A sneak peek from Creating Characters That Work, the charming new book that helps you zero in on what your characters really care about and let go of the rest.
I could tell you what to do, and I’m sure I will. But first, let me show you.
A character stands at a crosswalk, ready to go. The walk light comes on. A car pulls up to turn right and blocks the crosswalk. The character waits for the car to clear the intersection before continuing.
Example 1:
Brad stands at the crosswalk, stabbing the button with his finger. He needs to get to work if he’s going to get the section with the good tables, where the big tippers sit. Otherwise that damn Marcie will get it again. Just a few more good shifts and, with his parents matching him two to one, he’ll have enough for a killer car. Finally, the light changes and he shifts his weight, about to step off the curb when a candy-apple red Maserati purrs to a stop in the middle of the crosswalk. Now that is a car! Brad stops mid-stride, and stares, work forgotten, and just drinks it in. He knows he’s years, if not decades away from a car like that, but it’s everything. The color, the sleek lines, the purring engine. It only takes a moment for the car to clear the intersection, but Brad knows now that no matter what, his car is going to be red.
Example 2:
Cheryl stands at the curb, tapping at her phone, waiting for the light to change. The bag containing the new lingerie she just picked up at Victoria’s Secret pulls at her elbow as the wind catches it. She winces as she remembers how much she just put on her credit card, but with that idiot Derek finally out of her life she can afford it. Her sister was right, that guy had been a loser for a long time, and it shouldn’t have taken her so long to see it. But now he was out and she was ready to move on. She just needs to find someone to show off the new lingerie to. She glances up to see the walk light had lit up and goes to step into the road when a bright red sports car pulls up into the crosswalk. The early afternoon sunlight glints off the blond hair and chiseled jawline of the driver. As she notices him, he glances up at her and smiles a slow, heated smile. She blushes as his gaze drifts down her curves and back up again. Just as she shyly smiles in return, he winks, nods, and pulls forward through the intersection.
Example 3:
Mabel waits at the curb, leaning on her walker, her new hip killing her. She really should have taken up her nephew’s offer to pick up the meds, but she’s so tired of having to rely on everybody else. She used to be the one who took care of everybody else, and now everybody treats her like she’s made of glass. She looks out at the long expanse of this three-lane road and thinks, When I get home, I’m just going to have some tea, put my feet up, and maybe take a nap. She hates being that clichéd old lady taking a nap in the early afternoon, but you do what you’ve got to do. Finally, the light changes, and she goes to step off the curb. A car pulls in front of her, and some young idiot blocks the crosswalk. Can’t he see she’s trying to get across? Does he think she has nothing better to do than wait for him? Doesn’t he know the law? Idiot. She waits, tapping her foot and glaring at the driver, who completely ignores her, until he finally, finally moves on. She carefully steps down from the curb and completes her cross.
You don’t need to know everything about a character or their story to start writing about them. In fact, you really need to know only two things. What do they care about? What don’t they give a crap about?
That’s it. Everything else is dressing.
In the examples above, I gave the characters names, a tiny bit of backstory, gender, and age. That was helpful for the reader and for me. Why? Because it gives us an entry into their point of view and helps keep them from feeling invisible. We want our characters to feel like people, except when they’re not. Look, if you want to write about aliens, that’s great, I’d love to read it, but even aliens need names – or gaseous odors that substitute for names in their species. The point is, everyone needs some backstory even if the story is they just woke up from an accident and have amnesia and don’t remember anything about who they are.
Give them something that grounds them for you and the reader, and get on with the fun stuff. You can fill the other parts in later – hair color, socioeconomic class, the time they won at dodge ball in sixth grade. I’m sure all of that is important, but you don’t need it for now. I promise.
Let’s look at the examples and see what we know about each of our characters, just from this short introduction.
Brad is a young guy, still in high school, working as a waiter. He’s saving up for his first car, and his parents are going to help him. He wants that car enough to work hard and fight for the best tables. That’s a lot of information in a few lines. But then it gets interesting. When the driver blocks the crosswalk, Brad forgets about his job. He forgets about crossing, all he cares about is that car. He notices the shine, the paint job, the make and model. He is completely invested in the car. He doesn’t care about the driver or the inconvenience because, for him, that car is everything he wants and dreams about.
Cheryl is somewhere in late 20s to early 30s. She has just broken up with her boyfriend of several years and is ready to start over. She’s invested enough in the change to overspend a bit on her credit card so she can be ready for her next relationship. When the car blocks her progress, she notices the style and color of it and that flavors her reaction to the driver, but it’s not her main focus. She cares about it only in the sense that it conveys a status of success to the driver, something she cares about because her last boyfriend was a drain on her resources and she really doesn’t want to go through that again. Her main focus, though, is on the male driver who gives her a once-over. She likes the attention and, in the moment, all she cares about is that man’s gaze. She doesn’t know the make and model of the car, but she knows the driver has a chiseled jawline and blond hair, something Brad couldn’t have told you. In fact, Brad couldn’t have picked the man out in a police lineup, because the driver didn’t matter to him.
