Alright, we're over halfway done! This week's lesson is a little shorter than the others, but that's because I'm simply adding on to the previous two. The homework assignment will deal with the previous two lessons as well, so I want some real effort put into it. Not that I doubt you guys would, but just thought I would put it down.
Character Interaction
Alright, so now that we have the basics of character creation and dialogue, it’s time to take a look at how these characters are going to interact with one another. Character interaction is extremely important because your main character is going to be around a lot of different characters, and even more than you might realize at first. Even if your character is standing alone, your character will probably start to think about different characters, and that counts too. In other words, your characters are constantly interacting, and thinking about the other characters, so it’s important to have an idea on how to do believable character interaction.
We’ll take a look first at body language. Yes, this is written word, not pictures or a movie, but body language is still important. Showing that a character is standing tall, or backing into a corner, will show the reader a little bit about the character’s personality. As you’re writing out the scene, play it out in your mind, but pay close attention to how the various characters move. If there’s anything that gives away what the characters might be thinking, it may be a good idea to include it. This can include anything about looking down at the floor, to furrowing the brow in deep thought. Sometimes, it’s the little things that really make a story pop.
But beware, you don’t want to bore the reader. You want enough to convey the scene, but you don’t want your readers falling asleep. What I’m trying to say is don’t get caught up in the details. It’s nice to have them, but don’t go overboard with them either. If you’ve taken a paragraph to describe how one of your characters opens cupboards, it might be time to reconsider what you’re doing. You want just enough to get the point across.
If you’re having trouble getting ideas for your character’s reaction to a certain event or person, try making a chart. A simple column and row table will work nicely. In the first column, put the event that you’re thinking of, and then make another column for each character that’s involved. In each box for the characters, write a little description of their reaction. This will keep everything organized, and you won’t forget anything when it comes to writing out the scene.
The biggest tip I have is to just listen to your gut. If you’re worried that a character’s reaction isn’t appropriate, it most likely isn’t, and that comes from my own experience. Try paying attention to how you and your friends react in various situations. If you’re stuck, think about how you would react. People react to situations very similarly, the only difference is how they go about it.
Which brings us to personality and staying in character. If your character is constantly doing things that’s not consistent with what you’re trying to convey, the character is going to look fake. If your character is more reserved, but you want them to go bungee jumping, it’s perfectly fine to have them do that, but you have to set it up. Have their friends finally convince them to do it, but you can’t just have them do crazy things out of the blue. It’s all about staying in character.
Can you have your character break from what they would normally do? Yes, but keep it to a minimum. If your reserved character just got shot, instead of having them accept their fate, it’s okay to have them rise up and fight back. The key is making it believable is having your character go through extreme circumstances, for instance, getting shot. Be careful though, this can only happen once or twice in your story, depending on the length. If you do this often, your character won’t feel real to the reader.
Just remember that characters need to interact with each other. Their realism comes with those interactions. If you can get those interactions down, your story will be ten times better, guaranteed. Body language is important in any conversation, and in writing, it’s no different. Try to pay attention to these things when you go out, and you’ll see what I’m talking about. The trick to making a character seem real is to keep them in character. You can have someone do something out of character, but only in the case of extremes. Once you have all of that down, character interaction will be much easier.
Homework Assignment:
Alright, I want you guys to write out an interaction between two or more characters. This could be a conversation, a fight, or even a marriage. I just want to see your skills at character interaction. The only guidelines I have is that I don’t want to see an essay. I just want to see a paragraph or two. If you’re going through this with a story idea in mind, it wouldn't be a bad idea to write out a major event that’s happening.