Pro Writers Swear by these 9 Character Building Techniques

00:19:43
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItHJinQEZHQ

Resumen

TLDRThe video provides essential techniques for character building that writers might not have encountered before. The first technique suggests creating memorable characters by making them react counterintuitively to events. The video illustrates this by referencing David Benioff's novel "City of Thieves," where a character laughs after escaping cannibals. Next, it discusses using characters' possessions to reveal their personalities and suggests that writers should consider both physical objects and symbolic items the characters carry. For example, Cormac McCarthy's "No Country for Old Men" features a character who uses a coin for deciding fates, highlighting his psychopathic nature. Adding contradictions to characters is another technique promoted in the video, making them more real by defying stereotypes, such as a billionaire with unconventional habits. Techniques for introducing new characters effectively include making them speak, act, and revealing their underlying problems to quickly connect with the reader. The video also highlights the importance of creating gaps between how characters perceive themselves and how others see them, enhancing narrative depth. Lastly, it stresses giving characters a past that haunts them, multiple layers of present conflicts, and uncertain future aspirations, rounding out a full, multidimensional character view. These strategies help create engaging and dynamic characters that resonate more deeply with readers.

Para llevar

  • 😂 Use counterintuitive reactions to develop memorable characters.
  • 🧳 Characters' possessions reveal deep insights about them.
  • 🤯 Contradictory traits reduce stereotyping and add depth.
  • 🗣️ Make characters speak to convey personality quickly.
  • 🕵️‍♂️ Create gaps between characters' self-perception and others' view.
  • 📚 Introduce relatable flaws to make characters likable.
  • 🕰️ Haunting pasts influence character depth and present actions.
  • 😲 Unique habits create intrigue and deeper understanding.
  • 👥 Foils contrast with main characters, enriching their depiction.
  • 📈 Pacing is vital for engaging character introductions.

Cronología

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    The discussion begins by introducing a unique character-building technique: characters exhibiting counterintuitive reactions to events. This approach aims to create memorable characters by making them react unexpectedly in challenging situations, drawing from the example of a character who laughs off an encounter with cannibals in David Benioff's 'City of Thieves.' Such responses distinguish characters and avoid cliches, though the technique requires balanced, believable use.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    This segment explores how a character's possessions reveal much about their personality. Objects carried by characters, like Anton Chigurh's coin in Cormac McCarthy's 'No Country for Old Men,' serve as symbols that define them. Beyond physical possessions, metaphorical and symbolic objects, as shown in Tim O'Brien's 'The Things They Carried,' can also provide depth to characters. The focus is on using possessions to avoid stereotypes and create distinctive character traits.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:19:43

    The explanation shifts to contradictory characters and why they’re valuable. Contradictions, such as a billionaire with a simple lifestyle, create depth and intrigue. The discussion highlights how these contradictions prevent stereotypes and deepen character complexity. The section also touches on methods to introduce new characters quickly and effectively, emphasizing the importance of speech, action, and presenting a character's problem early to engage readers.

Mapa mental

Vídeo de preguntas y respuestas

  • What is the main purpose of unconventional character reactions?

    The main purpose is to make characters memorable by having them act in unexpected ways, which helps in developing their personality.

  • What is emphasized about character possessions in the video?

    Character possessions reveal important traits about them, offering insights that are difficult to derive otherwise.

  • How can contradictory traits benefit character building?

    Contradictory traits add depth and realism to characters, providing intrigue and helping to avoid stereotypes.

  • Why is it important to introduce a character effectively?

    Introducing a character effectively helps readers quickly connect and understand the character, enhancing engagement.

  • What technique helps enhance reader engagement according to the video?

    Widening the perception gap between a character's self-view and others’ views enhances reader engagement.

  • Why should characters have likable traits?

    Likable traits make characters more relatable and enhance reader connection, although characters must also be compelling.

  • How does the video suggest using a character's past in storytelling?

    A character's past should be unresolved and haunting, adding depth and influencing their present actions.

  • What are contrived habits in character building?

    Contrived habits are unique quirks that define a character and create mystery, encouraging deeper understanding.

  • How do supporting characters function as foils?

    They reflect or contrast with the main character, emphasizing different aspects of the protagonist's personality.

  • Why is pacing important in character introduction?

    Quicker pacing in character introduction is crucial to captivate readers due to competitive modern entertainment.

