What Makes a Man…
For me, one of the most interesting things in being a writer is exploring what makes people tick. What sort of things happened in their past that makes them what they are at this point? Bad guys, or good guys, they are that way for a reason.
One thing I’ve noticed in my stories is I’m apparently a big believer in one person making a difference. Not just in the world, but in a person. I can give someone the worst, most evil background I can think of, but if one person comes into their lives at some crucial point, who loves them regardless, that can totally turn them around, despite everything.
Maybe that just means I’m an optimist.
I almost always have way more background for my characters then I can ever really use. As I’ve mentioned before I’m a big fan of the 100 Questions for Characters. It may not be totally vital to know what a characters favorite food is, but then again, it may become something of a running joke. Like one of my characters fondness for peanut butter. One of the ways his family shows they care is by bringing him jars (in this world you can’t just run to the store for it). It’s a small thing, but it has a point.
And it doesn’t always have to be some major, earth-shattering event that makes a person. Maybe they got embarrassed in front of their classmates in school. Or took money out of their parents purse. Maybe they saw something bad, and didn’t stop it or report it. All those little things add up to make a person what they are. And learning those things is one of my favorite things about being a writer.
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:10 pm
This is a very…very interesting subject. I always like knowing just what makes a character do X, Y or Z, or at least, knowing that the character does X, Y or Z for a reason. That’s why it can be so interesting to have characters whose motives aren’t always so clear, and their reasons for those motives are even more murky.
July 24th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
[...] you died, you were abused, maybe you killed someone on accident. My friend has a great post about what makes a man. I recommend reading it. Her and I have done a lot of rp’s together to really piece together [...]