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The Ultimate Characterization Test
Dec. 3rd, 2018 07:50 amSo I’ve come up with a great acid test for knowing whether or not a character you’ve written is a good one. Though someone else may have come up with this first.
Basically, you just write the characters talking about nothing important. Show them at the arcade or the library and see what they talk about. When you’re writing characters in dire situations it is easy to distract yourself from their lack of personality. If you can’t write such an average conversation, ask yourself why.
Is it because the characters lack personality? Or is it because they simply have nothing in common and nothing to talk about. If the former you need to think more about who they are. If the latter, how would they try to end the awkward silence? Or do they prefer silence? Do these characters want to talk, or do they dislike each other.
Incidentally, this also works as a good test to see whether characters would make good love interests. If the characters don’t have a relationship when they aren’t in love, then chances are any kind of long-term relationship is a bust.
This is why I almost always try to have at least a few characters talk about absolutely nothing at some point in my stories. It gives the reader a chance to see who they are when not saving the world or the nation or whatever.
What do you think? Are there flaws in this theory? Or do you agree?
Basically, you just write the characters talking about nothing important. Show them at the arcade or the library and see what they talk about. When you’re writing characters in dire situations it is easy to distract yourself from their lack of personality. If you can’t write such an average conversation, ask yourself why.
Is it because the characters lack personality? Or is it because they simply have nothing in common and nothing to talk about. If the former you need to think more about who they are. If the latter, how would they try to end the awkward silence? Or do they prefer silence? Do these characters want to talk, or do they dislike each other.
Incidentally, this also works as a good test to see whether characters would make good love interests. If the characters don’t have a relationship when they aren’t in love, then chances are any kind of long-term relationship is a bust.
This is why I almost always try to have at least a few characters talk about absolutely nothing at some point in my stories. It gives the reader a chance to see who they are when not saving the world or the nation or whatever.
What do you think? Are there flaws in this theory? Or do you agree?