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  • 00:00:00
    these are the character building
  • 00:00:01
    techniques that you absolutely need to
  • 00:00:03
    use in your current book or in your next
  • 00:00:05
    book and I'm pretty sure that you
  • 00:00:06
    probably haven't heard of these before
  • 00:00:08
    so let's go the first technique is laugh
  • 00:00:10
    in the face of cannibals so the best way
  • 00:00:12
    to create a really memorable character
  • 00:00:15
    is simply by having them react to events
  • 00:00:17
    in very counterintuitive ways now the
  • 00:00:20
    reason for this is because if your
  • 00:00:21
    character acts like everyone else would
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    act like a tragedy happens and they
  • 00:00:25
    react in a very predictable way then
  • 00:00:28
    there's nothing about their personality
  • 00:00:30
    or character which is being developed we
  • 00:00:32
    just understand like oh they're human no
  • 00:00:34
    your goal is to give them a reaction to
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    events that makes the reader feel like
  • 00:00:38
    they know this character like oh wow
  • 00:00:40
    that's how you react in that situation
  • 00:00:42
    huh okay so you might know David Ben
  • 00:00:45
    off's name because he wrote the script
  • 00:00:47
    for Game of Thrones but what most people
  • 00:00:50
    don't know is that he also had a few
  • 00:00:52
    novels one of which is called city of
  • 00:00:54
    Thieves and in city of Thieves we have
  • 00:00:56
    two soldiers who are sent on this like
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    crazy mission to try to find eggs and
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    War II when everyone's starving and
  • 00:01:01
    nobody has eggs and during their journey
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    to a try to find eggs they encounter
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    cannibals they managed to fend off the
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    cannibals and escape with their lives
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    and right after as they are running away
  • 00:01:10
    one of the characters laughs who laughs
  • 00:01:13
    at that I don't know about you but if
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    cannibals are trying to eat me I would
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    not be galling on my way out of the room
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    but that laughter in the face of
  • 00:01:21
    hardship perfectly encapsulates Coo's
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    character and that detail along with
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    many others in the book is what makes
  • 00:01:27
    him one of my favorite characters that
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    I've ever read I also think that
  • 00:01:30
    counterintuitive responses to real
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    events mirrors what people do in real
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    life we don't always act the way that
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    we're supposed to right I mean people
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    laugh at funerals all the time another
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    advantage of using this technique is
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    that you avoid cliche if every single
  • 00:01:45
    character acts exactly the way they're
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    supposed to act in a typical manner then
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    they are they're too stereotypical right
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    but there are some risks with this
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    technique and I would say one would be
  • 00:01:55
    overuse right you don't want to use this
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    for every single situation use it spare
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    ly just when it feels right and the
  • 00:02:01
    other thing is that it does need to be
  • 00:02:03
    believable still this can't be like a
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    weird reaction out of nowhere it has to
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    tell us something about who this
  • 00:02:09
    character is if it's coming from their
  • 00:02:11
    personality their authentic personality
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    then that's believable the second
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    character building technique is make
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    your character carry something so I want
