[SUM] - Getting to know your own Main Character

Who would have imagined that this is something rather difficult to get done? Especially as 'main characters' are usually so shiny and pristine or dominant and impulsive or at least so frail and useless (in the beginning) that you just have to remember them one way or the other.

But how to get your Average-Joe to be the hero of whatever you want to build up and stand out of the grey-ish lot?

The first response will typically be that this is a difficult process... and yeah it is. Why fool you and feed you a blatantly obvious lie? As with any person you will have to get to know him/her just as you'll have to with any human being you might meet out in the streets of wherever you're living. It takes a bit of time and mostly patience as you slowly build up trust.
Sure this sounds ludicrous at first, especially if you actively keep in mind that we are talking about a fictional person that YOU want to create, but you will soon enough begin to see the truth behind this one little sentence.  And quite understandably you don't want to model every last character after yourself or close friends/relatives (naturally those are the first people you'll think off trying to get a sudden inspiration - and I'll promise: in most cases it'll be more successful than looking at an orange).

BUT... this is a description of a long and complex process that's only scratching the surface. More interestingly this 'process' can go one as long as wish for it to last and about as deeply too. Aside to that it is something very personal, almost intimate (maybe a poor choice of words) because you are after all in the process of creating your own fake little human being (or non-human being).

Sadly this is also a bad topic to give people advice on, as everyone will experience this process very differently. We are all motivated, stimulated by different things and this easily carries over to being creative as well.

Yet as you see I'm mainly blabbering on without an actual lead or substance to it... so I might as well refer to the current character I'm working on.
At the moment he is most likely to be called: Michael Fields.
To make it easier on you and to actually create a suitable character you'd better know what kind of story you are interested in writing (and have a general idea of the plot) - in this case we would end up with something on the lines of: Angst, Paranormal, Horror(-Fantasy).
Going from there a profession also usually helps you out. Picking something too close to your own won't necessarily help you out as proper research will fill any gaps - though you might have to invest a good bit of time on that part. In this particular case we'll go with: Author.

These are (in my opinion) 2 of the core things (the name isn't really all that important) to set up the typical ways how your character would react to most situations. The profession usually gives your character a general direction to either follow or actively ignore and define him that way.

From this point onwards I usually get set on creating a physical setting in the back of my head - a small town e.g. whatever fits the general notion of your story as well as the social surrounding of this main character. Then go ahead and add some flavouring like a murder perhaps and connect it to your future protagonist. For instance you'll really want to know if this character is falsely accused of the crime at hand, or maybe even rightfully so... the 'how' doesn't matter too much at this point in time, though the 'why' might.

Either way... put all the ingredients together, mix 'em, blend 'em and you'll get an idea of where you are heading and most important of all: a feeling for how your protagonist will probably react to most of the things he'll have to face.

Now, if you've already come this far and you're not feeling ready yet to put down the whole story one by one, you probably should start writing down more or less short paragraphs of dialogue, or inner monologue your protagonist would/could/should use in the story. Maybe you'll end up actually using it! (Don't be afraid to edit or cut things from your drawing board.)

To get back to the first-hand examples - two quotes I took from mister Fields that will most likely both make it into the finished text/story:


*commenting on an old almost-ex-girlfriend of his*
"People usually wondered how long it would take for the two of us to finally get together. However my response to these ever-so-often only silently mouthed questions always remained to be the same, at least in essence. Changing over the years from me shouting 'NO! Girls are icky!' up to 'Cut the crap and shut the fuck up!' after one last rather harsh rejection I received from her at the start of our first term of College."


*his general way of introducing himself*
"Michael. Michael Fields, though you may call me Sebastian should you ever forget. Just don't expect me to take too kindly to that..."


Now after giving you these two quotes from my notes the really interesting question(s) start(s) to arise... how do you get the guy who said the stuff from above to voice something like:

"The land may melt, the sea may burn and the sky shall fall - but the mind remains to be eternal."

And only if you are able to answer this one question, how did this change occur - you will be able to create a being that actually seems believably realistic. The character you set out to create lives and thrives upon the task you present them with and/or the change(s) he will have to face.
Easier said than done and it would be too easy to be taken by the hand and walked through all of it without giving it your all. These are things you need to do for yourself, or it will never be truly 'your character'. But that is just my opinion.

In any case... it's been a long one today after such a long while of... well... not much. And it even had a topic... gets better by the minute.

As always, thanks for reading and have a great day/weekend (it's not too far away anymore!)
Marc, currently part-time trainee