Let's cut right to the chase. What is it about a story that pulls the reader in and takes them on an unforgettable journey? It's not the world, even though that can be great, it's not the plot, despite its ability to be phenomenal—that's right, it's the characters.

The thing valued most in a story is the journey of whoever your main character(s) are. Here's why: take a look at a tour guide in a museum, or for sight seeing. You've come to this beautiful place, but now, they are droning on as if they don't care about it. They state facts of how things are but, they're emotionless. Was this a fun trip? Probably not. It's difficult to learn or find value in something that is, to be frank, quite a bore.

If the tour guide is enthusiastic and uses their own opinions and experiences to enhance your experience of the museum or landscape, then it's memorable. It's fun. See what I did there? ;)

This applies to stories. Your characters are your tour guide and companion throughout whatever story you write or read. If they don't have much about them that would make them an interesting friend or someone that entertains you, there's a problem.

In regards to both critiquing and writing, there are a few things you want to watch out for. Let's talk about worse case scenario, when a character is a graham cracker. What do I mean by this? Flat, one-hundred percent two-dimensional and without anything beyond their existence. Things happen to them, and that's all that happens. They don't react, change, or become better because of the experiences. These characters are just there, like a big target with the plot being darts tossed at them.

What does this type character look like? In my experience, I've found a few different variations of the graham cracker. Here's a few examples.

Graham cracker character:

Jane went to the fridge. She looked in the fridge, grabbed a sandwich and walked to her room.

Fire traveled through the house, causing Jane to gasp. There were bodies on the ground. She was sad.

Now, I implore you to take those examples apart in the in-lines and tell me what's wrong with them. If you can't figure it out, that's alright. We are here to learn and I will tell you what the problem is.

In the first example, it's "she did this", "she did that", in a very matter of fact manner that's almost like we are writing a report of her life—a very uninteresting report that is lacking in details. This paragraph has no voice, no motivation as to why these things are happening, no clear reason for the purpose of including the mundane, and worst of all, we learn nothing about the character.

A better way to write it could potentially be:

Jane went to the fridge, leaving the door open for far too long, as she debated between the peanut butter sandwich, and the potentially too old Mac and cheese. Peeking over her shoulder she checked the hall for her mom. If she got caught being up this late again—well, she'd be more grounded than she already was.

See the difference? Now we know Jane has a bad habit of staying up late, a strict mom and is indecisive. She may also value Mac and cheese over her health. By including these kind of details we get a concrete image of who our companion will be in the book. If we know this, that makes it easy to decide if we do or do not want to go on a journey with them. Everyone has different reading/writing preferences. Making who your character is clear upfront is beneficial to hook readers who can relate, and get rid of ones who don't.

For the second example, this is a clear instance of a character being a target board for plot. The house is burning and someone died, but Jane isn't actively engaging with the environment. She isn't afraid, she isn't emotionally impacted by bodies, or the fact that her freakin house is on fire. Why is the house on fire? No clue. But Jane is just—sad.

Let's try to rewrite that one too. Remember in cases like this, to use the senses. Fire creates smoke, it's uncomfortable, makes your eyes water, affects breathing, and can kill you if you are left untreated after passing out.

Also, we learned a few things about Jane in our last excerpt. Let's apply those things to this next one for character consistency.

Jane coughed as her lungs burned mercilessly with each inhale. She had to find mom. Barking sounded from somewhere in the thick plumes of smoke.

"Nelle!" She called. How could she have forgotten Nelle?

Stumbling over fallen debris, Jane made her way toward the sound of life. Nelle's barks grew louder with each step forward. But what if by going to help Nelle, Jane abandoned her mom to die? Her steps faltered. Surely her mom was smart enough to find her own way out. Unless—she was trapped under flaming wood. What good would Jane do in lifting a giant beam? She wasn't that strong. Her chest grew tighter. Nelle was her best friend, her only friend. How could she leave her?

