Since Chesney Infalt and I have been hosting our Plot-to-Publishing crash course in the local area, I’ve gotten this question multiple times: How do I develop characters? And this is kind of an interesting question, because I feel like every author I’ve talked to has a different way of going about this.
For example, I know for Chesney and several others, she comes up with the characters before she comes up with the plot. Though in the last five years or so, I focused from more of a plot-centered to focus to a character-centered focus, for me, the plot still comes first every time.
First it comes to me as a concept or a question, like: What if Cinderella was actually secretly assigned to protect the prince from a hit at midnight? (Codename: CNDRLA) Then after letting it percolate in my daydreams for an indeterminate amount of time, I’m then ready to write my Save-the-Cat plot beats, and it’s usually at this point that I start really thinking about the main characters in a hazy big-picture sort of way.
This is where I come up wtih a name, a description, and the problem they’re facing. Honestly, it’s usually like two lines, but the name means a *lot* to me. I feel like the name can create such a powerful conception for a character, so I do put a lot of thought into it. I’m less concerned with the meaning of the name, and more of the vibe & picture it conjures in my mind. Once I get that mental image right, it encapsulates so much of their pesonality (for me) in a way that’s hard to put into words. Sometimes, I’ll even sketch them out or make a little moodboard for them to make it more concrete.
From there, I write an outline with a little blurb for each chapter. Then I write what I sometimes call a “zero draft” which is very skeletal, unreadable version of the first draft which is usually like 10-20k short of the final wordcount. And *that* is when I actually meet the characters. For me, writing that zero draft is the real introduction to the characters. It’s where I start to hear their voices, the depth of their background, and their quirks.
So even though, I consider myself a plotter, when it comes to characters, that is where I think I could be described as more of a discovery writer. Often in that first draft, the characters are even a little inconsistent as I poke and prod them to see where they really fit and who they really are.
But by the time I finish that zero draft, I know them. It’s then that I can more formally write out their details, what they want, and what they need. And often, it’s only then that I’ll commission character art, now that they seem real in my mind.
So, that’s me. I start with a plot and a couple character lines and discover the characters along the way. And to be honest, that’s how I think of the reading experience as well. Going into a book, I may have an idea of the plot, but it’s the characters I’m really getting to know and learning to love or hate on the journey.
I know that’s probably an unsatisfying answer to those who want to plot out everything before they jump into a draft, but no matter how much you plan, sometimes the stories and the characters take unexpected turns. But that’s half the fun of it, so don’t be afraid to take the leap and enjoy the ride!
Thanks for reading!
