NEW PARIS BOOK IN PROGRESS IN 2024: PROTOTYPE PERSON – Blog # 12.
Every novel has one or several main characters. Character development, therefore, needs to begin early and be as detailed as possible.
As I write my new fictional Paris book, I think about the process of developing a character. In this case, the new fictional Paris book will, in part, be based on my life in Paris. Nevertheless, the character still needs development, as do the other characters.
Creating a character helps to think about their actions, feelings, and behaviours throughout the novel – it gets the details on paper before the character became fully ensconced in the book.
These are some points to think about:
Name and draft: Give life to a persona with a rough sketch or draft, beginning with a name and a face. Thinking about the character’s role in the novel often influences the appearance of the face. Once a face is drafted, the rest of the body can come to life – age, height, physical features, gait, distinctive details, and so on.
Readers’ view of the character: What do you want readers to know, think or feel about the character? Is the character intrinsically good or unavoidably evil? Is the character complacently casual or inevitably misguided? Is the character easily influenced or stubbornly rigid?
Behavioural demographics: Fill in the details of a character with their demographical information. Is the character a city person or a country person? If the character is a city person, which part of the city demographics does she fall under – working class, living rough, wealthy, artistic, or industrial? What profession does the main character have or is the character partially employed, unemployed, underemployed, a YouTuber, and so forth. What skills and abilities does the character have?
Demographics broadens the picture of the character and may determine their values and ethics – their internal characteristics. What about the outward appearance and demeanour – clothes and accessories, or the means of transport to get to work, for example?
Family: Complete the character’s family history. Does the character have a family? What are the dynamics of the family?
Pain points and needs: Capture the character’s lifestyle and needs, expectations, aspirations, frustrations, and so on, with the past, the current situation, and the future. What are the pain points that the character is trying to resolve? What are the character’s strengths and vulnerabilities, advantage in life and disadvantages, mindset and ability to adapt to challenges and change?
Potential pain and solutions: Generate initial ideas to express the details above. Fill in potential sentences about the character, such as:
- Because the character knows (this), she does (that).
- Because the character feels (this), she acts like (that).
- Because the character saw (this), she assumes (that).
- Because the character hears (this), she picks up (that).
- Because the character does (this), she believes (that).
- The character knows she is right when (this) happens.
- The character knows she is in trouble when (this) happens.
- (This) and (that) is an indicator of change in the character’s thoughts.
- (This) and (that) is an indicator of change in the character’s feelings.
- (This) and (that) is an indicator of change in the character’s actions.
- Readers will know (this) change is effective when (that) happens.
Again, more ideas to think about. The story unfolds.
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