The Writer's Crystal Ball: 5 Ways to get to know Your Characters

One challenge we often face as writers is creating memorable characters. It cannot be argued that a great character with a unique voice oftentimes carries a novel, so characterization should be at the top of the list when it comes to literary techniques we want to nail. For many writers, main characters come easily or they evolve from an already realized plot. For other writers, characterization can be a struggle, particularly when dealing with side characters or characters of a different age or gender. To that end, I’ve put together a list of ways we can get to know our characters before writing them into a story (or to enhance a character during your revisions). Not only will these techniques help your story, they may also aid in strengthening your creativity and imagination.

1. Pretend you are your character for a day 

Basically, you’ll want to wake up and inhabit your character’s body. What is their sleeping position? What are they craving for breakfast? What are their daily routines/habits? How do they walk? Who do they text throughout the day? As you go about your normal daily routine, imagine doing it as your character. Find their mannerisms, brush your hair differently, laugh differently, talk to other characters in your book. 

2. Talk to your character on a park bench

This one will require some meditative skills. You could play some new age music without lyrics, or just relax in the silence and drift away. You’ll then want to envision meeting your character on a park bench, sitting beside them, and talking. What do they say about themselves? How do they look in the sunshine? What kind of conversation are you having? Are they discussing their home life? Their childhood? What they want out of life? Ask them personal things. Interview them. 

3. Write down your character’s traits and their history

We’ve all seen character lists and forms: what color hair, what color eyes, hopes and dreams, wants, likes and dislikes. Take a notebook and write down everything you can about your character, down to any freckles, moles, or beauty marks. Find their quirks, superstitions, and bad habits. Open up any book to a random page and use the first noun you spot to make up a character trait, habit, or feature (I just found the word “glasses” for example). Here is a link to one of those character forms (credit: Gotham Writers' Workshop): https://www.writingclasses.com/toolbox/character-questionnaire/gotham

4. Make a playlist of your character’s favorite songs

This is one of my favorite activities. I don’t feel like I can know a character well if I don’t know their favorite songs, so I make a playlist of what they would listen to in a normal day, when they’re happy or sad, when they’re driving in their car, or when they’re having fun on the beach. This one works very well with side characters as it’s oftentimes difficult to know them as well as our protagonist. Are they edgy and like rock music or metal? Or maybe they like 60’s music and are a bit of a hippie. What kind of character likes club music? What kind of character listens to hip-hop? 

5. Discover their voice

Does your character have a high speaking voice or a deep voice? Soft and subtle or loud and booming? Does their voice dominate a conversation? Or are they so shy we barely hear a whisper in social situations? Is it light and feminine or low and masculine? Listen to different voices on TV and movies, or perhaps you will discover their voice on your own by imagining a conversation with them. Do they have accents? Do all of their sentences sound like questions? Is there a specific word they always pronounce incorrectly? Have fun with this!

I hope these exercises help you with your writing. If you can think of any other writing activities to help with characterization, let me know in the comments!

Love Potion: How to Structure Plot in Romance Writing

Romance writing requires a plot structure that varies a bit from other plot structures. The key to romance writing is keeping up that all-too-important tension between the two protagonists, which is an arduous task throughout a 300-400 page novel. There are seven basic parts in the romance writing plot structure, however, that should make it easier to keep up tension and move the story along. So take a long sip of love potion, sit back with a box of chocolates, and dive into all that is awesome and magical in plotting romance novels.

The Ordinary World 

Just diving right into a fiery romance is where many writers go wrong with romance writing. First, the reader wants to get to know our characters, including their hopes and dreams, their jobs, their family life, and their strengths and weaknesses. It also helps to note in the opening what the protagonist might be missing in his/her life that only another human being can fill in for them. In the opening chapters, try to keep interest in the story and an emphasis on upcoming plot but weave in some backstory for your protagonists here and there as well. 

The Cute Meet

Your two characters will inevitably meet up at some point, and this should not only be a unique meeting, but one that perhaps causes some initial sparks to fly. One way to do this, incredibly, is by having them hate each other at first. Opposites really do attract, so this might be emphasized in the first meeting. Or maybe they like each other only as friends at first, or perhaps the sparks fly but they ignore them because of other important goals they have to achieve. Either way, The Cute Meet should be unique and memorable.

The Complication

This is where both protagonists realize that there is something at stake if they pursue a relationship. Romantic tensions are high, and perhaps they have even shared a first kiss, but the future of the pairing is unclear. For example, this might be where a vampire wonders if he will hurt a love interest if he continues a relationship, or a prince might wonder if a peasant girl will fit into his world of royalty.

The Midpoint

At this point, the characters are facing emotional conflict about the relationship, and while romantic tensions are high, they both still have a way out of the relationship without getting too hurt in the process. This is also the point where intimacy may occur, although that is not set in stone. The Midpoint also sets up The Final Turning Point and The Black Moment, making up the final parts of the story.

The Final Turning Point

The stakes are highest for our two lovebirds here. If they continue on with a relationship, they might lose any chance of achieving set goals, they might struggle with an inner battle of some sort, or they might question the whole commitment thing altogether. Falling in love—the forever kind of love—is frightening and might leave your character(s) feeling vulnerable. Whatever happens at The Final Turning Point will determine the outcome of the relationship moving forward. This is the point of no return, the moment of ultimate decision and heightened inner conflict.

The Black Moment

Most of us are aware of The Black Moment in plot structure—even if only subconsciously—having read so many stories. This is where everything is dark, the romance is in crisis, the story is at its climax, and the relationship seems lost forever. Decisions have been made, vulnerabilities exposed, and everything is black and bleak. It is here that our characters head toward a decision that determines the fate of the relationship and perhaps even their lives. Maybe they are moving away and have to leave their soulmate behind. Maybe a truth was exposed that one feels they can never move past. Maybe lives were even at stake. The Black Moment should be emotional and read like the climax of the story.

The Ending

In the end, the characters ultimately realize they are stronger with each other and their love is true and forever. They have faced beliefs, determined their goals or let some goals go, and have struggled through the ups and downs of falling in love. This is the happily ever after, and it should leave the reader satisfied.

Bonus Breakdown of Plot Structure in Romance Writing

1. The Ordinary World

2. The Cute Meet

3. The Complication

4. The Midpoint

5. The Final Turning Point

6. The Black Moment

7. The Ending

These rules for romance writing may be broken, of course, but they give us a good idea of how to structure romance novels and how to keep romantic tension high between the two protagonists. I truly hope these help you with writing romance, whether you are writing a traditional romance novel, a specific genre of romance, or even including romantic elements in your story. It helps to think of a finish line (The Ending) and keep yourself moving along like an Olympic runner as you continue to fill in the rest of the story toward that goal. Good luck!