Only now, having written so many scripts can I really go back and begin to see patterns in the way I write. Some of them good, some not, but all to be learned from. One of my strengths and also a weakness in the same breath are my characters. I’ve always been a fan of fun and strange characters. When I say character I don’t mean just a person or thing in your story, what I mean is a vivid and distinguishable “character” that sticks with people. An example of this (which I’ve mentioned before) is just about everybody in Harry Potter. Over the seven books there are loads of characters and yet so many of them stick with me (which is saying a lot because I have a memory that rivals senile senior citizens). Not just because of the great writing, but because they are all so unique and stick out in a sea of stories where characters are easily forgettable.
This is where my double sided blade lies, as others have pointed out to me and I can now see. Most stories focus on the main character, hence the whole “main” part in their title, it’s their story! However I have the tendency to make a rather stoic main character in exchange for bright, bizarre, strange, and intriguing secondary characters. Why do I do this? Probably because when I consume other stories I don’t usually focus on the main character, I focus on other people. Same with seeing a play. I often catch myself watching the background people to see if they are doing anything interesting. After all, the main character is merely the lens in which we view the story. We receive their side of the story and are usually meant to be sympathetic with them. But why?
Who builds the story around the main character? The secondary ones. Who provides both friends and enemies? The secondary ones. Let’s look at the classic story of Alice in Wonderland (one of my favorites). Alice is a rather ordinary girl. In fact she doesn’t have much of a personality at all, other than paving the way for blond girls being known as being a bit thick headed. Who makes the story for Alice? What character is conjured up into your head when you hear Alice in Wonderland? Chances are it’s not Alice. Chances are it’s one of the other many fun characters such as the Hatter or the Cheshire Cat.
Now I am aware that this is a story type (the hero in a strange land), but what I’m talking about goes beyond that. I’ve been playing back through Mass Effect, in anticipation for the sequel coming out soon (which I hope to touch upon in my next post) and I’m sadly disappointed with how many characters are so forgettable. It goes beyond just the bland human types (why does every female in the game look like they’re related?), it goes down to the writing. Every has got to be taking mood stabilizers or something because emotion is so reserved. Now how many characters do you remember from the game…let me finish…that weren’t in your party? I can vaguely remember missions involving characters but none of them really stand out. The main cast (for the most part) is memorable, but everybody else gets washed out.
Now this isn’t to bag on the Mass Effect team at all, there’s a reason I’m drawn to the game, and it sure isn’t the fighting or whatever the hell that dune buggy blunder was. I’m there for the story, the characters, the writing. Now I only mentioned Mass Effect because I was literally playing it a couple hours ago, but so many stories do this. They white wash (non-racially…though they sometimes racially do, but that’s another post entirely) their secondary characters. They are no longer characters, they’re just NPCs.
The driving point I want to get at as a writer, something I strive for in all of my writing, is NEVER WRITE A THROW AWAY CHARACTER. Create, refine, and write each character (no matter how mundane) into someone who can be remembered. Sure the world is full of loads of normal people who are forgettable but most of us don’t consume stories to experience that (well most don’t). We want to experience a world filled with interesting people.
So the next time you’re writing a character that doesn’t have much bearing to your story…take some time and develop them. Look at what a small part the Merchant from Resident Evil 4 had, but I still remember him. I don’t even own the game and have only seen it played a few times, and I still remember him! Why? Because he stands out.
What're you buyin'?
Because someone took some time to creating a strange man who sells all sorts of odd goods out of his jacket. This character could have easily been a throw away, but he’s not. Again, each character deserves their fair shake at being heard. It sounds sort of crazy but it’s true. Those characters and story have been gestating in your head for some time and nobody deserves to be thrown away…simply put aside for another story.
Now let’s take a look at some other memorable characters that could have easily been throw away:
Brucie
Rockstar does an amazing job at making every character in their games a unique individual that stands out. Though I could have picked almost any of them, I picked Brucie. On the surface he’s just a guy who gives you missions and wants to prove how manly he is. I don’t want to spoil anything but play the game more and you’ll see how intricate and deep this potential throw away character could have been.
Deckard Cain
He’s basically the starting guy in the Diablo games that gives you quests and spits out some knowledge or lore to you every now and then. But when you think of Diablo, who do you think of? Okay maybe Diablo himself first but Deckard has got to be a close second. Maybe this will jog your memory “Stay awhile and listen”. I haven’t played that game in years and I still remember his voice and some of his sayings. While the sayings might have stuck because they were repetitive, the character stuck because he was more than just an NPC with another quest.
Sander Cohen
Bioshock is another great example of using characters to their greatest potential and in turn making them memorable. While the “would you kindly” is forever stuck in my head, a breakout character is Sander Cohen. You probably remember him as the theatrical nut you made you take perverse pictures of his dead foes. They didn’t have to provide with so much information on the man, taking a look into his past, and perhaps why he is the way he is…but they did, and I’m glad they took the time to. I want to go a step further though and say that just about all of the splicers in the game are interesting and unique. Sure there are certain classes of them but how many of you remember moments within the game, even unscripted, where the splicers took hold of your memory (not to mention your fear).
Filch
Like I said, almost any Harry Potter character would do but I wanted to point out Filch because he has no real significance in the stories, but he’s a character that stands out. What some might have written as just the creepy janitor (or whatever his official title is…for sure not janitor) JK Rowling took the limited amount of time between all the characters, to make Filch unique, odd, different, and in doing so he remains a character that stays with the reader. And as a writer, isn’t that what you want?
