Do you know who your main character(s) will be before you start writing your manuscript or does that character develop as the story is developed? This might seem like a strange question; however, in reading a few articles I'm not convinced that it is all that strange. Perhaps when we start writing our manuscript we have a main character in mind only to have that thought change as the story develops. Then again maybe the story is based around the main character(s) instead of the opposite.
How can you tell?
Perhaps the biggest determination of who the main character(s) will be in any manuscript is the point of view (POV). How you determine the POV will have an affect on who the main character(s) will be. Typically speaking most story sparks center around a character who may end up being the main character. A rule of thumb when deciding which character's point of view to use is this: In any scene, go with the view of the character with the most at stake; the one that has the most to lose or gain.
To be honest, I believe we all have the main character picked out in our minds before we start writing. I think we write with that character's view from the beginning; however allow me to give a possible example of this. In this example, the story idea is based on a man and his life. What he does and how he does it is the plot twist of the story. He is the main character right? The story is about him and what he does with his life. Now throw in his wife. What he does has a direct affect on her life even through she is a stay at home wife that leads a normal existence outside of being married to this man.
Well Brian, they are both main characters. You can have two main characters you know. You are right; you can have two main characters. Which point of view are you going to write with; the one that has the excitement or the one with the most at stake? At the beginning of all this, the story was centered on the man but now you have something completely different to think about. Points of view can be tricky at times. In this example both points of view would be used at the appropriate times. In my opinion, the wife's point of view would be the main one to stick with sense she has the most at stake.
In my opinion, once you have an idea of who your main character(s) will be run with it. However, allow yourself to be flexible in case a new direction or idea presents itself to you while you are writing. You never know, that direction or idea could bring about a point of view change and turn your manuscript into a masterpiece.
There is more to look at with this topic. This is a topic I believe we will be visiting again.
11 comments:
Hi Brian, great topic again and flexibility can be crucial to getting the best outcome possible for your manuscript..
The last manuscript I finished started out with two main characters (main one and two we shall call them) and a third close behind. A fourth character took up such a strong role early however and the main one went down a path I had not planned out so I ended up with the fourth character as the main (good) character and main one ended up as main (bad guy). The other two characters became the support cast. It showed me that anything can happen but through all that the characters all remained and played their part, they just went up and down in pay scales.
A very interesting topic and one we need to be flexible in, as you point out.
Bernard - This is the perfect example for this article. Thank you for sharing this. It is amazing how we can think of the story idea however the characters will take on a mind of their own. One more thing, I gave you the highest ranking on your video.
I've wondered a lot about this subject. I've had professors say that the main characters should be set before any writing begins and that if we find that we are adding main characters to the plot then we probably haven't done a good job of outlining our story. Personally, it's a little too narrow for me ... I enjoy seeing where the story leads. That's probably not the path to success but ... it's a lot of fun!
Small Footprints
http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com
SF - I don't think one way of writing is the best for everyone. As Bernard pointed out in his example, stories change as they evolve. In my opinion if you are having fun with your writing then your story will develop and contain that passion you are writing with. Good for you and keep writing in the manner that works for you.
Hey Brian. Great topic. I have a problem with this a lot of times. Most of the time I know my main character. For example, the story I am working on for the LRWG lesson. I just knew my main character was going to be the father. But after reading over my scene cards, I decided to change the POV to the daughter who is trying to get her father back into the dating world after losing his wife to cancer.
POV really does confuse me for the most part. I do have 2 main characters in the novel I am working on and it seems to be a little bit easier for me. I don't like to read many things that are just from one person's point of view. I know the experts say to stay in the POV; however, I think having 2 POV's is a more interesting read.
Hope that makes sense...I'm at work so just wanted to catch up quickly.
Talk to you soon,
Ang
Ang - First, it is good to read a comment from you again. Second, your comment makes sense and yes it often does make for a more interesting read if you have two POV's however, one of the two will be a more dominant POV while the other will add to the intensity and conflict of the story. Thanks for sharing this insight.
Hi Brian,
I'm fairly new to this whole writing bit, having come into it late in the game. But I am making my way through a book in which there are two "good" mains and one "bad" main. I started out fairly certain how the story would go generally with respect to these characters, but I have found they are developing on their own in ways I hadn't originally thought about. I'm assuming this is okay and I'm just letting the story be told in whatever way it appears on the page, but its interesting that I find myself not quite sure where they are going to end up, or who they are going to be when they get there. Has anyone else had that type of situation while writing or do you pretty much know where the story will go before you put "pen to paper"?
Thanks,
Eric
Eric - In my opinion writers often have a pretty good idea of where their story will go before they start writing. That does not mean the story will go that way when they start writing. Many times, as you stated, characters will take on a life of their own and your story will change. Don't worry. Keep writing and see where it goes. You will always have time to revise and rewrite during the second, third draft.
Great article, Brian. I usually have a MC in mind when I start out. ;) It's hard for me to begin without some idea, just like I have trouble writing a thing without a title.
But you're right--flexibility is key. I've had to switch MCs at times, or revamp them, etc, so the story works.
And sometimes a character not meant to be the main just says, 'Screw it', kills the others, and makes himself the MC... :P
I have no control...
~Merc
Merc - I like the way you write. It must be exciting to watch your own story unfold in ways you never thought of.
I have a slightly different problem involving point of view, wondering how to handle a pivotal scene between the two main characters. I've tried writing it from each character's POV, but now I'm wondering if injecting each characters thoughts between dialogue is the best way to handle it. I know that these days, it's out of favour, but some authors handle this very well. I'd appreciate some input from other writers.
Post a Comment