When you read a novel or a series, more specifically, a Lush size series, how much depth to characters becomes too much?
I mean, I am kinda torn right now, because I have this one secondary character who I iWhen you read a novel or a series, more specifically, a Lush size series, how much depth to characters becomes too much?
I mean, I am kinda torn right now, because I have this one secondary character who I imagined up with this wonderful and beautiful background, but at the same time, I wouldn't want to kill the story by suffocating it with other stories.
So, I suppose what I am asking here is, if I make my characters feel like flesh, regardless of their possible inclusion in sex scenes, how would you all feel about that?
If characters feel as if you know parts of their history that don't really progress the story, is that too much, or just the extra flair needed?
Questions? Thoughts? Belly rubs?
When I write, I get REALLY involved with my characters and it has, on occasion, been commented that I have a knack for bringing them to life.
I can only speak from personal experience. When I write, I like to know a lot of detail about my characters—a bit of history, their links to other characters, how they would react to certain events, what their weaknesses are. That doesn't all go down on the page explicitly but because I know them, I can make their part in the story seem more real.
It's great to know a lot about your characters but your readers don't need to know everything. Leave some things unsaid, or to the imagination; allude to a character's past but don't necessarily elaborate.
Know your characters first and then write naturally. If certain information turns out to be useful for your story, then it's already at your fingertips.
I actually obsess about my characters. One of my projects just now is a spin-off from one of my more popular stories here, which is actually part of the same story but from the perspective of a secondary character. It explores things about her which were only hinted at in the original store, but we also see a side that we would not normally see.
Argh. I love talking characters! Ethan Blake—I fucking love that guy; you don't know the HALF of it.
Try to balance character development with action. I find that I get bored if there's a massive amount of backstory about a character that's all laid out for me on a silver platter before I've even gotten into the storyline. Have the character do something or interact with people. Similar to how we might meet a stranger at a party, we'll pick up on the way they talk and behave and make certain deductions and assumptions. We'll get to know them through the action of the story. At certain points in the plot, it might make sense to explain or elaborate on a character's behaviour or motivations by sharing some personal history or pertinent personality details. As long as the story flows and keeps the readers interest, you're good.
Personally I like to learn about a character along the way. It keeps them mysterious and a little more intriguing. When it comes to creating a flesh and blood character, I have always preferred the "show the reader who they are, rather than tell the reader who they are" philosophy.
If it doesn't progress the story but his/her past still grips you, write it up and put it aside. You can always revisit it later.
I'm of the school of thought that preparing too much information on a character or setting is better than not preparing enough. After all, you don't have to use all of the information you prepare. Consider J. K. Rowling, who didn't mention the specific years that the Harry Potter series took place until Deathly Hallows. She had it prepared for a while; a reference in Chamber of Secrets showed this.
Something I've done with my stories is created a side story/spinoff if a character's story is compelling enough. In fact, when I had to write a "literary" (read: no sci-fi, no fantasy, etc.) piece for a class, I created three or four characters. The one that I kept was a side character who had perhaps a line where she was present. Her story has become compelling enough for me to create multiple short stories completely independent of this literary piece. (which, by the way, I put away after that class and never looked at it again)
I suppose the best way to put this is to think of how your story needs to progress. We don't need to know the backstory of the customer the main character helps, unless that customer plays a fairly vital part in the story. Of course, the shorter a story is, the less background we need as readers. But there is no point to say when you have too much detail.
I think it depends on the length and scope of the story. A Reader's Digest size story (which I actually prefer to read on sites like this) only needs enough character building that will help with any aspects of the story. So in short (all pun intended) minimal is best IMO. Kind of like watching a porn.... I don't want to watch 20 minutes of story and character development to see 5 minutes of sex.
I have seen some GREAT authors ruin a good book IMO by too much character building... at least for me. Steven King has done that to some of his work IMO. I picked up one of his books a long time ago (don't recall which one) and after 4 long chapters of character building we STILL had not gotten to the actual story. Um.... no thank you. I can be attentive, but come on. So character building should IMO be done as a mix with the story. Sure a little at the beginning, but you can always add more as the story goes on by doing flashbacks or revealing more about the character as it is important to the plot..... JUST LIKE IN THE REAL WORLD. ;) Sometimes you need to know certain things, sometimes you don't. Sometimes knowing more about the character can detract from the story as opposed to adding to it.
It's important to describe the details of characters.
This is difficult to advise on with so little information about the story itself, but in general don't spend too much time telling us information that isn't relevant to the story. How much that is depends on the story itself and the character in question. We are going to want to know what motivates them, how they look, how they relate to others and maybe some history that binds it together. You might tell us what they do foe a job if it sets the stage or explains why they are involved, otherwise don't bother.
Your goal should be to give us everything we need to understand the character and no more. The trick is in pulling it off without holding too much back or dragging on to the point whe we skip ahead.
I usually make my female characters pretty deep as my male characters are packing at least 10-12 inches.