  • 00:02:19
    you to look at your character's
  • 00:02:21
    possessions specifically ones that they
  • 00:02:23
    would carry with them look in their
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    purse look in their glove compartment
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    look in their wallet look in their
  • 00:02:29
    pockets what has it got in its pocket
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    what objects do you find because all
  • 00:02:36
    characters have possessions right and a
  • 00:02:37
    character's possessions say something
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    very important about them I think that
  • 00:02:41
    these objects reveal things about these
  • 00:02:43
    characters that it's really difficult to
  • 00:02:44
    get in any other way and Cormac McCarthy
  • 00:02:46
    is No Country for Old Men Anton shagar
  • 00:02:48
    carries a coin everywhere and he uses
  • 00:02:51
    this coin because he flips it when he
  • 00:02:52
    wants to determine by luck or chance or
  • 00:02:55
    something whether someone's going to die
  • 00:02:56
    or whether they're going to live
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    essentially whether he's going to kill
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    them I mean a coin is such an innocuous
  • 00:03:01
    symbol but the way that he uses the coin
  • 00:03:03
    tells you like this is a dangerous
  • 00:03:05
    Psychopathic killer in the movie momento
  • 00:03:08
    Leonard Shelby played by Guy Pierce
  • 00:03:10
    carries around Polaroids everywhere and
  • 00:03:12
    this is if you remember the movie
  • 00:03:14
    because his memory is failing him and so
  • 00:03:16
    these Polaroids are supposed to help him
  • 00:03:18
    remember like oh this is your past and
  • 00:03:21
    so those visual pneumonics are something
  • 00:03:23
    that tells you something very important
  • 00:03:25
    about this character you can also move
  • 00:03:27
    Beyond mere physical objects and move
  • 00:03:29
    into object that characters carry that
  • 00:03:30
    are more metaphorical or symbolical take
  • 00:03:33
    this example from Tim O'Brien's The
  • 00:03:35
    Things They Carried I mean it's right
  • 00:03:37
    there in the title right which is a
  • 00:03:39
    master class in characterization through
  • 00:03:41
    objects and so in it O'Brien's
  • 00:03:43
    characterizing a whole Squad of American
  • 00:03:45
    soldiers by the objects that they carry
  • 00:03:47
    Michelle Sanders the RTO carried condoms
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    Norman Bower carried a diary rat Kylie
  • 00:03:52
    carried comic books kiawa a devoted
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    Baptist carried an illustrated New
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    Testament that had been presented to him
  • 00:03:57
    by his father and also carried his Grand
  • 00:03:59
    mother's distrust of the white man okay
  • 00:04:01
    so there we have some great objects that
  • 00:04:03
    distinguish characters from one another
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    obviously a character who's carrying
  • 00:04:06
    condoms is very different than a man
  • 00:04:07
    carrying a Bible but I like that this
  • 00:04:09
    paragraph ends on something which is not
  • 00:04:12
    an object but more symbolic like he is
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    carrying distrust of the white man oh
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    that's a weighty thing to carry a third
  • 00:04:19
    character building technique that you
  • 00:04:20
    need to be using is contradictory
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    characters contradictory characters are
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    just some surprising element that you
  • 00:04:26
    wouldn't be able to guess based on the
  • 00:04:29
    stereotype for like a one- sentence
  • 00:04:31
    description of the character so let's go
  • 00:04:32
    through a couple examples here for
  • 00:04:34
    instance say a billionaire whose wife
  • 00:04:37
    still cuts his hair I mean you can buy
  • 00:04:39
    the best barber in the universe but
  • 00:04:40
    somehow there's some sort of intimacy
  • 00:04:42
    maybe that he's still looking for with
  • 00:04:44
    his spouse or say a leader of a
  • 00:04:46
    motorcycle gang who likes True crochet
  • 00:04:49
    that would be the last hobby you would
  • 00:04:51
    expect right now you do have to make it
  • 00:04:52
    believable right but adding some sort of
  • 00:04:55
    contradictory element to their Persona
  • 00:04:57
    means that they're not just like the
  • 00:04:58
    stereotypical oh tough dude but there's
  • 00:05:00
    some other element that's surprising or
