Who are you talking about? A Lesson in Characterization and Development

Circle Of Crones

Contributed by LlewellynMcEllis

As writers we are all too often carried away by our desire to dive straight into a plot and its setting. Who isn't anxious to get to Hogwarts and start exploring the secret passageways and magic staircases, and while your story may start out brilliantly describing the thestral-drawn carriage ride to everyone's favorite school for witchcraft and wizardry, once you've arrived at the castle, how exactly do you plan to explore the grounds? After a few moments of thought, if you're anything like me, your first idea is going to chime like a light bulb overhead: characters!

Writing fanfiction allows us as writers the liberty of preexisting characters to exercise our skills with. There are literally hundreds of pre-sketched characters to choose from once you're ready to begin exploring the wizarding world, including everyone's favorite Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter. Since we know more about Harry Potter than any other character in J.K. Rowling's series, I won't spend so much time talking about him, but imagine, if you will, all of the time and effort Miss Rowling put into developing Harry's character so that we would all be mesmerized enough to join him on his adventures.

It literally took years for J.K. Rowling to develop Harry Potter well enough that she felt comfortable sharing him with the rest of the world. Meticulous planning and organization on her part led to the construction of a lifetime for a character that will live on in the annals of children's literature for years to come, but what makes Harry Potter so special? Why will people be talking about him when many other books are long forgotten? Harry Potter will be remembered not only because of the adventures he had, because of who he was as a character.

No one expects you to take years when you're developing your own characters, but a certain amount of time and energy is necessary, especially when you are working with original and lesser-known characters. Quite a bit of Harry's story is about . . . well. . . Harry. We know everything about what goes on in his thoughts—from his feelings and emotions to the reasons he reacts to the things going on around him. We can identify with his loneliness, sympathize with all he's lost, but more than anything else, we can feel through him all of the events and activities going on around him. That is the power of a well-drawn character.

If Harry were underdeveloped as a character, we wouldn't have a clue what was going on with him, and truthfully, we probably wouldn't really want to know either. He would be just another average Joe on the streets, not even worth a second glance, much less an entire series of stories. So now that we know what makes Harry powerful as a character, how can you achieve this with your own characters?

The very first thing they teach you in any writer's workshop about character development is to know your characters. You want to know everything about your characters from what they like to eat, to how they might react if a spider were to drop down on the desk while they were penning their sixteen feet of parchment for Professor Snape's essay on the useful properties of lashweed. But how do you get to know someone who doesn’t even exist? The best way to start getting to know your character is by making a list of interview questions focusing on things you would like to know about him or her as a person. Start out with the small things first. What does your character look like? What kind of family did she come from? Is he good with transfigurations? How does she feel about herself as a person? What does he like to eat for breakfast? After you get the basics down, you can go on to develop the deeper issues of your character's history. Why is she afraid of broomsticks? How did he feel when his sister passed away? If Voldemort were to tempt her, would she be powerful enough to walk away?

Personality traits should be consistent to the experiences of the character. The more you know about who you're writing, the better and more believable his or her adventures will be. Take into consideration facts about the environment and circumstance they grew up in. If your character is a spoiled, pureblood, rich girl, she isn't going to treat everyone with kindness and respect. If she’s written well, you’ll be lucky if you can even get her to treat you, the writer, with respect. If you’re writing about a poor boy from a large family that has always gotten by on love, he is going to be a lot more compassionate than most other students. These are facts of human nature, and while there is a tendency to lean toward cliché with the specific examples I've supplied, use your imagination. Think realistically using what you already know about people.

Since this is the wizarding world, you may want to take a look at the astrological traits associated with your character's birth-sign, and take advantage of them during the developmental stages. Do research on situations your character is supposed to have been through to enhance the reality of the experience for both the character and the reader. While this isn't real life, the more real your characters are, the easier it will be for your readers to identify with them, and when your readers can identify with your story you will know a level of well-earned success as a writer.

The same methods I’ve described above apply also to writing pre-existing characters. You must know their history if you want to believably write about them. When not all of the history is given about a character, use your creative license, and apply your own touches to the facts. Take the ever popular retelling of Tom Riddle’s childhood, for instance. We know very little about Tom Riddle as a person. We know that he was an orphaned half-blood wizard who went on to become the heir of Slytherin, and eventually The Dark Lord Voldemort. We know that he killed his father’s family, and went on to become the most horrid force the wizarding world had ever seen. Aside from that, we don’t know much about him as a person, so as a writer that’s where you come in.

Your imagination combined with what you already know about the character you wish to write will provide you as a writer with intriguing situations to explain the character’s behaviour. Read and reread passages from the books which feature the character so you become comfortable with that character as a person. Familiarize yourself with actions, speech patterns, dialect, and habits, and use those things to your advantage to enhance the relativity of characters that have already been defined.

Knowing who you are writing about will make the adventure more enjoyable not only for your readers, but for you as a writer. When you are comfortable enough with a character he or she will speak not only to you, but through you. Remember, everyone has got a story, and it’s up to you to tell it well.