This was originally a really long post. I've since divided it in half and will post part 2 tomorrow.
Question. What is a character?
(courtesy of Dictionary.com)
character [kar-ik-ter] noun
1. the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing.
A story isn't a story without characters to act, and react, to the things happening within the story. In fact, you could say that characters are the most important part of a story and without them, there is no story. Even the dictionary definition of the word proves that characters don't have to be people ("person or thing"). They can be animals, plants, or other inanimate objects. Regardless of what the character is, it will always be in your story and be the object that acts to change the story or the object that is acted upon to move the story forward.
Why, yes, Virginia, your magic sword can be a character in your story. But let's not jump ahead of ourselves. Before we can write our story, we need to define our character(s). In this post, and the next one, I will be assuming our characters are people, not objects.
Once upon a time, it was okay to use archetypes, stereotypes, and flat characters in our plays and books. Go back and read some of the Greek tragedies. Agamemnon is the epitome of the brute-king with simple needs and desires. He has no depth to him. He likes women and war. No wonder his wife wanted him dead. Ulysses, as clever as he is, is another example of a one-note character. Yes, he could solve all the riddles in the universe, but aside from the fact that he was clever, what do we know about his personal desires, ambitions, and flaws? Not a whole lot.
These days, the use of such characters in stories, even as bit players, is unacceptable. Readers are much more sophisticated in this day and age. They want depth and breadth and a variety of moods. This is something every writer should keep in mind. The question is where to start?
Some writers start with a name. Others start with an idea of what they want their character to accomplish or a certain character quirk. When I wrote "The Hunt for Liberty Jones," I started with my protagonist's occupation. She's an undertaker. I was writing a Firefly-inspired setting (the Old West in outer space), and the first thing that came to mind was "The O.K. Corral" and other western movies, so her name became Dodge (after Dodge City). You'll notice that somehow her gender became assumed during my initial process. I've written male protagonists before, but Dodge was female before I even realized I'd decided on a gender.
If name, gender, and occupation are the basic building blocks of characterization, then the physical description is the initial canvas stretched across those blocks. Hair color, eye color, skin tone, and height are all physical characteristics that your character cannot control (unless magic or cloning or super-science is involved). So while you can use them to inform your audience of certain perceptions, do not fall into the trap of using these physical traits to define your character. At most, only weight really plays a part in how the character perceives him/herself and the world around him/her because there is some control over that issue, unless the character has a physical condition that precludes gaining or losing weight. And that in itself is a major defining moment of the character's personality.
The point is, not every man with a handlebar mustache will be Snidley Whiplash. Not every woman with large breasts and blonde hair will be a wanton (and clueless) nymphomanic. While you can use scars and large muscles to portray warriors or blacksmiths, don't let these traits dictate the rules by which your character plays.
