“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”
In fiction, much like real life, character is built by one’s life experience. The ability to engage with a character without showing their life story right up front is a basic skill ever writer learns. Sometimes the hard way.
Short stories differ from novels and novellas in that the time to establish character is less in a short story and therefore, a different type of telling is used, usually dialogue exchange. Characters can tell you a lot about their fellow travelers on the fictional journey and should be used accordingly.
But in the longer piece of fiction, characters are built, and many aspects must be addressed. Such as, physical description. What does your character look like and how will you let the readers know?
What does your character sound like? Is the voice strong? Commanding? Authoritative? Or is the voice meek, mild, submissive, or even absent?
Is the character a person with a gentle touch, or more like a” bull in a china shop”? Is the behavior which determines their presence intentional or accidental? Are they aggressive or just clumsy?
For the more intimate moments, the writer should let us know how others respond to the characters we build. Reaction, though limited and more focused, is often poorly interpreted. This is a significant problem with single or first person point of view. Your narrator is often reactive to the behavior of other characters and can easily misinterpret the behavior or intentions of others.
During the intimate physical exchange or even during the “dance of attraction” don’t forget to let us know how your hero and heroine stimulate each other, touch, sight, or smell.
Olfactory response is the earliest indicator of recognition for us humans, and often invokes powerful memories which in turn stimulate neurological responses. Intimate and even unknown fears are sometimes triggered by the sense of smell. So if you’re looking for an opportunity to motivate your character to one of those little “turn around ” a deep-seated fear connected with a specific odor might serve.
Don’t forget the motivation comes from the history of the character you built, and that is the path through which the great story is achieved. You can only hope to thoroughly engage your reader with a spell binding character, well motivated, and easily identified with, before you can craft a story that won’t be put aside.
