Creating Characters (35 page)

At whose hands does the character experience a kindness, and does it initiate a change in that character's direction? If a character's misery or misfortune is relieved, will he want to express his thanks in some way? Does he know from whom the kindness came? Would he be surprised if he knew the source? In what way does that act of altruism change the thinking of the person who received it? What are its long-range repercussions?

Does the character lose something tangible or intangible,
e.g.,
youth, reputation, love, power? Can it be retrieved, or is it lost forever? If it can be regained, what steps will he take to repossess it? Is he at fault for the loss, or is someone else to blame? How does the loss place him at a disadvantage? What are the likely repercussions of the loss?

What is the nature of the marriage? Is it matrimony between two lovers? Is a partnership being formed? Are two groups or two lovers going into cahoots with each other? What exactly is being formed into one? What does this linkup mean to others? Who is for it and who is against it? What will be the aftereffects?

Someone in the story makes an error. For example, a character may misconstrue what he saw or misunderstand what he heard; overestimate or underestimate someone or something; or possibly engage in a misidentification, misapplication, miscalculation, or misinterpretation. What will it cause him to do, and what effect will his mistake have on others?

How will the character's sentiment cause him to take action? Does he set off to visit the place where he grew up? Where he gained the richest memories? Where he fought and survived a war? Where he experienced his greatest love? Where his life took a turn for the better? Does he write a book or letter? Make a long-overdue phone call? And how will his nostalgia be received?

If a character overindulges himself—that is, if he should eat or drink too much, or gamble more than he should, or amuse himself in some activity far longer than reason would allow—what will happen as a result of it? And how does his overindulgence affect others?

If a character suddenly becomes, say, crippled, disfigured, blind, deaf, or diseased, in what other way, besides the personal suffering, can the effects of that disability be felt? Will he, for example, lose his job? Will his friends shy away? Does the role of his spouse change dramatically? Are all his relationships altered? But what if the physical affliction is only temporary? What will be the ripple effect of amnesia, a backache, a toothache, or a broken limb? Or what will take place when the character suffers a stroke or a heart attack? What if he learns he is going bald or has become impotent?

To become provoked is to be stimulated into taking action. The question is, What will the action be? Will an argument ensue? Will a fight take place? And is it because a character reacts to being bullied or teased, or because he becomes annoyed at something that is not purposely directed toward him at all, such as loud music coming from another apartment? On the other hand, does he find himself in a situation in which he must contend with someone he does not like? Do their personalities conflict, and does that conflict cause them to squabble? Vow to get even? Feel forever estranged?

How might an act of punishment alter the course of the story? Does it happen soon after the punishment, or is there a delayed reaction of several years? When a character is punished for something he did or did not do, upon whom does the burden of the reaction mainly rest—the punished, punisher, or someone else? Does the punishment, for instance, outrage the character's family or friends? Incense an entire nation? If the punishment is not physical, can it be seen as a chastisement? Social isolation? Confinement? Dismissal? Suspension?

Who experiences the rejection, and what will it cause the character to do? For example, what will happen if the character is segregated, expelled, discharged, evicted, banished, deported, exiled, blackballed, or banned? Does he feel rejected by the world in general? Is he excluded from a group of which he would like to be a part? Is he spurned by someone he loves? Has the job he wanted been given to someone else? Why has he become an outcast? Why is he shown a lack of respect, and how will he express his resentment? Or is the rejection framed as a boycott? Is there a social dividing line that says "Keep Out"? On the other hand, perhaps the story will focus on the individual who is doing the rejecting. If so, what will his hostility, disrespect, or aversion cause him to do?

What takes place in the story that instills resolve within a character? Does he, for example, give his word of honor? Pledge himself to something? Guarantee results? Make a general pronouncement to all, or take a silent oath? And what will he do to make his self-assertion more than just an idle promise?

What interests the character so much that it occupies almost all of his attention? Why does he feel a need to sift through the meaningless to get to the meaningful? To canvass, track down, explore, and analyze? To get to the bottom of something? What will he investigate? Who will he interrogate? And what will happen as a result of the search he leads? Does he conduct a search for the truth, or is it in fact a witch-hunt? Is he a prosecutor or persecutor?

This kind of plot driver lies well beyond anyone character's ability to do anything about it. If a revolution suddenly erupts, for example, his or her life will unavoidably be affected by it. The same is true if, say, there is a great depression, a radical political movement, or anything that tends to sweep the characters of the story along with it as if they were caught in the strong current of a river, forcing them to make decisions as a result of it.

If one character decides to provide assistance to another, will he loan something? Use his influence on that character's behalf? Offer funding? Show him the wherewithal? Act as a sponsor? Provide guidance? Find him a job? Introduce him to the right people? Offer a little advice? And what will happen as a result of his support?

There are all kinds of theft—
e.g.,
stealing money or possessions surreptitiously or through a clever swindle; kidnapping; land annexation; government seizure; plagiarization; and so forth—but its value to the story lies in what follows the theft. The author must decide whether to emphasize the character who stole, or the victim, or both. Does the theft cause anything else to happen? What characters are suddenly drawn together because of the theft?

What danger does the character suddenly face? Is it he who is threatened, or a family member or friend? Does the character stand unprotected? Will he submit to demands in order to appease the person who threatens him? Or is the threat more general and the "villain" quite faceless? For instance, is his business on the rocks? Is his marriage unsteady? Are his children adrift and angry? Has someone been warned or given an ultimatum?

What is the nature of the unkindness displayed? Is it, for example, ingratitude, malice, spite, cruelty, ridicule, acrimony, faultfinding, or inhospitality? And how does that heartlessness, that rudeness, that unfriendliness produce adversity, a desire to get even, or perhaps an enemy for life?