Your Heroine Isn't Your Enemy
In my opinion, one of the most important attributes of an impactful novel is having three-dimensional characters. My favorite novels are those in which the characters feel real. In the best books I’ve ever read, I can tell you which characters I probably would and wouldn’t get along with, which characters I think are overrated or misunderstood, and even which characters would probably be friends with some of the people around me. I don’t necessarily even have to like the main characters - even novels I’ve read where the main characters weren’t my cup of tea have been enjoyable. Having characters like these, characters that feel real to the reader, starts with having characters that feel real to the author. And, of course, creating these real characters is where all of the difficulty begins.
A lot of my experience with novel-length works thus far has come from fan-fiction. And though there are many reasons that people write fan-fiction - to see the plot expanded or continued, to imagine the characters on the road not taken, etc. - I think that one of the most appealing factors is that the character building and world building work has been done for you. I’d love to revisit the aspects of world-building in a later post, and if so I’ll link to it here, but for now let’s look at character building. In fanfiction, no matter how much the characters may be altered physically or mentally, there is always a familiar base to return to. I can imagine a modern world Katniss, an older Hermione, a female Bilbo Baggins, but I’m still working off of my interpretation of those characters as presented by the original authors.
When you begin writing your own works, however, there is no base. Though you may draw inspiration from various sources, everything that the characters are is drawn from your own head. Some people are driven primarily by the idea of a character, some by the world they’ve built, some by the plot - but regardless of what drove your original dream for your writing there will probably come a point where you feel distant from your characters. Especially, your main character. It’s extra frustrating when you feel you can’t find their voice and/or you don’t know what they would do next, and it feels like they won’t communicate with you. Characters become real as you write, and losing your connection to your main character can be especially disheartening.
So, I want to remind you that your characters aren’t your enemy. They exist in your head, which means that you know them better than anyone else. Whether you’re trying to build your character for the first time, or you’re at that point where a character feels disconnected or two-dimensional, take a deep breath. Remember that this character belongs to you, which means that they are a part of you. If you’re struggling to write them in the moment, this doesn’t mean that the character is “wrong” or you’re doing anything “wrong” in any way. That moment of frustration is actually an opportunity to dig deeper into your character, explore them further, and understand them better.
Each time you have to define a character a little bit more to progress your writing, you’re revealing facets of that character to yourself that someone else may come to love one day. You decide if your character has a strong bravado or a quiet strength, if they leap headfirst into adversity or avoid stirring the pot, if they prefer to rely on teamwork or need some time to think it through alone. But these personality-revealing moments only come through tension - sometimes the tension in the novel, but other times in those moments where you’re just not sure who your character is and what they should do next.
If you’re stuck right now, I hope you that you can view this temporary setback as an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to get to know your character on a deeper level, and therefore give your reader an opportunity to know them on a deeper level too. It’s an opportunity to add dimension to your character that you and your future readers will appreciate. And most importantly, this temporary roadblock is an opportunity for you to grow as an author and discover writing and character building abilities you hadn’t imagined you were capable of. Your favorite character wasn’t built in one draft, and yours won’t be either. As long as you’re taking steps forward, asking the tough questions, and persevering until it finally feels right your character will make it until the end, and so will you.
