Depicting Characters

Author Article by Fiona Neal

All of us have encountered characters that were so captivating we just couldn't seem to get enough of them. Remember the twinge of regret you felt when you finished the book and said goodbye to them? Maybe it was a heroine who swept into a ballroom in a swirl of red silk. Perhaps a randy pirate, pacing the decks of a galleon, made your heart flutter. Or was it the dark and mysterious Regency hero, masterfully striding onto the scene, who took your breath away? These characters seemed so real and so enthralling they almost leapt off the page.

What makes a particular character so intriguing?

I have no pat answer, but in my opinion, if you find such compelling individuals, I am willing to venture that the author has depicted them splendidly. She has developed their personalities with great detail and depth, endowing them with human qualities with which we, the readers, can empathize.

These characters grapple with their doubts and flaws just as we do. Yet, despite their faults, they embrace the challenges fate throws in their way. They meet life's obstacle, always keeping their eyes on the goal.

Sometimes, these individuals have the ability to accomplish what we wish to achieve. Perhaps they wittily reply when they've been insulted, as most of us wish we could, but are seldom able to do. Maybe they are underdogs who triumph against all the odds. Their actions inspire admiration and hope. In short, they pluck our heartstrings, and we want to see them succeed.

Depicting such engaging personalities requires the creation of highly developed, carefully researched characterizations. The process takes planning and entails two components. First, the author must present outward attributes of his character, his behavior and appearance. Secondly, the author must reveal the individual's inner self, to which we often refer as character, or integrity. This is the individual's moral compass, or lack of it one if you are depicting a villain.

Let's start with character first, and for heuristic reasons, I shall call it integrity. Integrity also affects the individual's motivation, colors his belief system, and establishes his goals. We cannot see these things. We can only view manifestations of them as demonstrated by the person's actions, or through the internal dialogue the author provides for us. In a novel, we have the advantage of being privy to our characters' thoughts, fears, hopes, etc. Our hero and heroine examine their moral dilemmas, consider the conflicts they must resolve, and plan a strategy to content with the dangers they face.

Interesting characters hold strong convictions and passionately adhere to those beliefs, even if that means sacrificing something that is very precious-like their freedom or their lives.

A lawyer, who strongly believes that all men are innocent until proven guilty, may face ostracism and physical harm when he decides to defend a person accused of a series of horrible murders. A heroine may forego her lucrative medical practice to work in an economically depressed rural area because she wants to bring health care to the needy. Many of us watched in awe as firefighters and police officers ran into the Twin Towers to rescue victims on 9/11. The crisis truly defined many people, whom everyone thought were just ordinary folks, as true heroes. The emergency brought out their true characters.

The list can go on and on, but these individuals have one thing in common: They are willing to pay the price life demands for adhering to their ideals, and they do it with grace and honor. They are motivated by what is right without being self-righteous.

Nevertheless, integrity doesn't equal perfection. Integrity means that these characters will act ethically even when the chips are down.

For example, in my latest novel for New Concepts Publishing, Seducing Brodie MacKay, my hero is willing to risk life and limb to rescue a child. He also continues to protect the heroine, Lorna, when he thinks she no longer loves him because he knows that she is in great danger.

Brodie is by no means perfect. He nurses his grudges, harbors his jealousies, but in the end, he behavior honorably. He rises above his misfortune with dignity.

The heroine, Lorna, risks clan warfare to protect her younger sister and to prevent the MacKay Clan from falling under the leadership of another tyrannical laird. She has her flaws and conflicts as well. She is not above using guile and manipulation from achieving her goals.

However, the bottom line about characters with integrity is that the good in their personalities outweighs the bad.

Now, let's consider the second aspect of depicting characters: creating the outward attributes, the physical traits. This is where the author strives to paint a believable visual image, by fashioning the individuals' outward appearances and mannerisms. The author endeavors to breathe life into them, so our readers will not only see them swaggering across the pages, they will hear the fall of their footsteps, smell the scent of their perfume, taste the wine on their lips, and feel the smooth texture of their skin.

We can observe their body language, see them engage in their hobbies and occupations, and watch expressions flicker over their faces.

