March Editorial

Realism in Characters
Solar Falls
Marlene
Diane Freese

I have created some pretty far-fetched characters in my day. Indeed I have. Of course, when I did, I had thought I was in the height of my genius. It wasn’t until years later when I had reread those stories that I realized I had perhaps gone a bit too far.

My character was perfect, strong, smart, and even witty on occasion. He had an Achilles Heel, of course, but hid it well and no one found out about it. What I noticed while reading through it was that his perfect traits were so annoying that I started rooting for the bad guy!

People like to read about characters they can be friends with. They like the fact that the character and the reader could be equals, when the characters are real enough that the reader could almost fit himself into the story. They like to be able to relate, click and become friends with the characters.

I use real people as my models. I watch people, gauging their body language, facial expression and vocal inflection. I take note of what they wear and how they wear it. Where do they sit in a crowded room? Where are their eyes? Where are their hands? I once watched a couple hold an entire conversation without saying more than a handful of words and I was actually able to follow most of it!

The different genres have different levels of character development that need to be reached and have different things to enhance in the developmental process. Together, our mighty fine managers have come up with what they think is needed in the character creation process.

Solar

Romance
Solar Falls

Romance is soooo fun, but it’s soooo hard. Character development is crucial in romance; far more important than plot. The thing to remember in romance is that everyone in the story has to be real. There is no budging. The plot, the story, the conflict all resides in the heart of the characters.

There really aren’t any specifics. Just make the hero and the heroine somebody that people can love. Make them funny or moody, warm or outwardly cold; it doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that the readers – and you – love them.

Horror
Solar Falls

I just find it funny that I host the romance and the horror. The thing that I really love about horror is that the writer takes bits from all the genres to come up with his story. So, with that thought in mind, let’s look at the character traits involved in the horror category.

Hero/Heroine – Naïve, occasionally oblivious to the outside world, settled and happy. Something comes along to throw him/her off and they become vulnerable. Vulnerability is the key in horror. Towards the end, the hero/heroine finds a hidden, inner strength.

Antagonist – The scariest thing about truly horrific bad guys is that they’re so perfectly normal, they could almost be your next-door neighbors. They’re not psychotic. There’s nothing tattooed to their forehead. They’re normal. The thing about them that sets them apart is that they have a different perspective, different standards and a different moral code. That’s what makes them scary.

Fantasy
Solar Falls

I would have to say that my favorite character creations are in my fantasy
novels. I like to take my character traits that I spy in other people and make
them somewhat physical.

I guess my favorite would have to be my warrior mermaid in Hunter Awakened.
Her personality is rough and sweet, but we only had a matter of battle-ridden
seconds to get to know her; so, I took her body and made it battle ready and
naturally armored, but gave her attributes that made her more soft.

In fantasy, there really are no rules as long as everything "makes sense". So,
go out there and have fun!!

Science Fiction
Diane Freese

The characters in the science fiction genre have a difficult task. They must remain believable to the reader while all else around them is perhaps unbelievable. Whether your character is a talking computer, an alien, or just a regular Joe, the reader must be able to relate to him. In this genre, internal characteristics are more important than external. The reader needs to understand how your character thinks, feels and interacts with others.

For example, in the case of the talking computer you might want to answer the following questions during your narrative.
Is there gender among computers?
Are computers heat sensitive, do they get cold, hot, etc.?
How are computers vulnerable? I.e. illness, heartache, pain, exhaustion

By answering questions such as these, the character becomes more real to you and therefore to your reader.

Erotica
Marlene

As far as erotica goes, you want her to have TOTAL sex appeal. You don't want a bimbo that has no brains, but you want a vixen in the bedroom, and a romantic wonderful woman otherwise, but then again you can make it interesting and make her calculated and conniving. It's all in the image you want to portray. Personally, I like the calm, cool, collected, manipulative woman with the great body and evil grin, but that's me... and that goes for Crime and Erotica. LOL.

As for the men, well this is where it gets fun. My male characters are usually men I would have loved to date when i was young and single. You know the type... tall, chiseled, deep, dreamy voices, great hair and eyes, and a nice tan to boot. Of course, they have to have very creative personalities as well, but you don't always have to work as hard cuz you know how you want the story to turn out. If he is the antagonist you don't want him to be very well liked, so you will tend to give him a crappy attitude toward life in general. Of course, the protagonist will be practically perfect cuz you want the hero and heroine to get along, especially in Erotica... LOL.

Crime
Marlene

Where to begin?! There are so many different avenues to take when creating your characters, and trying to give them a life of their own. I usually start with myself, in a sense. A lot of my female characters, be it for Romance or Crime or even Erotica, all have a little bit of me in them (or at least the me I want to be at that moment). Like they say, "write what you know". So what do I know best? I know myself . I also want my heroine to be more than just me. She may only have my personality, or my sarcasm, or some of my looks. The rest is created to go with the story.

For example, in the Crime genre, you want her to be tough, but not butch. She has to have a sexy, feminine way about her too. You want her to be smart and cunning, but then again all women are. And, depending on her "profession", you want her to be the best at it.

Fiction
Diane Freese

Fiction is a very diverse genre ranging from action to comedy. The focus of your fiction novel will help you determine which attributes are most important in your characters. You wouldn't want the action hero to be several hundred pounds overweight and extremely out of shape. On the other hand, if the main character of the novel is a brilliant scientist, his physical appearance isn't as important as his mental acuity. When creating fictional characters, ask yourself "What is the goal of this story?" the answer to this question will help you to determine the makeup of your characters. Create characters that are capable of accomplishing the goals set forth in the plot.

So regardless of which genre you prefer, the reader must connect with your characters. They must be believable, and have some redeeming quality in order for the reader to buy into your story. Depending on the genre, some characteristics will be valued higher than others. For example, romance characters must be likeable and even loveable to hook the reader while in fiction the character can be a heinous individual with one redeeming quality. Whichever genre you choose, pay close attention to characterization. Get to know your characters inside and out. If you believe in them, your reader will as well.