  • 00:05:02
    say aerous grandma with a foul mouth
  • 00:05:05
    right you don't quite see it coming you
  • 00:05:07
    see her and think she's just going to be
  • 00:05:08
    some like nice daughtering old lady and
  • 00:05:10
    then she says something and you're way
  • 00:05:12
    taken back so here's the assignment for
  • 00:05:14
    you is to take your character and figure
  • 00:05:15
    out one thing which is against type
  • 00:05:18
    there are two good reasons to do this
  • 00:05:19
    right one is that it creates a mystery
  • 00:05:22
    the reader wants to figure out how do
  • 00:05:23
    these contradictory elements in this
  • 00:05:25
    person resolve like do I really believe
  • 00:05:27
    this is a real character I wanted see
  • 00:05:29
    how this plays out and the second thing
  • 00:05:31
    is it helps you to avoid stereotypes it
  • 00:05:34
    makes the person into a person rather
  • 00:05:36
    than into a character you might know
  • 00:05:38
    Walter Mosley because he wrote one of
  • 00:05:39
    the most famous private investigators of
  • 00:05:41
    all time easy Rawlings but he also wrote
  • 00:05:43
    this really fun book called Always
  • 00:05:45
    outnumbered always outgunned which is
  • 00:05:47
    such a fantastic title in that book
  • 00:05:49
    there's this guy called Socrates forlo
  • 00:05:51
    and he's this excon he murdered people
  • 00:05:54
    in the past he spent a lot of time in
  • 00:05:56
    prison he's finally sprung from prison
  • 00:05:59
    and he's just this sort of hard-bitten
  • 00:06:01
    character so Walter Mosley takes that
  • 00:06:03
    Persona and then he adds contradictory
  • 00:06:05
    elements Socrates Fort low is also a
  • 00:06:07
    philosopher I mean the first name should
  • 00:06:09
    have tipped you off right he's a very
  • 00:06:11
    contemplative person he's a very
  • 00:06:13
    thoughtful person and in the end he ends
  • 00:06:15
    up being a peacemaker if you're enjoying
  • 00:06:17
    this idea of character contradictions
  • 00:06:18
    and want to go a little deeper in
  • 00:06:20
    character building check out my course
  • 00:06:22
    the triangle method of character
  • 00:06:23
    creation it was my very first course
  • 00:06:25
    that I ever made so it's a little weird
  • 00:06:27
    it's a little odd it's animated for one
  • 00:06:29
    but I think all the content is really
  • 00:06:32
    really good for how to go deeper with a
  • 00:06:34
    character and of course I also give
  • 00:06:36
    great advice about how to build
  • 00:06:37
    characters in my novel course on book
  • 00:06:39
    boox academy so check that out the
  • 00:06:41
    fourth character building technique is
  • 00:06:42
    three things that you should do every
  • 00:06:44
    time you introduce a new character so
  • 00:06:46
    every time you introduce a new character
  • 00:06:47
    there's a challenge right you have to
  • 00:06:49
    make sure the reader feels like they
  • 00:06:51
    know this person as quickly as possible
  • 00:06:53
    so here are the three things that you
  • 00:06:54
    should do to help that process along the
  • 00:06:56
    first thing you want to do is have your
  • 00:06:58
    character say something thing why
  • 00:07:00
    because the things that come out of a
  • 00:07:01
    character's mouth help the reader get to
  • 00:07:03
    know a character almost faster than
  • 00:07:05
    anything else I mean this is something
  • 00:07:06
    that we talked about in my other video
  • 00:07:08
    the six levels of dialogue that every
  • 00:07:10
    writer must master so for example let's
  • 00:07:12
    look at Sherlock Holmes and the very
  • 00:07:14
    first thing that he ever says to Watson
  • 00:07:16
    which is in a study in Scarlet they meet
  • 00:07:18
    and Holmes says you have been in
  • 00:07:19
    Afghanistan I perceive so the very first
  • 00:07:21
    thing out of his mouth is a deduction
  • 00:07:23
    how does he know that this man has been
  • 00:07:24
    in Afghanistan oh Holmes you're acting
  • 00:07:27
    so holmesian it tells you something
  • 00:07:29
    about the character right away second
  • 00:07:30
    thing you should do is have your
  • 00:07:31
    character do something characters are
  • 00:07:34
    defined by actions right what they think
  • 00:07:36
    defines them yes what they say
  • 00:07:38
    absolutely defines them yes but what
  • 00:07:40
    they do really defines them when we
  • 00:07:42
    first meet Arthur Dent of hitch haacker
  • 00:07:44
    guide of the Galaxy he goes out and lays
  • 00:07:46
    in front of a bulldozer which is trying
  • 00:07:48
    to bulldoze his home I love that right
  • 00:07:50
    like he's the type of guy that says yeah
  • 00:07:52
    you want to take down my house you got
  • 00:07:54
    to take me down first and it doesn't
  • 00:07:55
    have to be a big action right it can be
