The Birth of Characters
Musher Kathy
Musher Kathy
Kathleen Delaney returns to talk about how coming up with characters is an adventure all in itself.
There has been a lot of discussion lately on several of the chat groups I belong to about characters, all kinds of them. We aren’t necessarily talking about ol’ uncle Ben who used to amuse the grandkids by taking out his teeth and making them clack, or Grandma May, who let the chickens in the house because then she knew how fresh the eggs were. Not that we want to exclude those folks, far from it, but what we’ve been talking about is how to make the characters in our books come alive.
That is not an easy thing to do. Like all authors, I’ve thought a lot about it, how I can infuse life into the people I write about, and I’ve noticed some differences in how my characters have grown and matured with each book. The fact that so have I, grown and matured, might have something to do with it. The fact that I’ve learned to listen might have helped a little as well.
When I first graduated from writing articles to trying to write a book, character seemed the most intimidating part of it. Everything I’d written to that point had been about my family, short little pieces about my children and their exploits. One featured the family dog. Mindy. She took to the 4H dog obedience classes with a zeal that made me nervous, and brought home a wall full of blue ribbons. However, stories about her, or the kids, didn’t help me make up a character to hang a book on. Advice wasn’t hard to find, and the most prevailing piece said, “write what you know.” Well, I knew about being divorced with five kids, I knew about trying to make a living in real estate, and I knew something about living in a small town. And, I knew I didn’t want to write an autobiography. So, while my protagonist turned out to be a middle aged woman, divorced, trying to start life over as a real estate agent in a small town, I also tried to make her as little like me as possible. I did, however, give her situations I knew something about: big box stores coming to small towns, Arabian horse showing and breeding, and in the latest book, And Murder For Dessert, I placed her smack dab in the middle of warring temperamental chefs and wine makers. I’d experienced aspects of each of these situations so I could “write what I knew.” Except for the murders. Those, I added.
I’ve found out, however, that there are better ways to come up with characters. The first step is to listen. I’ve discovered that people seem willing to share things about their lives with me easily. I’m not sure why. Maybe because I only have the one leg so perhaps I seem less threatening. Or maybe its just because I move slower, more time to talk. 
But they do. And while I’d never use their stories, what a breach of faith that would be, they’ve taught me a lot about characters and character, and given me a glimpse of how different people deal with different situations. They have also, without meaning to, given me some really great ideas for plots. People come in so many different kinds of packages, some good, some not so good, but almost always interesting. For instance, I met a woman on the bus in Danali. We got to talking and she told me she was from Germany and was staying at the youth hostel. As she was darn near as old as I am, that was a bit of a stretch, but definitely less expensive than some other choices. She also said she gathered wild mushrooms for her dinner and told me how to cook them. Well. Wild mushrooms were something I hadn’t thought about before, unless, of course, in conjunction with a way to murder someone. You can see how my mind works. I tucked her information away, and also made a note of what an interesting person she was. The next day my friends and I were watching the dog sled demonstration they do in the park when my bus friend appeared, holding a large paper cup filled with something. Mushrooms. For me. She had gathered them that morning, hoping to see me again. I took them from her with gratitude, also with a little trepidation, and, after checking with the ranger, followed her instructions and we all had them for dinner. Delicious. And, I’m still alive. So is my imagination. This lovely woman had a great story, but to me she had even more interest as a person. Germany is a long way from Alaska and she wasn’t with a tour. Most woman in their seventies wouldn’t attempt that, especially traveling alone. She was friendly, articulate, knowledgeable about many things and quite obviously willing to try almost anything. She, herself, will never appear in one of my books, characters in books don’t happen that way, but having met her I have a wonderful jumping off point to introduce a really interesting person. I just hope I can do them justice, both the real one and the fictional one who will grow out that brief but memorable encounter. And, an added plus, I have an idea for a new plot. It just might include wild mushrooms and sled dogs.
See what happens when you are willing to listen.
September 28, 2010
Posted in: Guest Blogs
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3 Responses
What true words, Kathy, and I really appreciate your echoing something I never fully understood myself.
I always wrote–I mean always, from when I was a little kid, entertaining friends with stories. I went on to study poetry and short fiction pretty seriously. But I was never able to complete a novel, find my genre of choice, or my writer’s voice, until I’d begun to work as a psychotherapist.
This was my Plan B career, the one I came up with when my parents said, Um, honey? Poets don’t usually earn enough to…buy food.
It turned out to be the most meaningful, important work I’ve ever done.
Fortunately or unfortunately the drive to write couldn’t be suppressed for long, and four or five years in, I was writing again with renewed zeal since now I’d discovered what I truly wanted to write.
I think it had all to do with learning to listen, and deeply understanding that we’re ALL characters, with a wealth of experience to share with one another.
From there it was a short leap to fiction.
First, your parents were right. They didn’t know,though, that fiction doesn’t pay much better. For heavens sake, don’t tell them. And I’m so glad you agree with me. I really believe that stories are about people wrestling with a problem and how they solve it, and that real life is a whole lot about wrestling with problems and how we solve them, so the more we listen, the better are characters are, and you are right, we’re better off as writers, but more to the point also as people, by simply sharing our experiences. Besides, getting to know people is fun. Mush on!
I hope Kathy has more success with her writing than she does with her sled dogs! Loved the picture, though. There are always aspects of people that you meet that you can use in your writing – such as the thoughtfulness of the woman with the mushrooms. I do this all the time, as the people I’m writing about have been dead for a couple hundred years. (I write historical mysteries.) I just figure that human nature hasn’t changed in all that time. Marilyn aka: M. E. Kemp
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