I am out of town visiting a sick friend.  I thought I would bring back one of my favorite posts…

Developing Characters

When I think about developing characters I cannot help but think of raising my children.  I listened too and used some very good advice.  Always be consistent, never sweat the small stuff and safety is always #1.  I mainly wanted them to love one another, always be kind and polite and to know the difference between right and wrong.

So when developing characters for my writing I start with the same advice.  I use a layering system.  I found it particularly difficult to describe ‘real’ people in my book “BRISTOL bOYZ STOMP.” The book is non-fiction. I started with a photo, six-foot tall, very large nose, dressed in a navy blue sweater vest, white dress shirt and navy pants.  I then place a piece of vellum paper over the description of the photo.  The next layer I got more descriptive, almost 3-dimentional.  His eyes were brown, why were they smiling? He is on trial for his life here, why is he shuffling and smiling.  Describing emotions, making the character breathe was the next layer.  This layer started with questions.  The first question being “What made you take that hammer and slam it into a man’s head repeatedly?”

Answering that question took some research.  First through some psychology class notes and then simply looking up the definitions of the emotions [I felt] the character was feeling.  He came from a ‘regular’ middle class family.  He had an older sister and a younger sister.  His mother worked as a nurse and his father at a chemical plant.  What went wrong?

I first looked at the similarities of Envy and Jealousy. They are very close in their meanings.  However, only one of them is a deadly sin.  Jealousy denotes a feeling of resentment that another has gained something that one more rightfully deserves. Jealousy also can be a result of fear.  The fear, of a loved one unfaithfulness, that one is not good enough to gain what one wants.  Envy is malicious.  It is a feeling of grudging and actually admiring discontent.  It can cause one to feel physically aroused by the possessions, achievements or qualities of another. Envy is a deadly sin.

Empathy and Sympathy are also often confused.  Empathy is an actual mirroring or vicarious experience of anothers emotions whether they are sorrow or joy.  Sympathy on the other hand is a feeling of sorrow associated with the suffering of another.

Pity and Compassion are sometimes confused.  Pity regards its object not only as suffering, but also weak and inferior.  Compassion is similar to sympathy in that it stems from the suffering of another.  The difference is the desire to alleviate the suffering.

I also always refer to the seven deadly sins when creating or describing my characters.  For obvious reasons I also refer to them in my own life. 

Pride is excessive belief in one’s own abilities that interferes with the individual’s recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise. Pride is also known as Vanity.

Envy is the desire for others’ traits, status, abilities, or situation.

Gluttony is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires.

Lust is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body.

Anger is manifested in the individual who spurns love and opts instead for fury. It is also known as Wrath.

Greed is the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual. It is also called Avarice or Covetousness.

Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work.

 In this particular murderous, character I decided he lacked empathy.  I am of the belief that empathy is not a feeling that is taught.  You are born with it or you are not.  I believe it is seen or not seen in very young children.  The most devious of characters have learned to fake empathy.  Think of the cunning spider luring her victim into her web.

What system do you use to give your characters the breath they need to come alive?

A favorite quote: He’s really sort of the devil.  He’s completely emotionally detached.  He has no empathy.  You find that in psychopath’s.  Its about power with Voldemort.  It is an aphrodisiac for him. Power makes him feel alive.  ~~Ralph Fiennes