The Character Conundrum Part 2

For those of you who are aware, I recently blogged about the importance of character creation and some of the areas that need to be considered during the creative process. For those of you who have not had an opportunity to read this post, I created the following list of issues that I felt were important to creating interesting, memorable characters:

• Consistency of Behaviour

• Emotional Engagement

• Actions and Interactions

• Layers, Depth and Understanding

• Supportive Actions

• Fanservice and Stereotype Consideration

• Gender

• Development

I have already addressed four of these in the previous post (feel free to check it out), but there are still four areas that need to be discussed. What do I mean when I mention ‘fanservice’ and why has ‘gender’ been given a section of its own?

Let’s get started and find out.

Supportive Actions

This is a very similar concept to the ‘Consistency of Behaviour’ that I discussed earlier in this article, but contains enough differences within it to warrant a section of its own.

While ‘Consistency of behaviour’ relies solely on the experiences of the character, ‘Supportive Actions’ are more dependent on the world the character interacts with. It is about placing the character in a wider context and ensuring that their reactions make sense. A person from one culture may have difficulty understanding another and a member of the upper class will look upon members of a lower class differently to themselves.

This is probably most evident to those who are interested in sci-fi, where cultures and alien species are used on a regular basis to explore how we think and to question what we believe. To use a famous example, Spock is a Vulcan, an alien species who harbour deep emotions and great physical strength. However, the species has had a terrible, bloody past and have come to value the safety and reliability of logic. In contrast to this is Leonard (Bones) McCoy, a crotchety human doctor who understands the value of human compassion and the necessity of instinct. They have two very different backgrounds and can clash (or agree) because of them.

Now boys. Which one of you gave me the creepy reptile?

Age also plays a large part in contextualising a character due to a difference in emotional and mental understanding of a situation. Aang from Last Airbender is a fun-loving child, brought up by peaceful Air Nomads, who struggled to learn the four elements. He wanted to flee his responsibility because there was too much pressure for him at the age he was. In contrast is his reincarnation, Korra, an impatient, hot-tempered teenager who was brought up in isolation and managed to master three of the four elements very quickly, making her cocky and head-strong. While both have to grow up and accept their responsibilities, they do so at different stages in their lives with different results, even if they both desire the same thing.

People are products of their culture, even if they don’t always agree with what’s around them. You only have to look at Katniss Everdeen to see that.

Careful Clues:

Consider the wider world of your character and think about what that will mean for them. Think about where your characters have come from and what they know and always keep their backstory in mind. How might they handle an opinion different from their own?

Also keep the importance of age in mind. This will affect their physical ability and what jobs they can do. Don’t be afraid to play with expectations in terms of culture, age and species, but do not forget to consider why you may choose to go a certain route or what makes it possible.

Fanservice and Stereotype Consideration

Fanservice and stereotypes have a bad reputation and for good reason. For those who are unaware of the term, ‘fanservice’ is used to describe a scene that is used to excite or titillate a viewer or reader. It is usually sexual in nature, relying on skimpy, tight, or a complete lack of clothing and normally applies to female characters although male characters do experience this as well. Superheroes are prime examples of this trait with characters like Wonder Woman often being portrayed in impractical but skimpy outfits.

In contrast, a ‘stereotype’ is a widely held but overly simplified idea of a particular type of person or thing such as ‘All Blondes are Stupid’ (My apologies to all blondes). Most of us are aware of them and do find many of them to be completely nonsense.

So what exactly do I mean by ‘Fanservice or Stereotype Consideration’? Believe it or not, something that counts as ‘fanservice’ or a stereotype can actually serve a purpose, both for the character and the plot in general.

For example, Kate Beckett from Castle has had several moments that could be considered fanservice-y. However, she is an NYPD detective and uses these moments to establish a cover or throw off a suspect. In contrast, Carol Marcus’ infamous underwear scene in Star Trek Into Darkness had absolutely no narrative point other than to show a pretty woman in her underwear. On the male side of things, Thor’s shirtless scene had very little purpose other than to give the female characters something to drool over, while Mal’s naked scene in Firefly was a way to make him feel helpless and out of control of the situation.

Sadly, for many superheroes, the skimpy fanservice-y outfits that many would consider impractical have actually become iconic and we have stopped seeing them as a way of sexualising the characters and more as part of their identity. Attempts to change these outfits are often met with anger and outcry, both from fans and marketing executives alike, making it impossible to seriously alter the look of pre-established superheroines (although many have tried).

This is the look of a woman who can and will make you regret the moment you ever learned to wolf-whistle.

But what about the stereotypes I mentioned earlier? Surely we should be ignoring them rather than addressing them?

Stereotypes exist and ignoring them will not make them go away because people will still hear about them. However, it is possible to use a stereotype to a character’s advantage. The best example I can give for this is the character of Rarity from My Little Pony. A lady-like fashionista who hates getting her hooves dirty, you would expect her to fall apart and be worse than Princess Peach if she was ever kidnapped. Well, she was and not only did this mare use the stereotype to her advantage, she also completely debunked the idea that ‘Lady’ meant ‘Helpless’.

