Forget plot for a second. Who’s your story really about?

Could you spot your character in a line up? Could they pass a background check?

Starting a novel is all about multi-tasking. First you need to drill down into your hook, the reason you are writing this particular story (which hilariously twins with how you will eventually pitch this book to an agent/editor/reader MUCH further down the line). But one aspect people just assume they’ll understand, and don’t pay as much attention to, is their characters. Because despite everything you think you know, you can’t build a powerful story if you don’t know who’s in the driver’s seat.

Whether you're writing a simmering family drama, a sultry slow-burn romance, or a gritty crime thriller – readers come for the hook but stay for the people. So before you worry about your scenes, the plot arc, inciting incident, the crisis or even that all important climax scene, ask yourself this: Who are your characters? Really.

You can find so many different approaches to writing out your characters, getting under their skin and really exploring the deep part of who they are. There are downloadable character sheets, infographics and more.

Personally, I think nothing beats a character you’ve built yourself without feeling pressurised to do it the way someone else does. Trust your instincts, go for the jugular and instead of spending the whole time playing ‘Guess Who’ or ‘Where’s Wally?’ (Waldo, for those on the other side of the pond) with your characters, let’s get them crystal clear in our minds now. Trust me, you need to be the one who can pick them out of a line-up or in a Where’s Wally? picture - so let’s get into it!

But of course, let’s make this a bit more fun… So why not try:

• For a romance, write your main characters dating app profile (yes, get all those prompts or questions and fill it out from your hero and heroines perspective – who do they think they are?). Now let’s get their best friends take on it? Is it scathing - does the heroine say she loves long walks in nature, but hasn’t been seen out of stilettos in 10 years? The hero claims he loves reading non-fiction biographies, but his idea of a good read is US Weekly?

  
  

• For a crime/thriller/detective novel, write out the detectives recent in-house review? Or what he has on his desk, in his office drawers and what his desk-mate has to say about him? For the criminal write his rap sheet – is it long? Complex? Or non-existent? Petty crime?

  
  

• For fantasy write out your characters powers, but not just in a boring list, write them out like Pokemon cards – strengths, weaknesses and their secret weapon? Who would they beat if it was all fair and square? And who is actually the winner if we were all going to get serious?

  
  

• For a family drama or bookclub novel write a sibling or coworker’s critique of their personality. What is highlighted the most? What is glaringly missing? Perhaps there is something hiding in plain sight – or a scathing review just doesn’t sound quite right…is someone lying?

  
  

• And don’t forget the best friends – what really is their job? I know none of us know our own friends’ actual job titles (I think one of my friends is in marketing…or something like that, but you’d have to check with her). But, seeing as you are the ultimate authority on your story, it might be good to know what your periphery characters are up to – so when they swan in late to the party, we know why the hero is so pissed.

  
  

A few more fun ideas:

• Imagine their internet search history the night before your story begins

• Who was the last person they texted and what did it say?

• Detail what their bedroom looks like – messy, spotless, in-between? What’s on their bedside table, hidden in the top drawer, under the mattress?

• Write their last diary entry

• The break-up text they have saved in their drafts

• Do they call their parents or send them to voicemail?

• How do they take their coffee/tea?

• What’s in the fridge?

  
  

The better you understand your characters the more you will understand why they act the way they do. As the story unfolds you’ll sense when a character is going to get pissed off, when they are about to cry, what is going to break them. Because let’s be honest, a novel is all about chasing your protagonists through a dark wood, up a tree, plant a tiger at the bottom, and then, throw rocks at them. Your plot is built to break your protagonists down, so they can finally, finally face their biggest fears and achieve (hopefully) what they’ve always wanted.

If you don’t know what would break them, then it means you’ll be trying everything (50,000 words in) and wondering why they keep side-stepping without a single scratch. Knowing your characters will save you from rewriting, from redrafting and the horrible infliction of ‘writers block’. So get to know your characters now, don’t just walk around in their shoes for a day, become them. Truly 100% become them, from their hair roots to their (painted/unpainted) toenails and then go deeper than you probably even know yourself.

If your characters still feel a bit foggy, or your story is stalling because you don’t know how they’d actually think, feel or react, this is the perfect time to step back, reset and dive deep. Trust me, once you know them you’l find it much easier to write forward with clarity.

Happy writing!

Victoria O.

P.S. Day Two of my Foundations series, check out Day One (Hook) and look out for Day Three - coming tomorrow.

P.P.S. We dig deep into this in The Write Start: Foundations - because when your characters come to life, your plot begins to shape itself. We start next week.