Honing Humans ~ Valerie Ronald

                                                                Credit: Alamy Stock Photo

 

Being nosy supplies me with material for creating my fictional characters. I am intensely interested in finding out about the people I meet. After the initial social niceties, I want to dive right in with questions about their life journey, passions, opinions and more, but I try to restrain myself in case I give offense. Such curiosity is not just about building my character portfolio. I truly care about people and look for ways to make connections with them. However, the writer part of my brain is also storing away character traits and mannerisms for future reference.

 In analyzing how I develop characters in the short stories I write, certain things stand out. The following points are subjective, yet they may be helpful to others developing fictional characters.

Hatch a human – When I get an idea for a short story, I brainstorm about what kind of main character I want to use. I make a rough character sketch, creating a physical description and a back story. I may or may not use these in the actual story, but they help to form depth and realism in the character. Most importantly, I establish the character’s motivations and goals, as these will carry the story forward.

Hear their voice – Much of a character is revealed by how they behave and react, as well as what they say. This is their “voice”. In the opening paragraph of my story, The Christmas Garden, Nella’s voice is introduced by her actions and responses.

“Nella reached the end of the street before she remembered the shopping list still stuck on her refrigerator. She sighed wearily, turning back to face the chill wind and driving snow. Another fifteen minutes of precious time and energy wasted because of her forgetfulness. She contemplated calling a cab but knew she couldn’t afford it and buy groceries too. Her pension check just didn’t stretch like it used to. She pulled her hat down over her ears and trudged back the way she had come.”

In a few sentences, Nella’s voice is revealed as one of an elderly woman dealing with the challenges of aging, a limited income and a winter storm. More of her voice will emerge as her character moves the story forward.

Have them hurdle hardships – In order for the story to progress, a character needs to face hardship or a struggle they must overcome to achieve their goal. It can be an external obstacle or antagonist, or some inner turmoil they must deal with. In The Christmas Garden, Nella comes face to face with an intruder when she goes back home for her shopping list. Their interaction is the vehicle for the theme of the story.   

Hand them a history – My active imagination creates characters full-blown in my mind. I can see what they look like, hear their spoken words, trace their past and understand what makes them do what they do. I don’t use a formula ˗˗ it just happens. However a character is created, having a history gives them depth and informs their decisions and actions in the story.  

Often the purpose of my short stories is to weave in subtle elements of realistic faith. The following paragraph from The Christmas Garden gives a glimpse into Nella’s inner motivation. Rather than overtly presenting faith, I use her character to communicate the message in a believable way.

“Nella unbuttoned her coat and took off her hat, forgetting all about her shopping trip. A stillness in her spirit made her act contrary to what was logical, but she had learned to listen to that quiet inner prompting she knew to be from God. She turned her back on the young man and walked down the hall to take off her boots.”  

When the movie reel of my story plays in my mind, it is the characters that capture my imagination and affection. They inhabit my inner world, almost as real as people in my outer world. I find stimulation and satisfaction in honing believable humans who evoke empathy, sometimes antipathy and ultimately, curiosity about the Christian faith. 

Valerie Ronald is a pastor's wife, mother and grandmother 

who enjoys reading, writing and taking photos of the

 beautiful prairies where she lives.