Editing your novel Part 2 – Character
In the first part of this series on the edition of his first novel, we mainly analyzed the plot. Is your plot plausible? Do your scenes flow naturally?
This time we are going to see how you build your characters. I’m basing myself on the crime genre because that’s what I write about, but it can easily be applied to any other genre.
First of all, where do you find your characters? Are they people you know? Or are they made up of many people? One of the most important characteristics of your characters is that they are recognizable. I do not mean, of course, that your neighbors recognize each other or that Nick Clegg or Lady Gaga can sue you. What I am referring to is the need for the characters to stand out so that the reader can differentiate one from the other. And so that they can believe in them, empathize with them. And above all, take care of them. If your reader doesn’t give a shit if your characters live or die, if they get the girl/guy or not, then you’re in trouble.
Of course, characters from the same class, the same type of employment, the same family, often sound a bit similar. And you probably can’t tell all of your supporting characters apart. But your main characters might still have something in their speech that is peculiarly their own. Maybe it’s in their cadences, maybe they have a particular mannerism. But the reader wants to recognize them when they land on the page. This is the way to make them come to life, so that your reader encourages them to succeed.
Think of Colin Dexter novels. Inspector Morse and his sergeant, Robbie Lewis, have the same job. But you wouldn’t mix them. And it’s not just because Morse likes opera and Lewis doesn’t ‘get’ it, but that’s part of it. Dexter uses speech inflections based on both class and age and region to differentiate the two.
It’s not a bad idea to take a couple of main characters and write a biography for them. Of course, not all of this will appear in the book. But it will help you get to know your characters. You could even give yourself a template of questions you could ask yourself about your characters. For example, you could draw something like this:
How are they in general?
For example, what clothes do they wear
Single married divorced?
age
star sign
farts
Occupation
hobbies
What about your emotional life?
They are happy?
If he is married, is that good?
If divorced, what is the relationship with the former partner?
Do you have children?
Was your own childhood happy?
Any emotional trauma?
What about personality traits?
Are they always in a hurry or do they take their time to get things done?
Are they organized, tenacious, bully, a little shy, quick to anger?
Are they friendly, insensitive, indifferent, a push?
Do you have dreams, aspirations?
Do any of these characteristics make them enemies or make them less efficient? Ian Rankin’s Rebus makes a near-fatal mistake seeking help from Edinburgh crime boss Morris Cafferty. This sometimes threatens to become Rebus’s downfall, especially when he gets an undeserved reputation for being in Cafferty’s pocket.
How do your colleagues, friends, lovers see you? Think of Inspector Jack Frost’s relationship with the bureaucracy-obsessed Superintendent Mullet in the RD Wingfield books. Frost doesn’t let that stop him from being a brilliant detective, but he must be a nightmare to handle. And this tension helps drive the plot, as well as the cases that Jack has to solve. Imagine having to manage Harry Hole or John Luther online. But these tensions, these potential flashpoints, are what drive a fast-paced plot.
Do they have any particular strengths or weaknesses? Michael Connolly’s Harry Bosch is driven by a passion for justice, a strength that can become a weakness when it leads him to take the law into his own hands.
Do they have other attributes or concerns worth mentioning, things that create problems that they have to overcome?
For example, are they local? In Stephen Booth’s books, the fact that DC Ben Cooper is local and is able to spot anomalies quickly, and knows how to get information from rural locals really annoys DS city girl Diane Fry. In my own Hangman’s Wood, DI Fiona Brightman recently moved to Suffolk in part due to problems with her old nick, something she worries she might follow.
Is there anything preventing them from doing their job? In Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley mysteries, Sergeant Barbara Havers has problems with her mother’s deteriorating health and sometimes this causes problems. And she really gets annoyed when her rich and stylish boss tries to ‘help’ her, something she sees as interference and sometimes causing hostility between them. In Hangman’s Wood, my DI Brightman has to deal with a husband who resents her being a police officer and the memory of a daughter who died. And in the second novel, Washed in the Blood, he has to deal with his father’s growing obsessions and solve the case of two murdered children and a missing family. But she is very focused and tries not to let this affect the way she does her job. Seeing how your characters overcome these difficulties could be a crucial part of the plot.
I’m sure you can think of other aspects of character worth considering. Think about your partner or best friend and try to describe as much as you can about them. Then think of someone you really dislike and do the same. That should give you some ideas to play with.