!