Getting to know your characters

I’m sure you’ve heard how important it is to get to know your character. The tips I’ve read centers around interviewing your protags by shutting yourself in an elevator with them while you pull out your notebook to pepper them with questions.

I’ve adapted another version of this, since I find being squeezed into a tiny metal box with one of my trigger-happy characters slightly disturbing. Instead I throw them into one of my favorite places. A fight scene.

By watching their reaction in this action-packed scenario where there’s little time to think and even less time to react, I’ve an easier time reading their primal reaction. Of course, you can choose whatever scene catches your fancy, be it in the future or past. The scene doesn’t even have to follow the rules of the world your characters inhabit, but is meant to be a way for you to really get to know them. How would your daredevil cowgirl react if thrown into a regency romance? What would your serial killer do if she was thrust back into the time of the dinosaurs with nothing but a kitten to anchor her to the real world?

It’s not just a fun way to find out who your characters really are, but also helps you see what level of character development you’re currently at. If there's nothing happening (that has nothing to do with your character choosing passivity), then you’ve got some more basic-level character-building to do. In this case, maybe that notebook interview is the best way to start.

Writing advice and tips from others are like tools. You test, reuse, refine or discard them depending on what works for you. So experiment. A way of getting to know your characters is by trial and error, after all.

And remember to have fun.