That was when she saw it. (Insert gory description I will spare you.) Mom was dead.

What was she going to do?

What was she going to do!

A creak sounded from above. Jane screamed as the ceiling collapsed. Then all was dark.

~~~~~~~~~~
Janes character flaw and biggest struggle is her indecisiveness. Because of this, she stood too long in one place inside a flaming building. Continually giving her either or choices is a lovely torment, being that she has trouble figuring out what is best.

You can use simple things like that to keep your character consistent and know how they will react in a situation. Everyone handles things differently, emergency situations especially.

Important things to ponder upon when writing or critiquing characters are these questions. I will use Jane as an example.

Who are they? Jane, she is a teen in high school.

What do they want? To graduate and have a successful career.

What is in their way? Her inability to focus which causes her to bomb tests, and her indecisiveness on what career she wants, as well as life in general.

What is she willing to do to overcome these obstacles? She will try alternative to ways of studying and potentially seek a counselor to see if she has a learning disability, because this has been a struggle for a long time. By clearing her head, and getting the help she needs, Jane will be able to tackle her future.

If you add all of those things together, you have a character, and you have a story. Of course you can add so much more to it than that, but this is the best thing to do in order to avoid the graham cracker.

However, if you are a discovery writer/pantser, you don't always know these things right away. I advise you at least know what your character wants before you begin, then have the rest come as you go.

Everyone, and I mean everyone wants something. Take a moment and consider doing this exercise on a piece of paper or just in your head. What do you want? What are you willing to do in order to achieve what you want? What's preventing you from getting it?

The best characters have a level of realism that is frightening. This is what makes them well-liked, and adored, because they are relatable. Think of your favorite character and why you like them. It's often a result of them having a characteristic you wish you had, or an experience you share with them. Maybe they say the words you can't, speak against the wrongs that are overwhelming, and fight for their place in the world.

This, the characters are what makes or breaks a book. If you want to write a story worth writing, have it told by a person worth listening to and staying beside.

Questions?

Because this is a learning book I want you to ask any questions that come to mind. There is no such thing as a stupid question. Ask them in-line here or in any portions of the passages that you want clarification on.

Homework
What would an informal class be without homework? :)

Assignment one:
I want you to use your favorite tv show, anime, manga, book, comic, or movie and dissect it. Today, you will look at characterization. Examine the characters like a specimen and try to figure out how they tick. What do they like? Dislike? What makes you like or hate them? Are they round or flat?

Side note: A flat character by definition is a character that stays the same. They do not have a character arc (a journey in which they start different than they end because of life experiences).

Example of amazing character arc: Zuko

Despite how loved Uncle Iroh is from "Avatar: The Last Airbender" he is flat. Because he stays the same the whole way through. That sort of character can work as a side character, but never as a main.

Assignment Two:
Now that you've examined these characters, I am going to give you an example of a judging rubric for a wattpad awards. I want you to use it on your favorite character. Go in-depth. And for this assignment, feel free to share it when you're done if you want feedback.

These range from:
Do the characters feel real? Why or why not?

To

What did you think of the characters? Are they believable? Round? Flat? What could use improvement?

I want you to use the second one to respond to the first one. And here's why. The first question can easily be answered like:

Yes. They were cool.

Please, don't do that. It doesn't help you or the writer you are judging if that's all they receive. Fluffing is fine and dandy, but if you really want to help someone you tell them exactly what they did right to know their strengths, and what could be better so they know their weaknesses.

Side note: Please do not ever, ever, call someone's character boring and intolerable. I say this of Jane, my graham cracker because she only took me a few minutes to write. Most peoples characters have been pondered upon and are very dear to them.

As a critic, it is your job to show ways that they can improve and encourage improvement. If you bash on a new writer it's likely you will make them quit. Be sure to examine your wording before you submit any criticism and ask yourself, how would I react if this was said to me?

Until next time, lovelies

-N