It is only when we take careful consideration of these moments and emphasise the importance of ‘Narrative Purpose’ that we can start moving away from these negative associations.

Careful Clues:

This is something that you are more likely to come across while writing rather than during the character creation process but a lot of this will come from what you already know of the character.

It is important to always ask yourself ‘Why?’ as well as ‘Is this consistent with the character I know?’ A fanservice-y moment with a character who would not normally walk around in their underwear is not only jarring and confusing for the audience, but is also a bit disrespectful to the character themselves unless there is an underlying narrative purpose. And no, just to set up a sex scene does not count as narrative purpose. In addition, it is also necessary to consider the situation at hand and address the practicalities of such a move. After all, midriff-baring armour is a bit useless on the battlefield.

If a fanservice moment has a point and a practical purpose, keep it in. If it’s a character trait rather than a stereotype, keep it in. But if you cannot justify why a stereotype should feature in the narrative or why that fanservice moment is there in the first place, get rid of it.

Gender

To address the idea of a character’s gender is to leave yourself open to criticism and ridicule, but I maintain that it is something that has to be discussed. Gender plays a huge role in the psychology of a character and how they identify themselves. After all, a transgender is someone who does not identify themselves as the gender they were born with.

For a writer, the gender of a character can be very limiting, especially if the culture of the plot has very specific gender views or values. But alternatively, it can also be very liberating, allowing a writer to explore the social dynamics and expectations that come with specific genders. After all, our attitude towards an emotional woman is different to that of an emotional man because of culture expectations. In fact, some writers have deliberately changed the gender of their character for just this reason, either because of a sudden thought or, in the case of visual media, because of an actor change. Two prime examples would be the character of Toph from Last Airbender or Starbuck from the more recent Battlestar Galatica. Part of the reason why they resonated so much with audiences was to do with their genders and how they played with expectations, often shattering them in the process. Toph’s a small blind girl who is not particularly feminine (although she does enjoy a trip to the spa the one time she goes) and is able to move huge rocks without breaking a sweat, while Starbuck drinks, smokes cigars and gambles just as much as her male counterparts.

Yes. That IS a wrestling belt she's holding. And not because she's playing the part of 'lovely assistant'.

Gender is an important issue for a character because it will affect how others see them and how they see themselves. But at no point does that mean that they are limited in what they can do or who they can be when handled by a good writer.

Careful Clues:

Take another look at your character’s gender in relation to your plot.

Part of the reason why I have put this so late in the list is that I think it’s one of the last things you should examine when creating a character. Some characters will waltz into your imagination fully formed but others require careful thought and consideration.

I will not tell you to create a unisex character until this stage. In fact, I would encourage you to have a gender in mind when shaping their personality and history. But when you have a good idea of who they are, ask yourself what would happen if you applied the same personality traits to the opposite gender.

This may not result in anything but it might lead you to a pleasant surprise or sudden inspiration.

Character Development

The eighth and final item on the list is the one that requires the least amount of explanation and relies the most on what you intend to write.

Events shape people and by the time an audience reaches the end of the narrative, they expect to find a different character from the one they started with. After all, if Tiana from The Princess and the Frog was still working all hours of the day without a break or Jim Kirk refused to consider the consequences of acting recklessly, their stories would have been frustrating and boring.

Where do you think 'Happily-Ever-After's come from?

Development doesn’t have to involve a huge attitude change or personality alteration. After all, Hermione Granger is still the same intelligent know-it-all we met on the Hogwarts Express by the time the final battle occurs. But time and her experiences mellowed her, allowing her to become more flexible and to understand when bending the rules becomes necessary.

But while plot can help to develop characters, characters and our knowledge of them can also help to shape plot. Writers have spoken in the past about how their plans have been altered by how their characters have reacted. Tamora Pierce, during the course of writing her debut series, has spoken of how she intended to make her protagonist choose a certain route, before finding herself struggling with the final third of the book. It was only when she listened to the character that she realised her mistake and allowed the character to choose something else, leaving her with a different outcome than originally planned but one that she was much happier with.

Character development is one of the easiest things to define, but is incredibly hard to execute and is the reason why we will always remember our favourites.

Careful Clues:

Listen to your characters.

George R.R Martin said it best when he described writers as ‘Architects’ or ‘Gardeners’. Some writers know exactly where their narrative is going to go and never deviate from it, while others have an idea but are willing to see what happens as they go. But whichever one you are, always remember to keep your mind open to what your characters might be telling you. Even the best laid plans can go awry if you are not willing to be flexible for unforeseen circumstances.

And there you have it. Eight things to think about during character creation. Please let me know if you would like me to elaborate on any of these points in another post.

You may find some of these will be easier to achieve than others and you may not even find the answers in the order I’ve given you above. But that’s fine. Everyone has their own way of writing. I’m not going to tell you the right or wrong way to do it. It’s a very personal journey and all anyone can do is provide tips and suggestions. It is ultimately your decision as to what you choose to do. But I hope you will take these points into consideration when you start writing.

Good luck to all of you.