  • 00:07:57
    a small action but having your character
  • 00:07:59
    do something lets the reader know oh
  • 00:08:01
    this is the type of person this is and
  • 00:08:03
    the last thing you should do when you
  • 00:08:05
    introduce a new character is show what
  • 00:08:07
    this character's problem is I think the
  • 00:08:09
    natural default for writers is oh I'll
  • 00:08:11
    get to the problem in a little bit right
  • 00:08:13
    let me start by talking about hair color
  • 00:08:15
    and eye color another like you know
  • 00:08:17
    basic stuff but I would recommend
  • 00:08:19
    letting us know what this character
  • 00:08:20
    struggles with as soon as possible like
  • 00:08:23
    in the first scene we meet them a
  • 00:08:24
    character with a problem is human a
  • 00:08:27
    character without a problem is false
  • 00:08:29
    just a fictional creation so look at
  • 00:08:31
    John Green's The Fault in Our Stars we
  • 00:08:33
    learn on the first page that Hazel is
  • 00:08:36
    dying and she has cancer uh yeah that's
  • 00:08:38
    a problem green doesn't delay he doesn't
  • 00:08:40
    tell us at the end of the first chapter
  • 00:08:42
    he starts with that information so the
  • 00:08:44
    goal is to give an immediate sense of
  • 00:08:45
    who this character is and if you do
  • 00:08:47
    those three things you have a great
  • 00:08:49
    chance of succeeding in making the
  • 00:08:50
    reader feel attached to your character
  • 00:08:52
    now I will say if you're resistant to
  • 00:08:54
    this idea and you're like I'm not going
  • 00:08:55
    to do those three things right off the
  • 00:08:56
    bat who is this John Matthew Fox guy
  • 00:08:58
    anyway well I would say that these are
  • 00:09:00
    recommendations first of all right I
  • 00:09:02
    mean ignore them if you want to but I
  • 00:09:03
    also say that in general the pacing
  • 00:09:06
    expectations for stories in this day and
  • 00:09:08
    age is a lot faster right you can't
  • 00:09:10
    delay for a very long period of time and
  • 00:09:12
    expect your reader to still be
  • 00:09:13
    interested in your story because there
  • 00:09:15
    are so many other competing mediums
  • 00:09:17
    right your books are competing with
  • 00:09:18
    video games and with social media and
  • 00:09:20
    with television and with a thousand
  • 00:09:22
    other things so I think in general if
  • 00:09:25
    you can start off with a bang with a
  • 00:09:26
    certain character it'll make the reader
  • 00:09:28
    say like I'm vested like I want to go on
  • 00:09:30
    a journey with this person the fifth
  • 00:09:32
    character building technique is how to
  • 00:09:33
    make your character likable now I will
  • 00:09:35
    say off the bat like characters don't
  • 00:09:37
    have to be likable they only have to be
  • 00:09:39
    compelling but if you look at the
  • 00:09:41
    majority of books that sell a lot of
  • 00:09:43
    copies a lot of characters often are
  • 00:09:46
    likable so if you have a character that
  • 00:09:48
    you think should be likable here's how
  • 00:09:50
    to accomplish that and I will say that
  • 00:09:51
    likable characters doesn't mean Flawless
  • 00:09:54
    character you don't want Mary Sue or
  • 00:09:56
    Gary stews or whatever Perfect
  • 00:09:58
    characters that have no flaws whatsoever
  • 00:10:00
    likable characters often have relatable
  • 00:10:02
    flaws like the reader sees their own
  • 00:10:04
    flaws in the character and thinks oh
  • 00:10:06
    that's excusable Sally Rooney wrote a
  • 00:10:08
    book called normal people and in that
  • 00:10:09
    book there's a character called Maryann
  • 00:10:11
    Sheridan now this woman is rich but also
  • 00:10:15
    deeply weird and unpopular but I think
  • 00:10:17
    her flaws is that she struggles with a
  • 00:10:19
    sense of self-worth and she often allows
  • 00:10:22
    herself to be mistreated in
  • 00:10:23
    relationships so with those flaws we're
  • 00:10:26
    like we almost sympathize with her more
  • 00:10:28
    than condemn her for those flaws cuz
  • 00:10:29
    we're like oh why are you doing this but
  • 00:10:31
    we recognize that flaw makes her into a
  • 00:10:35
    likable human being okay so here are
  • 00:10:37
    four ways to make your character more
  • 00:10:39
    likable one give them a strong sense of
  • 00:10:41
    morality they should have virtues they
  • 00:10:43
    should have standards they should have
  • 00:10:44
    values if you look at John Grady Cole
  • 00:10:47
    and All the Pretty Horses he has very
  • 00:10:49
    firm convictions about what is right and
  • 00:10:51
    what is wrong and because of that we
  • 00:10:52
    like him a lot as a hero to take care of
  • 00:10:55
    animals in a man called UA we have this
  • 00:10:58
    kinly old man but because he takes care
