WriYe Blog Circle Prompt #1

The question was posed How do you give your characters depth?

Well, this is not a very difficult question for me, but it is something I struggle with. I try to make complex and interesting characters but because I mainly write fan fiction, it is sometimes difficult. Granted, some of my characters are already deep and complex enough, as I am stealing ... um borrowing them for my own purposes. But every so often I put in an original character (OC) or on an even rarer occasion I write, dare I say it, original fiction! So there is the need to have deep, complex characters. If I actually want the story to survive somewhat (NaNo 04 where did you end up?), like this year's NaNo novel, I actually spend some time filling out character charts. The most recent one I have used is the one in the High School Novel Workbook at the YWP for NaNo. (http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/workbooks) Of course, this works if you actually figure out who your protagonist and antagonist are. Granted, I know some of these questions are basic and boring and don't really give you a whole lot of depth, but for me that usually comes out of just writing. Back in 2006, there was a characterization game on the NaNo procrastination thread. I spent ... My characters spent a lot of time answering questions. That actually gave me some pretty strange insights into my novel that year. Like for some reason, the male main character wasn't a virgin, but had only had sex once and realized it was a mistake and was saving himself for marriage. But also then there is also the fact that my characters tend to talk to me. That's how I realized that the antagonist in that story was REALLY in love with the male main character and not the the female main character. This added a whole new dimension to the story that I wasn't expecting. All these little insights that I have had have not only added the the characters' depth but also to the story in some way. As for my original works, well, I tend to spend some time thinking about the characters, and, if I plan to write an actual original novel for November, will usually start my character sheets sometime in September, at the very lasted the beginning of October. For me, having these already pre-determined questions help, but then sitting around and playing with my characters whether it be in a prompt or a question and answer format also seems to help.

Cross-Posted to: krazikrys writes!