Here the writer can have a great deal of fun, for a host of choices abound at her disposal. Does the heroine have a halo of fair silky tresses, or is she crowned with lustrous raven locks? Perhaps her wild mane auburn waves to her shoulders. Is she short or tall, diffident or assertive? Perhaps she has freckles sprinkled across her upturned nose. Is she willowy or voluptuous and curvy?

Does she come from a large extended ethnic family? Is she an orphan?

Perhaps she has a sexy chuckle. Maybe her laughter is like the sound of silver bells.

Is your hero, a burly drop-dead-in-your-tracks Scot? Is he a sexy-as-sin cowboy, a wild Viking prince, a suave Regency rogue, a chivalrous medieval knight?

Depicting the above characters correctly will, of course, take some research. You won't want your medieval knight eating potatoes at a feast. Potatoes didn't arrive in Europe until after Columbus sailed back from America. Armor changed in style over the years; therefore, you will not wish to suit your Eleventh-Century knight in Fourteen-Century armor.

How does your hero relate to the world? Is he a devil-may-care swashbuckling pirate, or an impoverished nobleman with a dark secret? Perhaps he is a strong silent cowboy.

How do they sound? Does your Highlander's brogue roll off his tongue like rich Godiva chocolate? Does his seductive baritone timbre send shivers down your spine? Maybe, though, he stutters when he is nervous.

Does he speak with an accent? A Scot might call a rainy day as a dreicher. He will refer to the trunk of his car as its boot.

To get a well-rounded picture of our characters, we should see them at play or working at their hobbies. Are they athletic, studious, serious, or humorous? Do they display intelligence and wit? Do they play a musical instrument, sing, or dance? Do they ride horses or hunt? Maybe they golf. Perhaps your hero wears his baseball cap backward and coaches a team of Little League.

Sharing an interest can help the hero and heroine develop their relationship. Suppose they love animals and meet while walking their dogs?

Perhaps your characters have interesting occupations as well as hobbies. A geneticist may be a great portrait painter.

In Seducing Brodie MacKay, Brodie is a disinherited noble who is trained as a blacksmith. We observe him at his anvil, muscles bulging, as he plies his trade, but we also view him reading Izzak Walton's Compleat Angler. Therefore, we understand he has an interest in fishing and his old tutor secretly taught him to read.

Lorna efficiently administers the affairs of her estate. However, she spins wool to relax.

What habits, maddening or otherwise, do these people have? Does your heroine drum her fingers on the arm of a chair when she is impatient, bored, or irritated? Does your hero pace the floor? Are they punctual or constantly late? Are they neat or sloppy? Does your absentminded bluestocking often misplace her glasses?

Do they have secrets, behave in a covert manner, and rouse our curiosity? Mystery calls out for discovery. We want to learn what the characters are hiding.

In my second novel, The Flame on the Moor, my heroine's uncle has never married. He is still young, quite handsome, and a wealthy widow is madly in love with him. Yet, he remains unresponsive to her charms. He is also very taciturn about the past. It isn't until the very end of the story that the reader understands his reasons, which have to do with protecting the heroine.

So you needn't limit your interesting traits to just the hero and heroine. Secondary characters can be fascinating also and will provide the reader with a rich and diverse cast of players. Who can forget Dickens's incredible depiction of Miss Havisham?

If we plan our characters carefully, we'll create personalities of depth and dimension that engage not only our minds, but capture our hearts as well.

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Author Biography

Fiona Neal was born in Providence, Rhode Island. She graduated from the University of Rhode Island Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in psychology. She moved to South Carolina in 1980.

She is married to her real-life hero, Luther, and they have a beagle, Russell. They moved to Columbia in June of 1990. They have three daughters.

Fiona has always wanted to write. In December, 2000, New Concepts Publishing released her first book, The Rose in the Mist, a Medieval historical novel. Trips to England and Scotland helped her research efforts, and she hopes will give her work an authentic flavor.

Since then she has written, The Flame on the Moor, a Scottish historical, Rx for Love, and A Passion for Roses, and Seducing Brodie MacKay. Look for her fairytale, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, due for release in February 2004.

Fiona loves to visit and write about the British Isles and her native New England. Nevertheless, she is contemplating a romance set in the mountains of North Carolina.

She hopes to write continue to for many years to come.

You can find her books at www.newconceptspublishing.com/fionaneal.htm.

This page was last updated on January 1, 2008

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