To write fictional characters, we must know them, inside
and out, before we can feel empathy for them, and before we can understand why
and how they will do the things that we will make them do, and say the words
that we will make them say. In other words, we must believe that they are real
flesh and blood, with all of the wonders and foibles that go along with that.
Only then, can we really write them in any meaningful way. This is nothing new
to any writer worth their salt, right? And of these knowing writers, who does
he/she choose to analyze the most? The writer’s self: as Confucius say – no
matter where you go, there you are.
We are not just students of the human condition. We are
our own subject matter. How we operate. How we relate, articulate, disseminate
the world, our lives, our wants, our needs. And what of our secret selves? The
histories, the pain, the faded and vivid memories, the disappointments, the
yearnings, the unchartered dreams, the joys? The stuff that shapes us, the
stuff that we never show and tell? Our interior lives – where the most
fascinating secrets dwell to influence how we choose to live and the paths we
take.
Stories of self can come to life in
three-dimensional worlds that make meaning of experience, and hopefully
generate empathy and connection with others. Removing the shield of author, and
stripping away the mechanisms that hide the fragility of a human being alone,
we know what we experienced, and we know how it felt. How we looked out at the
world and the people in it, how we continue to do that. The difference between
being a child as opposed to being an adult is that, as the former, we are
powerless to our fate, and powerless to change anything. Becoming the latter
enables empowerment to not only steer our own course, but more importantly, to
change our ways of thinking, reacting and of just being.
The fictional life is no different. And it is the
challenge for the writer to pick away at those layers of being until exposing
that space between what is seen in the character’s exterior life, and what is
hidden in their interior one. The secret place of the human condition that
exposes the reasoning behind our every action, and towards those surprises and
discoveries that will lead us to chart a compelling arc for our character.
Caroline Farrell is a writer and
filmmaker from Dublin, Ireland. ARKYNE, STORY OF A VAMPIRE is her first novel.
She has also written several feature length and short screenplays and has
co-produced two short films of her work, ADAM [2013] and the multi-award
winning IN RIBBONS [2015]. She is currently working on her second novel.
Caroline is a member of the Irish Writers Guild and the Irish Film and
Television Academy.
Caroline E. Farrell
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4 Comments
Really enjoyed reading this post. Beautifully written. Expresses the need to dig a little deeper in order to make characters more interesting. Pick away at those layers!
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by Corine. I agree, picking away those layers can make a huge difference.
DeleteThank you, Corine, your lovely comments are much appreciated. And yes, let's keep digging!
DeleteThanks Jo!
ReplyDeleteI love to hear from you. So feel free to comment, but keep in mind the basics of blog etiquette — no spam, no profanity, no slander, etc.
Thanks for being an active part of the Writers and Authors community.