Characters Wanted
While easing into my new project, a cozy mystery that’s Office Space meets Agatha Christie, I’m acquainting myself with the characters. Figuring out who they are, how they fit in with the plot, and what makes them compelling. It’s a lot like a job interview. Take the main character, twenty-something Lucy Breckenridge:
“So Lucy, tell me a little bit about yourself.”
“Well, I frequent the Pike Place Market, have a cat named Pinot, and just broke up with my boyfriend at the cross departmental potluck.”
“Really? What happened?”
“Let’s just say Jenn from Sales and Cathy from IT also showed up with his grandma’s famous Swedish Meatballs…”
“I’m sorry to hear that. So, why do you think you’re the right character for this story?”
“Because my cube is, rather was, neighboring the murder victim’s and I heard things no one else did. Plus, being in Finance, I’m sharp and have a pulse on what’s happening in other departments at Grape, Inc.”
“Fair enough. What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?”
“Strengths would be my killer memory, credibility, and, of course, fashion sense. As for weaknesses, I can come across as shallow and sometimes feel lonely, like I’m on the outside looking in.”
“Okay. Where do you see yourself in 200 pages?”
“Solving Ben’s murder case, wearing a kick-ass outfit, and perhaps on a date with a certain hot corporate lawyer.” Let the record show that she winked at me.
“I can promise you the outfit. Welcome to the team!”
Disclaimer: I do not have actual conversations with my characters. No really, I don’t.
But seriously, I’ve been focusing lately on how to make characters extraordinary. It’s a fine balance between making them relatable and larger than life, but ultimately they have to be entertaining. Someone you’d stick with for 200+ pages and precious hours of your time.
When I think of extraordinary characters, I think of Karou from Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Roland from the Dark Tower series, or Amy from Gone Girl.
What characters do you think are extraordinary?
What I’m reading: The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith/J.K. Rowling (her writing style + murder mystery = so good)
What I’m listening to: Nirvana unplugged
I’m re-reading Snow Crash and am, once again, falling in love with the simultaneously bad-ass and lowly protagonist, Hiro Protagonist. At first he seems all flash, but when Stephenson fills in the fact that the guy squats in a storage shed and is a pizza delivery boy, suddenly Hiro becomes much more bad-ass than a series of awesome adjectives could ever make him.
Snow Crash is still on my to-read list! I’ll have to bump it up. And I love that the protagonist’s name is Hiro Protagonist.
Fun interview with Lucy! Can’t wait to read the whole story.
Thanks! It was a fun exercise 🙂
I like the way you set the story in Seattle by having the character say through dialogue that she frequents Pike Place Market.
Thanks Fran! I’ve been challenging myself to convey info in a more subtle way, like by using popular landmarks and/or dialogue.
You make a great point! A good character is one that I feel I can relate to it a special way, or admire. Characters like Elizabeth Bennett or Scarlett O’Hara come to mind. It’s interesting though because I always think of their supporting characters, Jane for Elizabeth and Milly for Scarlett, as being such inherently good and gracious people, yet I find them a little less interesting. Then again, they aren’t the main characters!
Good question!!
Elizabeth Bennett is a great example! I always liked Elizabeth more than Jane, mostly because Jane seemed perfect and thus was a little dull to read about. Elizabeth was more passionate, flawed, and stronger. Mr. Darcy is a great example too, but really P&P is just an amazing story. I’m slightly embarressed to admit I’ve never read Gone With the Wind (or seen the movie!), but just added it to my TBR pile!