  • 00:11:01
    of this cat we like him we're endeared
  • 00:11:03
    to him and this is what the save the cat
  • 00:11:06
    technique is named after right Heroes
  • 00:11:08
    have to save the cat villains have to
  • 00:11:10
    kick a puppy how people treat animals
  • 00:11:12
    tells us a lot about their character
  • 00:11:13
    third way to make your characters
  • 00:11:14
    likable is make them suffer offred in
  • 00:11:17
    the handmaid's tale suffers an enormous
  • 00:11:19
    amount and we tend to like her a lot
  • 00:11:22
    because she endures that suffering and
  • 00:11:24
    the fourth way to make a character
  • 00:11:25
    likable is to show competence Elizabeth
  • 00:11:27
    Salander in the millennium series
  • 00:11:29
    doesn't seem on the surface like a very
  • 00:11:32
    likable character she's sort of gruff
  • 00:11:34
    and abrupt and does some pretty terrible
  • 00:11:36
    things but part of the reason we like
  • 00:11:38
    her is that she's just so dang smart
  • 00:11:40
    she's This brilliant hacker and so good
  • 00:11:43
    at research and maneuvering online she's
  • 00:11:45
    also really good at getting revenge you
  • 00:11:47
    do not want to be on her bad side so
  • 00:11:49
    that level of intelligence makes us like
  • 00:11:51
    her so just being Wicked smart and just
  • 00:11:54
    by being intelligent the reader is going
  • 00:11:56
    to like her the sixth technique in
  • 00:11:58
    character development is give your
  • 00:11:59
    character an odd habit so let me tell
  • 00:12:02
    you a story so there was this 7-year-old
  • 00:12:03
    boy he used to tie string around
  • 00:12:05
    everything he would tie it around chairs
  • 00:12:06
    he would tie it around couches he would
  • 00:12:08
    tie around bookcases and he even tied it
  • 00:12:10
    around his sister's neck at one point no
  • 00:12:12
    matter what his mother did she couldn't
  • 00:12:13
    get him to stop tying strings now you
  • 00:12:15
    could stop there right it's certainly an
  • 00:12:17
    unusual habit it helps us to get to know
  • 00:12:19
    this little boy who creates this mystery
  • 00:12:20
    like why is this kid doing that and it
  • 00:12:22
    certainly sets this boy apart from all
  • 00:12:24
    the other little boys out there but it
  • 00:12:25
    would be a mistake to stop there right
  • 00:12:27
    the trick with characterization is
  • 00:12:28
    seeing why they have that habit so the
  • 00:12:31
    boy's mother took him to see a
  • 00:12:32
    psychoanalyst and the psychoanalyst told
  • 00:12:34
    the mother okay I figured it out the
  • 00:12:35
    little boy's doing this because you
  • 00:12:37
    speaking to the mother have been
  • 00:12:38
    hospitalized for depression several
  • 00:12:40
    times and been taken away for multiple
  • 00:12:41
    weeks and the boy's trying to tie things
  • 00:12:43
    down he's trying to tie string around
  • 00:12:45
    things to prevent those things from
  • 00:12:47
    being taken away he's having abandonment
  • 00:12:49
    issues oh now the string has
  • 00:12:52
    significance now that tiny little habit
  • 00:12:54
    becomes like this broader bigger
  • 00:12:56
    significance so my advice is first to
  • 00:12:59
    come up with some sort of strange habit
  • 00:13:01
    or tick or thing that your character
  • 00:13:02
    does they sleep in the closet or they
  • 00:13:05
    use five different types of lip balm or
  • 00:13:07
    they time the duration of traffic lights
  • 00:13:08
    and report it to the city and then once
  • 00:13:10
    you show them doing this thing come up
  • 00:13:11
    with a reason why they would do this
  • 00:13:13
    thing and obviously trying to come up
  • 00:13:15
    with something that bucks the obvious
  • 00:13:16
    right some sort of unusual reason why
  • 00:13:18
    they're doing it number seven widen the
  • 00:13:21
    perception Gap it is a fantastic idea to
  • 00:13:24
    create distance between how a character
  • 00:13:26
    sees themselves and how other characters
  • 00:13:28
    or the reader perceive them why does
  • 00:13:30
    this technique work so well well one it
  • 00:13:32
    enhances reader engagement readers have
  • 00:13:34
    to weigh the evidence and figure out
  • 00:13:36
    okay is this character telling the truth
  • 00:13:38
    or are they telling me a slanted version
  • 00:13:40
    of the truth there's also story sension
  • 00:13:42
    because the reader wants to see is this
  • 00:13:44
    character's perception of themselves
  • 00:13:46
    going to be destroyed or changed at some
  • 00:13:48
    point or are they going to persist in
  • 00:13:50
    their delusion a great example of this
  • 00:13:52
    is Walter White and Breaking Bad at the
  • 00:13:54
    beginning he constantly tells himself
  • 00:13:56
    I'm doing this for family I'm doing it
  • 00:13:58
