Character Development

Character Development. Who am I? Who is he? Who is she? Forget the

appearance. Character does not rely on appearance, although appearance influences

character. Vanity is a characteristic; a defect. Part of character, nonetheless.

Each character has a past. Develop a past for each character. Whether they were

born into a poor, rich, or middle-class family. What were the parents of the character like?

Or did the character grow up an orphan? If he had, were they abusive, lenient, gentle,

respectable, vicious, lazy, paranoid… how were they?

Think of episodes of life which might affect the further decisions of the character

you are trying to develop. How were the grades in school of this character? How did he/

she get along with the rest? Think about the genetics and its influence in behavior. As a

writer, one must have a firm understanding of experience. Firm. Were one to misrepresent

a character, the character would lose credibility, and the story would always miss

something. It is the reason Dan Brown sucked and Henry James was praised. The

characters in the story must leave a long-lasting impression in the mind.

How does the character speak? Why does the character speak like that? Did it

grow up on the streets, among snobs, is it trying to fit in or is it part of a complex

developed from the repercussions of shyness? If the character is deaf-mute, was it born

that way, was it the product of an accident, or is it just acting that way?

What is the characters perception of reality? What are its philosophies? Is it

thoughtful, materialistic, apathetic, or insane? Develop a mind. The mind is the self. The

appearance is simply a vehicle for the mind. The mind is responsible for the actions in the

past, for the past, and the actions have molded the future decisions for the mind to act

upon.

For a character, you must develop the mind, the past, and the surroundings.

Characteristics must be emphasized throughout the story to burn the created character into

the mind of the reader. Without character development, the book will always miss

something.