Character building, part deux

Okay, if you read my earlier post about character development and haven’t blown me off as a dope, thanks.

Years after that lovely rejection, I started writing a novel. One of the characters in the novel was an unlikable, devious woman with no redeeming qualities. After I finished the novel, I read it over and realized I’d created almost the same character I’d written about back when I challenged myself to write a romance novel. She was wooden, lifeless.

For weeks, I wondered: How could I make her real?

Then, one morning as I got ready for work, I got a call from an old classmate. We started reminiscing about people we knew in the past, and it was at that point I realized how I could put life into my character.

Basically, I thought about a member of my church I didn’t like. She was a snooty woman, outspoken and sometimes loud and very critical of everyone and everybody. She had some good qualities, though. She was educated, a superb seamstress, and in the choir, she sang like a pro.

This whole memory segued into a writing exercise. I gave the woman a new name and wrote 2,123 words about her. In the process, I finally had a character with dimension, someone you loved to hate but could also admire a bit.

Now, when I introduce a character, do the same exercise. I use bits and pieces in my exposition as well as in dialogue.

It works for me; it might work for you.