Mabel has a completely different experience. She doesn’t care at all about the style or color of the car. All she sees is an obstacle. She sees enough of the driver to register that he’s male and that he’s young. She doesn’t care about his blond hair or fancy car. She cares about getting home and being done with this day.
One scenario. Three characters. Very different experiences.
What your character cares about and what they don’t give a crap about isn’t just a defining framework for character development, although it is a solid one, it also impacts everything else in your story. Your viewpoint character will determine what your reader sees, feels, knows, and understands about the scene.
In each example above we see only what our character sees and can only know what they notice. Many writers cheat and tell us the car’s make and color because it matters to the writer, but when you do that, you lose the tone of the story and the heart of the character.
You can choose to write a more omniscient narrator who knows all and sees all, that’s always an option, but even then, your character has to stay in their head and not float up into the clouds with your know-it-all voice. They have to stay grounded, unless they’re Superman, then by all means, let them fly, use X-ray vision, and so on. But remember that even Superman can be thwarted by lead underwear – which serves him right. I mean, what was he doing looking there, anyway?
Now, here’s your chance to try it for yourself.
You can use the crosswalk setting, one of the options below, or make up your own. For your own scenario, start with the bare facts, no character voice. Make sure you have a set up, one small beat of action, and a finish. The scene shouldn’t have a heavy emotional weight – no car crashes, plane crashes, or crashes of any kind, really. Just a hiccup in someone’s day.
Optional Scenario 1:
A character hails a cab. A cab pulls up but someone else takes the cab. The cab pulls away and another takes its place. The character climbs in and proceeds.
Optional Scenario 2:
A character orders a drink at a counter. When their name is called, the drink is picked up by someone else. The character takes it back. The character returns to their table with their drink.
Optional Scenario 3:
A character buys a product. When they get home, they realize the product is defective. They return to the store and request a refund. They receive the refund and leave.
Once you have the bare facts in mind, now you get to play. Give yourself permission to enjoy this. Choose a character, give them a name, gender, and approximate age. Nothing else is needed to start. Then, as you write, let the other details emerge. What does your character care about? What don’t they give a crap about? How does that show up in the scene?
Finish the first one. You’re not writing War & Peace, just a quick moment in someone’s day. Let yourself see it from their point of view and show us what they see and what they don’t.
When that’s done, start again. This time, pick someone with a different name, age, gender. Let the character show you other details, ones the first character couldn’t be bothered to notice. In my example, Brad didn’t even see the driver, he only saw the car. Mabel couldn’t care less that the car was red, she just saw an obstacle between her and home. Your character should do the same. Just pay attention to what they notice and leave out anything they wouldn’t.
You know what’s coming. Yep. Do it one more time. This time, stretch a little. With Mabel, I chose someone significantly older and with a very different agenda than Brad and Cheryl. Standing an extra few seconds meant nothing to them because they were young and fit. For Mabel, those seconds mattered. So, for your last character, try raising the stakes. Give them a bigger reaction, pump up the emotion.
You don’t have to do any of the exercises, of course. I’m not grading you and I’m certainly not watching over your shoulder to make sure you do your work. No, really, I’m not. Look… I’m way over here. But, try it anyway. I think you’ll be surprised at how easy it is and you’ll have more fun in the next few chapters if you’re playing in the sandbox with the rest of us.
By the way
You may have noticed that I wrote my examples in present tense and not past tense. Quick review for the newbies (Hi, newbies!) Present tense is when you talk as if something is happening right now. I sit, she sits, he sits, we all sit way too much. Maybe we should get up and walk around for a minute. Ah, that’s better. Past tense is I walked, she walked, he sat because he’s stubborn, but the rest of us walked around and feel much better. Sorry, dude. Maybe next time. Got it? I sit, I sat. Simple, right?
What’s the difference and why does it matter? Traditionally, most literature used past tense because the stories were being told about something that happened in the past. Think of how you tell someone about something that happened to you.
You would say something like, “So, I was sitting there, feeling comfortable, and this crazy woman came along and tried to get me to stand up and walk around. You know me, no one tells me what to do, so I ignored her. Now my legs are all stiff. Maybe I should have listened.”
See how natural it sounds? The event happened in the past so you talk about it that way.
Present tense is told as if it’s happening in the moment. “I’m sitting here, feeling good, and this crazy lady comes along and is trying to make me stand up and walk with her. Yeah, that’s not happening. I stay where I am, I’m fine. What’s her deal?”
Present tense is more immediate, more modern, and more gripping. It’s also less reflective, less traditional, and less formal. It’s popular in young adult fiction and fan fiction and has a more cinematic feel. The immediacy is especially appealing to younger readers.
I wrote these examples in present tense because I wanted the reader to feel like they were watching them get written. It was a deliberate choice. Now I’m telling you what I did in the past tense. See the difference?
For a more traditional crowd or subject, past tense is a solid choice. Some older readers prefer it and it is a more grounded option for genres like mysteries.
There is no right or wrong choice. Just pick one and be consistent. For practice, you could mix it up and use one case for one of your examples and the other for one or more other examples. Just stay consistent inside of each example so no one gets confused. Isn’t writing fun?
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