    to provide for my family after I die for
  • 00:14:00
    cancer but I think that perception of
  • 00:14:02
    himself that lie he tells himself slowly
  • 00:14:04
    gets eroded over the course of the
  • 00:14:06
    Season until he comes to recognize like
  • 00:14:08
    no I did all this drug running for
  • 00:14:11
    myself for my own ego that is a huge
  • 00:14:14
    character art in realizing his true
  • 00:14:17
    motivations now that's a character whose
  • 00:14:18
    perception of himself changes over the
  • 00:14:20
    course of a story but you can also have
  • 00:14:21
    characters whose perceptions are
  • 00:14:23
    different than everyone else's but they
  • 00:14:24
    never change look at Cersei Lannister in
  • 00:14:27
    Game of Thrones I think the way that she
  • 00:14:29
    perceives herself is as the rightful
  • 00:14:31
    ruler and a clever strategist I think
  • 00:14:33
    everyone else though including the
  • 00:14:34
    readers perceive her in a vastly
  • 00:14:36
    different light as cruel as bitter as
  • 00:14:39
    vindictive as paranoid as shortsighted
  • 00:14:42
    like just this whole mess of negative
  • 00:14:44
    descriptions there was actually tons of
  • 00:14:45
    people naming their daughter Daenerys no
  • 00:14:47
    one was naming their child Cersei
  • 00:14:49
    another example of a big perception Gap
  • 00:14:51
    would be from A Confederacy of Dunes
  • 00:14:53
    right the dun in question ignacius J
  • 00:14:55
    Riley is this huge Manchild right so
  • 00:14:59
    immature idiotic opinions about
  • 00:15:02
    everything but how does he perceive
  • 00:15:03
    himself oh he is a misunderstood genius
  • 00:15:06
    and cultural critic I mean the division
  • 00:15:08
    gap between his perception and the
  • 00:15:10
    reality of things could not be broader
  • 00:15:13
    the eighth character creation technique
  • 00:15:15
    is to create foils what I want you to do
  • 00:15:18
    is to think about the characters around
  • 00:15:20
    your character the the ancillary the
  • 00:15:22
    supporting characters stuff like the
  • 00:15:24
    sidekick the mentor the antagonist and
  • 00:15:27
    what I mean by foil is basically who
  • 00:15:28
    your main character is influences those
  • 00:15:30
    characters and who those characters are
  • 00:15:32
    reflects back on your main character for
  • 00:15:34
    example an antagonist is often an
  • 00:15:36
    inverted version of your protagonist
  • 00:15:38
    think of leay miserab by Victor Hugo we
  • 00:15:40
    have these two opposing characters
  • 00:15:42
    Javier and Jean valon Von is a former
  • 00:15:45
    Criminal Who believes in Mercy while
  • 00:15:47
    inspector Javier is this rigid
  • 00:15:49
    unyielding policeman who believes firmly
  • 00:15:52
    in law and order some people have said
  • 00:15:54
    that the inspector the policeman is more
  • 00:15:55
    of an Old Testament version of a
  • 00:15:57
    character filled with fire and brimstone
  • 00:15:59
    Stone and rules like the Ten
  • 00:16:00
    Commandments and stuff Well jean Von is
  • 00:16:02
    more of the New Testament version of a
  • 00:16:04
    human filled with grace filled with
  • 00:16:06
    forgiveness but those two characters
  • 00:16:08
    really are opposite sides of a coin
  • 00:16:10
    they're not completely divorced from one
  • 00:16:12
    another they're mirror images they're
  • 00:16:14
    inverted images for your companion or
  • 00:16:16
    sidekick you have to think what sort of
  • 00:16:19
    role can they play that complement my
  • 00:16:21
    main character for instance if your main
  • 00:16:23
    character isn't very funny then maybe
  • 00:16:25
    that sidekick character needs to do some
  • 00:16:27
    comedic relief like donkey in the Shrek
  • 00:16:29
    movies or in CS lewis' Narnia series
  • 00:16:32
    there's this character called puddle
  • 00:16:33
    glum who is this very funny pessimist
  • 00:16:35
    saying stuff like the bright side of it
  • 00:16:37
    is said puddle glum that if we break our
  • 00:16:39
    necks getting down the cliff then we're
  • 00:16:41
    safe from being drowned in the river I
  • 00:16:43
    mean gez he's really giving Eeyore a run
  • 00:16:45
    for his money now for your Mentor
  • 00:16:46
    character you want to think how is this
  • 00:16:47
    character an older version of my
  • 00:16:50
    protagonist that establishes a kind of
  • 00:16:52
    link between them where they're not
  • 00:16:53
    completely separate people they are at
  • 00:16:56
    different points in their Journey but
  • 00:16:58
    they're probably more similar than
  • 00:16:59
    different okay now for the last Point
  • 00:17:01
    number nine and I kept this one for the
  • 00:17:02
    last because it is the most important
  • 00:17:05
    number nine create a three-time
  • 00:17:07
    character what I mean is that your
