Writing a novel isn’t easy. Once you’ve been gifted with an idea that excites you, and you’ve decided what type of story you want to tell, it’s time to get down to what essential elements you need in order to tell your story.
Although some sources cite as many as ten literary elements necessary to tell a story, I focus on the following five:
CHARACTERS
SETTING
NARRATOR/POINT OF VIEW
PLOT
CONFLICT
For the next 5 Thursdays, I will talk about each of these elements and how I use them writing my novels.
CHARACTERS
Even though plot is essential when telling a story, I love to figure out which characters will best suit the events of my tale when picking my protagonist and my antagonist. I often start with my villain, because in suspense/thriller/horror, the genres that I write, so much of the conflict rides on what the villain(s) do. Villains create tension and the chaos they create drives the story forward.
That being said, though, I also want to choose a worthy opponent in my protagonist. But I also want them to have either a wound, or a vulnerability that will make their choices more difficult when coming up against the antagonist.
Then I need to assemble my cast, secondary characters who serve different purposes from allies, to mentors, lovers, rebels, tricksters, warriors etc.; all of whom must be unique in their own ways.
I always start with a physical description of each character. Instead of writing down descriptions, I search online images of people with characteristics I’d like to see each of my characters possess. (I’d love to be able to sketch them out, but alas drawing stick figures is my only level of expertise so sketching isn’t an option.) Once I find a picture that really speaks to the basic physicality I’m looking for, I save the images in a *character* file on my computer.
Now, one character at a time, I create a new document with the picture at the top and start to fill in descriptions in the following areas:
Physical Description: What is their build – tall/short/heavy/lanky? Do they have any physical issues, like extreme strength or a condition, like a disease, that makes them rely on medication? Do they walk quickly or do they have a sore back and walk hunched over? As you can see, the possibilities are endless. Looking at the images definitely aids me in my choices.
Personality: What type of person is this? Are they smart? Are they professional? Are they polite? Are they rude? Do they have a good sense of humor? Are they sensitive? How they act and react to the world around them will help me make decisions that will advance their journey through the story.
Expressions/Gestures/Quirks: This is my favorite way to give each character something memorable to show the reader. I often think about all the different people I meet and interact with, not only in my day to day but also those from my past. I remember someone who always ended a sentence with mm-hmm, seemingly to clarify whatever they just said. We’ve all likely known someone who plays with their hair when they’re nervous. Some people talk with a lot of hand gestures. These are the things that make us individuals. Can you name some of your own expressions/gestures/quirks?
Likes/Dislikes: This can be literally anything from a character who likes chewing gum, another who dislikes coffee; someone who likes reading biographies and someone else who dislikes guns. I find this a little trickier to figure out at the start of the book until my characters come up against something and I wait to see how they react.
Goals/Ultimate Desires: If an antagonist would stop at nothing to get a specific job, would they kill for it? Would a character lie to get what they want and then regret it? Do they need to keep a secret? Do they have a dream? These stakes definitely contribute to the *why* a character acts and reacts like they do and helps form their overall growth and character arc.
Why did I include them in this story?: These are my secondary and walk-on characters. I may need a police officer or a doctor because of something that happens in my plot. I may decide one of the main characters needs a love interest. I may have an idea of some of the *extras* I want to include, but often, they come out of a particular situation or a need.
Arcs – how they change and grow: Although I do think about this at the start, I don’t really concern myself with the complete character arcs until I go back and do a developmental edit of my completed draft. I do a revision pass specifically for each important character to make sure they have changed and grown from the person they were at the beginning of the story.
I’m sure that if you asked a dozen other writers, their processes would be unique to what works for them, but for me, this is the way I build my cast of characters.