Quizzing Your Characters

Image Credits:-

Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. Screenshot re Hannah Kate’s Hannah’s Bookshelf show on North Manchester FM was taken by me, Allison Symes.

I can guess what you’re thinking. How can you quiz characters, which are literally figments of my imagination?

Fair point but I find it a useful way to work out what my characters are made of before I put them into a story. I need to know who they are before I work out what they’re going to be getting up to in my flash fiction or short stories.

Planners and Pantsers

Most writers are planners or pantsers. Basically those who know most of what they are going to write and then do it and those who don’t know what is going to happen until they sit at their desk and get on with it (flying by the seat of their pants basically, hence the term pantsers).

I am a compromise candidate here. I don’t plan stories much. I do plan my characters and I have found this to be a great way of story outlining. This is partly because for me the story (of whatever length) is all about the character. If I am intrigued by the character, I will read on. If not, well…

Also because I am working in the short form, I need characters all the time. I occasionally “re-use” one but I prefer to invent new ones for new tales. (Keeps me on my toes and is a great brain workout!).

An honest character is someone I am likely to put into a situation where they will be tempted to compromise their honesty. What will they do? And that is the effect I want to bring about in readers – the wanting to find out what happens next.

Sometimes when I have those odd pockets of time, I will jot down ideas for potential titles for future stories. I will sometimes jot down potential opening lines. With the latter, when I come back to my notebook, if one or two still grab my attention, that’s a good sign, and I will then work out the kind of character who would be likely to come out with that opening line or for whom the situation outlined in it would apply.

Working Out What I Need to Know

Some writers need to know what their characters look like. Some create biographies for their people and this is especially true for novelists who are writing series books. You have to have a way of keeping on top of who your characters are and how they are developing throughout the series. They will develop too.

Characters aren’t meant to be static even in stand alone stories. Biographies are handy because authors can add to them and it will help them avoid mistakes in their portrayal of those characters in later books. Some use spreadsheets for their characters.

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For the short form I don’t need that. I just need enough to trigger a picture of the character in my head and away I go. But writers do need to work out what they need to know. I’ve found it has saved me a great deal of time and grief later.

It means I can “cut to the chase” with my editing. I know my characters and situation are okay. I just need to make sure I have “delivered” on my characters and situations as powerfully as possible because stories are meant to have an impact on readers, whether it is to make them laugh, cry, scream etc.

I don’t need to know what my characters look like. I do need to know their major trait(s) as so many attitudes and actions will spring from those. I also look at why my characters have these traits.

Take my honest character above. What has made them as honest as they are (and are they honest to the point of rudeness)? Were they lied to and it had a major impact on them? Or were they not always as honest as they are now and that led to relationship break ups? Lesson learned and all that.

Immediately there is the beginning of a story idea there. But now I know why they’re honest, I will dump them right in it and put them in a situation where they will have to face having to lie. What will they do?

My readers should be (a) eager to find out what happens and (b) root for my character because they would have seen their honesty and the reason for it early on in the tale and then sympathise with the character being put in a situation my character is not going to like. We have all faced awkward dilemmas.

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This is where stories can encourage empathy. I’ve lost count of how many characters by other authors I’ve rooted for over the years (and will continue to do so). I’ve seen something in that character I like and I want them to come out of the story well.

I root for my own characters too when they deserve it! I have written some cad characters and then it is a great pleasure to give them their comeuppance. This is one of the great joys of fiction writing. I can’t change the world but I can make sure my villains don’t get away with it!

What to Ask Your Characters

So much depends on what you know you need to know but the following can be useful:-

• What are your tastes in books/music/film etc? (This is great. Shows something of the character’s likely educational abilities. If your character tells you, they don’t read, I would then want to find out why. Fear of reading? Difficulty with it? Could there be a story here where they overcome this with the right support? Equally if they like highbrow films and their date wants to go and see the latest Disney, how will they react, based on the assumption they do want to impress said date?).

• What would you never do and why?

• What is your earliest memory?

• What do you like to wear? (Again can show social status).

• What is your family background?

• What is your job?

These are just a few useful “open” questions. As you jot down possible answers to these, you should find further ideas come to you about your character. I have often found in answering questions like these, I then get a mental picture of what my character looks like or how they are likely to speak (poshly, using slang a lot etc) and that will give me useful additional information too.

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In my sub-500 words stories, I often have one character though they may refer to others. It is like being “off stage” here. I do need to know something of the other characters but not so much.

Crucially I need to know why my character wants to refer to them – the story is there. If they refer to Cousin X because the latter robbed them years ago of a rightful inheritance, the story ideas are beginning to spark, not least of which would be why they haven’t done something about Cousin X before now!

So you see how a few simple questions can trigger ideas with depth behind them. I have found it so worthwhile to take the time to do this. It has increased my productivity no end too.

Conclusion

No two writers approach their work in exactly the same way and this is fantastic. Creativity should be varied but having a way into creating something which works for you is a good idea. Planning my characters out is what works for me and I highly recommend it, even if you use it “just” as a writing exercise. It can be interesting to see what you come up with.

And happy writing!

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Oh and to finish here is a story of mine, The Natural Look, which was recently broadcast by Hannah Kate on her Hannah’s Bookshelf show on North Manchester FM. Hannah Kate was after tales with an autumn theme for her Autumn Equinox special here. I was only too pleased to oblige and thrilled the piece was chosen.

Did I plan my characters out for this tale? Oh yes. I hope you enjoy listening to the results here. The show is in two halves. I am in Part 2 of the show but if you love books and stories, do check out the whole programme.

Part 1 – https://podcast.canstream.co.uk/manchesterfm/index.php?id=49866

Part 2 – https://podcast.canstream.co.uk/manchesterfm/index.php?id=49867

Related Posts:-

Making Characters Real In Fiction

To Outline or Not To Outline

Character Creation

Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.

Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.

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