Editing your novel Part 2 – Character

In the first part of this series on the edition of his first novel, we mainly analyze the plot. Is your plot plausible? Do your scenes flow naturally?

This time we will see how you build your characters. I’m basing this on the criminal genre because that’s what I write, but it can easily be applied to any other genre.

First of all, where do you find your characters? Are they people you know? Or are they made up of many people? One of the most important characteristics of your characters is that they are recognizable. I don’t mean, of course, that your neighbors recognize themselves or that Nick Clegg or Lady Gaga sue you. What I mean is the need for the characters to stand out so that the reader can differentiate one from the other. And so that they can believe in them, empathize with them. And above all, take care of them. If your reader doesn’t give a damn if your characters live or die, if they get the girl / boy or not, then you’re in trouble.

Of course, characters from the same class, the same job type, the same family, often sound a bit similar. And you probably can’t tell all of your supporting characters apart. But its main characters might still have something in their speech that’s peculiarly their own. Maybe it’s in their cadences, maybe they have a particular mannerism. But the reader wants to recognize them when they access the page. This is the way to bring them to life, so that your reader drives them to be successful.

Think of the Colin Dexter novels. Inspector Morse and his sergeant, Robbie Lewis, have the same job. But you wouldn’t mix them. And it’s not just because Morse likes opera and Lewis doesn’t “get” it, it’s just a part of it. Dexter uses speech inflections based on both class and age and region to differentiate the two.

It’s not a bad idea to take a couple of your main characters and write a bio for them. Of course, not all of this will appear in the book. But it will help you get to know your characters. You could even ask yourself a template of questions you could ask yourself about your characters. For example, you could write something like this:

How are they in general?

For example, what clothes do they wear

Single married divorced?

age

Star sign

Pets.

Occupation

Hobbies

What about your emotional life?

They are happy?

If you are married, is it good?

If you are divorced, what is your relationship with your ex?

Do they have children?

Was your own childhood happy?

Any emotional trauma?

What about personality traits?

Are you always in a hurry or do you take your time on things?

Are they organized, tenacious, bully, a bit shy, quick to get angry?

Are they kind, insensitive, indifferent, a shove?

Do you have dreams, aspirations?

Do any of these characteristics make them enemies or less efficient? Ian Rankin’s Rebus makes a near fatal mistake seeking the help of Edinburgh crime boss Morris Cafferty. This sometimes threatens to become Rebus’s undoing, especially when he gains an undeserved reputation for being in Cafferty’s pocket.

How do your colleagues, friends, lovers see you? Think of Inspector Jack Frost’s relationship with the bureaucratically obsessed Superintendent Mullet, in RD Wingfield’s books. Frost doesn’t let that get in the way of being a brilliant detective, but it must be a nightmare to drive. And this tension helps drive both the plot and the cases Jack has to solve. Imagine having to direct Harry Hole or John Luther. But these tensions, these possible flash points, are what drive an accelerated plot.

Do they have particular strengths or weaknesses? Michael Connolly’s Harry Bosch is driven by a passion for justice, a force that can turn into a weakness when it leads him to take the law into his own hands.

Do they have other attributes or concerns worth mentioning, things that create problems that they must overcome?

For example, are they local? In Stephen Booth’s books, the fact that DC Ben Cooper is local and able to spot anomalies quickly, and knows how to get information from rural dwellers, really bothers town girl DS Diane Fry. In my own Hangman’s Wood, DI Fiona Brightman has recently moved to Suffolk in part due to problems with her old nick, which she worries I might follow.

Is there something preventing you from doing your job? In Elizabeth George’s Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Sergeant Barbara Havers struggles with her mother’s deteriorating health, and sometimes this causes problems. And it really annoys her when her smart, wealthy boss tries to “help”, something she sees as interference and sometimes causing hostility between them. In Hangman’s Wood, my DI Brightman has to deal with a husband who resents her being a police officer and the memory of a daughter who died. And in the second novel, Washed in the blood, he has to face his father’s growing obsessions and solve the case of two murdered children and a missing family. But she is very focused and tries not to affect the way she does her job. Seeing your characters overcome these difficulties could be a crucial part of the plot.

I’m sure you can think of other aspects of the character that are worth considering. Think of your partner or best friend and try to describe everything you can about them. Then think of someone you really don’t like and do the same. That should give you some ideas to play with.