Many people don’t realize how much “behind the scenes” work goes into writing a story or a novel or other work, and many writers are loath to write something that won’t be “used” in the body of the text. But, truth be told, this “unused” work is some of the most important information you will write.
Learn your character’s history
For instance, sometimes when I’m working on a story, I get halfway into it, come to a turning point, and realize that I don’t know what my character would do there. This means I don’t know my character well enough. It’s important to create a strong voice, and you need to know who that voice is or else risk writing the decisions you would make instead of what your character would do. Here’s where the behind the scenes work comes in.
If you know your character’s history, their decisions feel more informed and more real. Think about it: your decisions today are better informed than they were 5 or 10 years ago, right? That’s because you have a lot more experience now than you did then. It’s the same with characters. The more history you give them, the more you can base their decisions on their past experiences.
How do you get to know a character?
One way to learn/create your character’s history is to “interview” them. See my example below.
Character name: Sandra (Sandy) Maria Torres
Where were you born?
I was born in Caracas, Venezuela. My Dad wanted his daughters to have dual citizenship, so he and my mom lived there for a few years while they were having my sisters and me. Mom really hated it, though, so pretty soon after I was born we moved to Miami.
Do you keep up with your parents?
Depends on what you mean by “keep up”. Dad wasn’t keen on me leaving the house before getting married, even though I’m already 27. It’s a bit of a sore subject with him. Mom does her own thing. I think she’s dating some hotshot film producer, but you never know with her. I’m the only one of their kids still in Miami—Clau is in Caracas with her husband and babies, and Becca is in New York.
What is your favorite childhood memory?
My ninth birthday, before my parents split up, before Dad became well-known as a food critic (he was still cooking for the restaurant then), we were living in this tiny apartment, and my aunt and my cousins came to celebrate with us. Dad made a huge vanilla-bean cake and plantains! Of all things to go with a cake. But he knew they were my favorite. We played loud Venezuelan music and danced for hours. Clau’s new husband was there and she was pregnant with their first. It’s the last time I remember being with my whole family and everyone was happy.