[Link] The Character as Text: On Being Read and Misread

by Matthew Hand

Every character I have ever written or portrayed on stage has never belonged to me. That’s the secret. We build from scraps, molding habits, memories, desires into something new. And then hand them over to strangers who will decide, confidently, what they mean.

A character is always read twice: once by the author, and again by everyone else. The first creates, the second dissects. Somewhere in between those two readings the truth gets smudged - sometimes valiantly, other times blasphemously.

Reading is a Talent

The moment someone engages with a text, they interpret character. That is a kind of ownership. We don’t mean to, but we do it constantly.

We say: She’s selfish.

We say: He’s in love.

We say: They’re just lost. 

Each declaration flattens something that once breathed. Interpretation feels generous, but is often a form of control. When we name a thing, we fix it in place. The character can’t move anymore - we align them with our own categorical narratives.

In life, we do this too. We read people the way we read stories. We assume subtext when there’s only exhaustion, irony when there’s fear, desire when there’s confusion. The act of reading becomes a way of keeping our world neat, comprehensible. 

It’s how we quietly distort each other.

The Seduction of Certainty

There’s something addictive about believing we’ve “figured out’ a character. The addiction to certainty is numbing because it spares us the discomfort of not knowing. The impulse is everywhere: the YA dystopian novel that insists a protagonist is about capitalism or trauma or redemption. The friend who insists, “I know why you did that.” If you require a frame of reference, I suggest you observe political interactions on social media. 

We crave clarity because it makes emotion manageable. But people, and the characters who resemble them, aren’t created for clarity. They’re created for contradiction. The moment a character stops being slightly unknowable, they stop feeling alive.

It’s why the best stories leave a residue of confusion. You finish the last page still turning them over in your mind, still wondering who they were trying to be. The story keeps happening because you haven’t decided yet.

Read the full article: https://www.southernmelancholic.com/post/the-character-as-text-on-being-read-and-misread

[Link] How NOT to Create a Protagonist

by Rob Bignell

You can have the greatest plot in the world, discuss a deep, universal theme, and write crisp, taut sentences, but if the reader can’t connect to your protagonist, the story will fall flat. Simply put, you always must create a protagonist the reader will root for.

Too often aspiring authors trip up on that challenge. Many seem content to simply provide meaningless details – like the protagonist’s height, hairstyle, school grades – believing that makes the character “real.” And real means likable, right? And likeable means a connection, correct?

Not quite.

Uninspiring details aren’t the only way writers can stumble with their protagonist. To avoid creating a poorly written main character – that is, one who isn’t real – watch for these seven pitfalls…

Never solves a problem

A main character who never attempts to solve the story’s central problem usually comes off as dull. Worse, if the character spends the whole book merely ruminating about how the problem is hopeless, he’ll come off as whiny.

Read the full article: https://inventingrealityediting.com/2017/08/19/how-not-to-create-a-protagonist/

[Link] Don’t fully commit protagonist in opening scene

by Rob Bignell

Typically when a story starts, there is an out-of-whack event, an upsetting of the status quo that the main character must deal with. How the main character addresses this event forms the bulk of the story’s plot.

Sometimes, though, the main character is reluctant to act. That is, he is not fully committed to resolving the issue.

For example, what if our protagonist comes to believe that something bad has happened to a neighbor, as she mysteriously hasn’t been seen for days. He files a report with the police and decides he’s washed his hands of it, has fulfilled his civic responsibility.

To ensure we have a story, though, something must occur that convinces the main character to become fully committed.

Read the full article: https://inventingrealityediting.com/2016/11/25/dont-fully-commit-protagonist-in-opening-scene/

[Link] Everything You Need to Know About Developing (and Writing) Characters

by Ali Luke

I’ve covered a lot about developing characters and writing about them, here on Aliventures. I wanted to collect those posts together in one place so you can find them easily.

Whether you’re just figuring out who your characters are for your story, you’re in the messy middle of your draft, or you’re trying to nail your characterisation as you rewrite, hopefully there’s a post here that covers just what you need!

Read the full article: https://www.aliventures.com/writing-developing-characters/

6 Villainous Character Types Infographic