Noah Lukeman - The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life

Characterization: The Outer Life

Begin with an individual and you find that you have created a type; begin with a type and you find that you have created nothing.

F. Scorr Fitzgerald

You may have been in a situationperhaps in a government officewhere you've been asked for your mother's social security number, your father's place of birth, and realized, in a horrific flash, that you don't really know the people you think you know best in the world.

How much more so is this true of the people you attempt to create out of sheer imagination, often on a whim, people whose very existence can be the result of a mere circumstance or plot twist. Y)u have no opportunity to spend time with them as living, breathing people, to eat lunch, get drunk, play sports with them, watch them at work. Y)u can only add imagination to imagination, picture how they might act in imagined circumstances and settings. In real life, though, when we anticipate, we are often wrong. Ultimately human beings are impossible to predict, and there are factors we just cannot anticipate.

To even begin to accurately bring a character to life on the page you must do your homework, quiz yourself fastidiously about every last detail of your character's inner and outer life. The seemingly insurmountable task of capturing a person on the page will become possibleeven easyonce the details are laid out before you. Once you really know your character, your knowledge will flow unmistakably through the text; like an undercurrent, it will authenticate every word, gesture, and action. Without this knowledge, you are lost. As a writer, you have no visuals or audio to assist you. Only words on paper. Or, as Toni Morrison says, "only the 26 letters of the alphabet."

As character is the basis for all further talk of journey, conflict, suspenseand is the cornerstone of plotwe begin this book with the construction of character, which I cover in three chapters. This chapter, the first, is designed to quiz you on your knowledge of your character's surface (or outer) life. It will prompt you to consider facets you may not have previously considered. Write down your discoveries as you go.

I use "he" predominantly and "she" in instances where the facet is particular to a woman. Keep in mind, though, that all facets should be considered for both sexes; as I mentioned in the disclaimer, the use of "he" is solely a grammatical convenience.

Appearance

The biggest mistake writers make is feeling compelled to set down their character's physical appearance immediately, usually at the expense of the narrative. Y)u can get to know someone without knowing what he looks likeby phone, by mail, on-line, through a confessional. Looks fade and even change, and people are not the sum of their physical parts.

It is important for you to knowfor yourselfevery aspect of your character's appearance, just not crucial to divulge it all to the reader, and certainly not right away (unless the story demands it). Ideally, you will leak a description, at opportune times (preferably earlier), in unique ways, and in palatable doses. Imagine the following four scenarios in helping you accurately portray your character:

Police Sketch

A murderer is on the loose. He has been terrorizing the city for months, but there is no living witness to offer a description. He strikes again, and this time you are there, get a good look at him before he flees. The city looks to you for an answer. Across from you sits a professional police artist. Behind you hover ten detectives, waiting. What does this man look like?

Appearance I

Face: What is his facial structure? Does he have elongated cheekbones? Wide, sturdy jaws? Broad forehead? A jutting chin, or no chin at allor perhaps he's overweight and has three chins? Does he have wide, thick, brutal lipsor small, thin lips, pinched tightly together? A huge nose? A small one? Broad or narrow? Short or long? Are his eyes large or small? Close together or far apart? What color are they? Is he crosseyed? A glass eye? Does one eye wander? What about his eyebrows? His eyelashes? Does he have any facial hair? A moustache? Beard? Goatee? Long sideburns? Is he tan or pale? What is his race? Does he have any deformitiesany scars, moles, burns, injuries? Overall, would you consider this person good-looking?

Hair: Does he have any? What color? Is it long, short, curly, straight, wavy? Thinning, balding? Dyed? Healthy or unkempt? Tied back in a ponytail, hanging over his eyes, braided in dreadlocks?

Body: How tall is he? How much does he weigh? Is he fat? Skinny? Muscular? Are some body parts in better shape than othersdoes he have muscular arms but a big belly? Broad shoulders but skinny legs?

Age: How old is he? Is it easy or hard to tell? What physical signs of age are there? Wrinkles, crow's-feet, jowls, spots? Does he look prematurely old at twenty? Or like a teenager at forty-two?

If you had to say he looked like one person, who would it be?

Let's say the murderer is a woman. Some other questions might arise: Does she have large or small breasts? Her waist?

Hips? Legs? How does she keep her nailsbitten to the bone, perfectly manicured, painted black, fake extensions? Does she have long eyelashes, does she use mascara? Makeup? Does she wear too much? Not enough? Is she naturally beautiful?

If you had to say she looked like one person, who would it be?

Now, leaving the police room, apply these rigorous questions to the character(s) in your work. What details might you add that you may not have thought of previously?

If you were to ask your character his analysis of himself, would there be any discrepancy? Denial? Does he think he's handsome even though objectively he's not? Or, does he think he's ugly although he's good-looking? Does he consider himself young although he's obviously well aged? Does he think he's short although he's over six feet? Does she think she's heavy even though there's not an ounce of fat on her? What do any of these discrepancies say about the character? Do they point to any greater issue?

A Crowded Room

You've set up a friend on a blind date. You described what his date looks like, but he's now standing in the bar where they are supposed to meet, and there are over two hundred people and potentially many girls who fit her description. He calls you from a pay phone and needs to know more. He's already been there for twenty minutes and fears if he doesn't find her soon, they'll miss each other. What else can you tell him?

Appearance II

Clothes: What does she normally wear? Designer clothes? Work clothes? Casual? Salvation Army? Are her clothes generally revealing? Does she wear miniskirts and low-cut blouses? Or does she tend to cover every inch, wearing skirts down to her ankles and modest, oversize sweaters? Does she wear large straw hats, tie her hair back with bandannas? Accoutrements? Handbags, jewelry, watches? A ring on every finger? A large, golden cross about her neck? Large hoop earrings? A nose ring? A tattoo on her shoulder? Is she more likely to wear Rolex and Guccis, or sandals and a five-dollar watch off the street? Does she dress more expensively than she can afford, or does she dress down despite her wealth? What colors does she tend to wear? All black? Neon pink? Does she have a good sense of fashion? Are her clothes in line with the latest trend, or ten years out of style?

Grooming: Is she tailored, impeccably dressed, or an unkempt, unbathed slob? Does she shower twice a day, or once a week? Does she smell? Does she wear too much perfume?

Body language: Does she stand stiffly, or is she always slumped over? Does she walk in a feminine manner, swaying her hips as she goes, or does she walk like a man, as if looking for a fight?

Voice: Some people can be picked out of a room by voice alone. Does she have a forceful, booming voice? Can her conversations be heard across the room? Or does she talk in a whisper, hardly audible, so you always have to ask her to repeat herself? Is her voice high or low? Nasal and whiny, or clear? Is it the perfectly neutral, businesslike voice of a telemarketing professional, or is it the husky, suggestive voice of a prostitute? Does she talk with great speed, in a manic rush? Or does she beat around the bush, talking so slowly that you watch the clock as you wait for her to finish? Does she stutter? Have an accent? A lisp?