Meat & Potatoes

From cardboard to real food, characters are built from the framework to the flesh. When I think of this, I envision one of those Victorian dressmaker's forms. The wire frame has a simplistic beauty all its own, but when the layers are added, a beautiful gown begins to emerge.

Mr. Corbett laid the framework for the garment; we have pinned it together. Now, it is necessary to add the thread that binds, the buttons the fasten, the embellishments that style & flair. We can look at these additions in terms of yesterday's Scrooge character example.

The Naked Dream - This is the moment of your character's greatest fear. For Scrooge, loss is his greatest fear. Doesn't matter the object. He wants the cake, the fork & the full belly. But, in choosing one object over another, he continues to lose & suffer.

I'm sorry, so sorry - Sorrow, a deep abiding emotion the elicits deep sadness. Scrooge's misery transforms him into a depressed, angry little man holding on to the only thing he can - his moolah. In defining his greatest sorrow, I would opt for the girl. When he lets her go, his life becomes deflated & driven by the need to gather unto himself. This leaves little room for anything positive in his gray miniscule existence.

Happy, Happy, Happy - Joy, 'tis the season & there are a multitude of reasons. Scrooge's joy is captured when he survives the night & discovers he hasn't missed Christmas. Color invades his world. His cheeks grow rosy, his heart light.

Epic Fail - The worst of failures are not what define us or our characters; it's how we deal with those cards. Hold 'em or fold 'em - this is the true failure test. Scrooge's worst failure? Choosing finance over love. All are tested, not all choose wisely & Scrooge is no exception.

The man behind the curtain - Shame. Dishonor, profound embarrassment. Scrooge cringes away from Marley. He knows he's done him wrong & facing him is tantamount to facing his deepest shame. Every single person on the planet has those moments they don't want exposed to the light; so too do our characters.

Off with her head - Guilty, guilty, guilty. Coupled with shame is the guilt that drags its ugly butt in the back door. Scrooge's profound guilt is demonstrated in his reconcilliation with his nephew & his embracing of the Cratchit family. Were it not for his amends, the reader would be left feeling he learnt nothing.

Pardon me - Redemption & forgiveness. Yes, we can forgive ourselves, but it is those we have wronged whose forgiveness we most desire. In order to escape his self-made prison, Scrooge needs his nephew to welcome & embrace him. He needs the Cratchit family to allow him to help - what good is all that money if he can't help poor Tiny Tim. But, it is through the generosity of others that Scrooge is released because he is finally ready to let the light shine in.

And there we are, the 7 dwarfs of momentous character development. The more fully developed the character before the words are written, the more believable, fluffed out people color our pages.

Happy Writing,

Patti

Don't Eat Cardboard

In this post NaNo world & with my lessons firmly in mind, I came across David Corbett's article in the January issue of Writer's Digest. Rather than create 2D, cardboard, paper doll characters, writers need to develop fully formed individuals that live, breathe, eat, go to the bathroom people. One way to get from pale to compel is to employ the Emotion-Driven Method. Here's the shopping list....

I Vant Somezing - Characters need a need. The primary goal is the driving force for the individual. Take Ebeneezer Scrooge. In the opening scene, he wants to be left alone with his misery. He desires the status quo & is not a friend of change. As he moves through his ghostly encounters, change becomes his goal. He changes because his ambitions change. The transformation story.

I'm not telling - Secrets. We all have secrets & so too our characters. This secret can be a character flaw or a past event whose revelation brings about change or not. Ebeneezer brings us both. His flaw - greed. His secret - lost love. The 1st is revealed through action & dialogue. The 2nd is demonstrated by the Ghost of Christmas Past. However, the two are connected; his lost love transforms into greed due to his fear of loss.

Flip-flops - The human condition is fraught with contradiction. The single mother who gives her last dollar to a homeless person on the street. The sports star with the nasty habit. When the stress is spinning the roulette wheel to a high crescendo, then these contradictions come to light. When Bob Marley first appears, Scrooge cowers & whimpers. For all the tough exterior, he is a man afraid - deep inside. As he trips through the night, he overcomes his fear. By the 3rd ghost, he's all, "Fine, bring it on. What ya got?" Of course, Dickens said it better.

I don't need your help - A wounded bird, a trapped deer, a lost puppy. The vulnerability of these creatures draws on our emotional strings. And, wounded characters make for intense connection. When Scrooge first hits the page, we don't feel for him. We feel for Bob Cratchit; poor guy working for that jerk! As the story unfolds, Dickens shows us the vulnerability at the heart of Scrooge. By the time he hits the Cratchit's, we take a measure of pride in seeing him through.

I loved paper dolls as a kid, but really I loved Barbie better. Aside from her unrealistic nature, she had all the cool stuff. The penthouse, the convertible, the hot tub. And of course, that hanger-on, Ken. Then came sister Skipper - jeez, she needed more furniture for these couch surfers! When it seemed like it couldn't get any worse, she got a host of kids. Personally, I always thought her affair with GI Joe was the reason, but hey, Ken stuck it out. Besides, Joe had his missions, wink-wink. And there you have it - a need, a secret, some flip-flops & a sugar daddy.

Happy Writing,

Patti