Last month, I talked about the research I have put in and am putting in to make my stories more believable. Researching, pinning down facts, and applying them to your work help make your story more believable and interesting – and capture the attention of the scrutinizing police officer, medical professional, architect, or any other professional with specialized knowledge. As a writer, you store this information and use it as needed for adding richness to setting descriptions, improving characterization, the mechanics of how special equipment works, and more.
This isn’t always information your reader needs, but your application of your newfound knowledge will keep them interested and focused on the story, rather than that little piece of information you got wrong.
As I start to focus on a new book, I’m working on my setting, plot, and characters. I’m outlining the story, thinking about and describing the various settings, and working to make each character a real, believable person and not just a flat character on a page.
Teenagers talk, think, and move differently than adults. The police detective focused on solving a murder or kidnapping has a different personality than the doctor that is tending to a victim’s wounds. Getting inside each character’s head is the best way to find out more about them. Since you can’t interview a fictional character (unless it’s based on a real-life person), you’ll need to think like your character.
One of the things I’ve done in the past is ‘interview’ my characters. I asked them questions I would have asked a living person, and answered in a way that character would. It revealed a lot about my characters and story, and even caused me to change several key details.
Another thing I’ve done is take personality tests ‘as’ my characters, answering the questions in a way they would. This has also revealed some interesting aspects I hadn’t thought about, or applied to that character when I was initially imaging them. The character I originally pegged as a lover of science and technology and headed to a double major in those fields, is actually a quiet introvert more focused on art, emotion, and compassion for others. But my police detective, almost stereotypical in his desire for tradition, order, and fighting for what’s right. He does, however, have a ‘human’ side that adds a level of compassion and concern a hardened veteran detective might not have.
These characters have strengths and flaws that have been more defined by this research. Understanding how each personality works has helped me understand my characters’ minds just a little bit better. You may think this method of research is boring or unnecessary, but it’s the best way I’ve gone about getting to know my characters better. Don’t worry, you won’t see all this information dumped out onto the page. It will be working silently in the background, making your reader experience that much better.
Think about your favorite and least favorite characters, or a storyline that made you want to put the book down and never pick it up again. What was good or bad about that experience? How would you make it better?
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