  • 00:17:09
    character needs to exist in at least
  • 00:17:11
    three different time periods the past
  • 00:17:13
    the present and the future but I think
  • 00:17:15
    the verbs are very important here right
  • 00:17:17
    they have to be haunted by the past not
  • 00:17:19
    just have a past but actually be haunted
  • 00:17:22
    by it they have to be wrestling in the
  • 00:17:23
    present obviously right you need
  • 00:17:25
    conflict in the present moment they have
  • 00:17:26
    to be looking at the future and
  • 00:17:27
    uncertain how it's going to play out so
  • 00:17:29
    first let's look at haunted by the past
  • 00:17:31
    for instance when it comes to backstory
  • 00:17:33
    writers often believe that they need to
  • 00:17:34
    give information about a character's
  • 00:17:36
    past for instance where did they go to
  • 00:17:38
    school where did they work who did they
  • 00:17:39
    kill well I mean that last one is only
  • 00:17:41
    if you're writing a certain genre but
  • 00:17:42
    that focus on information can make for a
  • 00:17:44
    very dull story now when I'm talking
  • 00:17:46
    about the past I mean your character
  • 00:17:47
    needs to be haunted by the past the past
  • 00:17:49
    needs to be a problem for your character
  • 00:17:51
    it needs to be unresolved in some way in
  • 00:17:54
    Clare Keegan's book small things like
  • 00:17:55
    these we have a character who is haunted
  • 00:17:58
    by the identity his father he doesn't
  • 00:17:59
    know who his father is and that weighs
  • 00:18:02
    on him through the whole story so when
  • 00:18:03
    you're constructing a character's past
  • 00:18:05
    you need to go shorten information you
  • 00:18:06
    can often summarize a whole life in a
  • 00:18:08
    paragraph you need to go long on angst
  • 00:18:11
    like what does this character struggle
  • 00:18:12
    with what are their main problems and
  • 00:18:14
    third the past must spill into the
  • 00:18:17
    present the past is only significant in
  • 00:18:19
    as much as it affects whatever your
  • 00:18:21
    character is going through in the
  • 00:18:22
    present moment second piece of advice
  • 00:18:23
    for having your character exist in three
  • 00:18:25
    time periods is obviously the present
  • 00:18:27
    and my biggest piece of viice is not to
  • 00:18:29
    have a singular problem but at least two
  • 00:18:31
    layers of problem a main problem and a
  • 00:18:33
    minor problem in Clare Keegan's book we
  • 00:18:34
    Discover bill has two problems one is he
  • 00:18:36
    discovers nuns have locked this young
  • 00:18:38
    girl in an unheated tool ship his second
  • 00:18:40
    problem is that he's really worried
  • 00:18:42
    about money and providing for his family
  • 00:18:44
    the first is more of an external problem
  • 00:18:46
    he is worried about this girl the second
  • 00:18:47
    problem is more of an internal problem
  • 00:18:49
    he has anxiety about providing for his
  • 00:18:51
    family if you have those two levels of
  • 00:18:52
    conflict your present moment story is
  • 00:18:54
    off to a great start third thing for
  • 00:18:55
    your characters they need to be wey of
  • 00:18:57
    the future they should be anticipating
  • 00:18:58
    in the future and be unsure of how it's
  • 00:19:01
    going to work out ask yourself what is
  • 00:19:03
    your character anticipating and what are
  • 00:19:04
    they preparing for for instance in Clare
  • 00:19:07
    Keegan's book bill is worried about the
  • 00:19:09
    future of his Five Daughters they are
  • 00:19:11
    all growing up very quickly and they are
  • 00:19:12
    about to enter quote the world of men so
  • 00:19:15
    of course a man with five daughters is
  • 00:19:17
    going to be worried about that but once
  • 00:19:18
    again the future is only relevant in the
  • 00:19:20
    way that affects his present moment
  • 00:19:22
    story because he's worried about his
  • 00:19:23
    daughter he doesn't want to offend the
  • 00:19:25
    nuns by revealing that they're keeping
  • 00:19:27
    this woman locked in the shed because
  • 00:19:28
    he's worried worried that the nuns will
  • 00:19:29
    mistreat his own daughters because Bill
  • 00:19:31
    is worried about his own daughter's
  • 00:19:32
    future he doesn't want to get on the
  • 00:19:34
    nuns backside because the nuns have such
  • 00:19:36
    enormous sway inside the community all
  • 00:19:38
    right I hope that was all helpful and
  • 00:19:39
    check out the link in the description if
  • 00:19:41
    you'd like to take some writing courses
  • 00:19:42
    with me
Etiquetas
  • character development
  • writing
  • unconventional reactions
  • symbolic possessions
  • contradictory traits
  • effective introductions
  • perception gap
  • likable characters
  • past influence
  • foils