It’s About Character
Once upon a time I read a book. A really good one. Only I can’t remember the title. But you see, it was about this guy and he had fallen in love with this girl, only she was going to die…
I’d imagine this sort of thing frequently happens. You don’t remember the name of a book, the author, the title of the movie, the name of the song, but you do remember something special about it. A unique combination of lyrics perhaps, or maybe an amazing guitar riff. Or just maybe, you remember the character.
So, what do you as a writer know about your character?
The question is important to ask yourself. How your character sees the world via their personal history is the very thing that will make your character unique. How many times do we read about one character or another having lost both their parents? Sometimes we read they died together in a car accident, one drowned trying to save the other, an unexplained plane crash. Fewer times we read and/or realize how this incident impacted the life of the main character.
In Welcome to the Jungle my male lead lost a good friend in Lake Michigan. Ever since, he’s avoided water used for recreational purposes. He’s not crazy about swimming, doesn’t water ski, won’t go for a romantic canoe ride. Get the idea? This little surprise hiccup in his life affects other things in his life. This makes Rob different from other doctors doing good things in other Latin American countries.
What kind of things might affect your hero or heroine? Think things like:
Siblings (how many, what sex, birth order)
Early education
Family home
Family heirlooms
Pets
Home (apartment, house, tent, igloo)
Religion (Catholic, Morman, Agnostic, Pagan)
Econonomic/educational family status growing up (was education valued, was every penny rubbed together?)
NONE of these things may make an appearance in your story, but as long as you the author know the answers, you will be well on your way to giving your hero or heroine a multi-faceted personality that the reader will remember long after they’ve forgotten the title of the book.
Oh, and the title of that story I saw so many years ago Love Story. Which reminds me of another story I saw in 1978…but that’s for another time.