Dark Omen (age 12) writes a lot, and his characters have always been very strong. Sinister overlords or heroic defenders of the galaxy. He also loves humorous characters – savvy robots or smart-mouthed subordinates that give voice to his quirky, funny side. Recently he’s started to give his characters more depth, because his plot turns require a character to be a double agent or a secret hero.
Kids start out with a less nuanced view of the world – people and characters are good or bad, black or white. Dark Omen’s turn into the land of nuance shows me he’s growing as a young man (which makes Mom proud), but also shows the evolution of a writer young-in-craft.
Kids discover much about the subtleties of human beings from the outsized characters they read in novels, the very best of whom are NOT cardboard cut-outs or stereotypes. Characters that are made more endearing or more sinister by their quirks and failings than their routine hero or villain status would normally allow.
Dolores Umbridge (in Harry Potter) is all the more creepy because she’s not an evil witch, draped in black on a broom. She likes kittens and wears pink and giggles. And tortures school children … literally. A shiver runs up my back every time I think about the brilliance of that character. In a fell stroke, J.K. Rowling has illuminated the dark underside of humanity and shown that you can’t always believe the trappings – that evil can lurk in the sunniest spaces.
Creating characters like that is not child’s play, although children immediately get what those characters are about. But making your characters have that kind of depth takes effort. Writers young-in-craft (which can be writers of any physical age), may start with stereotypical characters. And though stereotypes can serve a purpose in minor character roles, a sort of short hand for describing a fly-by scene, most secondary characters will carry the story better if they have their own depth. For my major secondary characters, I’ve taken to writing narratives in brief that tell the story from their POV, filling in background and emotion, stepping into their shoes for a while. A lot of that may not show up in the story, but it will inform their actions, dress, and speech, and how they interact with my main characters. And while my secondary characters may not be vital to the story, they are important to building a world in your child-reader’s mind. If you’re lucky (or good) they may even expand your child-reader’s understanding of how people work.
If nothing else, that is worth the extra effort to move past stereotypes in kidlit.
Brilliant post, Susan! And I couldn't agree more about Umbridge. *shivers*
P.S. I just saw this post at Laurel's Leaves. It fits nicely with yours.
http://laurelgarver.blogspot.com/
Thanks for the linky-love, Shannon! Looks like we are examining two sides of the same coin, Susan–you, the too powerful character, me the too-wimpy. Indeed the most memorable characters are a mix of light and dark, strength and weakness.
Dolores Umbridge is an excellent example!
excellent, excellent post!
my crit partner does that- writes bits from other pov's. i think it's an excellent practice… still need to actually DO it myself, but hey! i'm a noob! i'll get there… hopefully! 🙂
Excellent point. Sometimes I forget that just because my secondary characters are fully realized in my head, doesn't mean that they are so multi-layered on the page. You don't have to do a great deal to give them a little depth.
@Shannon Thanks for the link! I will hop on over … 🙂
@Laurel Agreed! Bringing that nuance in really teaches kids about how complex people can be.
@aspiring Thanks! It isn't as tough as you might think – take the plunge! 🙂
@Matt Getting it on the page is sometimes tough – I actually have in my revision notes "check for character introductions" to make sure that each time I introduce a character (or setting) that it's fully realized.
I was just arguing with someone a couple of weeks ago about #5 because I thought Umbridge was a brilliantly disturbing authority figure. Of course that leads to the awesome part where Peeves salutes Fred and George. I love, LOVE that part.
I have to write from various character's POVs to get to know them. Great post!
When starting off writing, it's hard not to start with stereotypes. It's a spring board. But we eventually learn what 3D characters are and try and create them!
Umbridge was wicked evil. She creeped me out worse than Voldemort. Shudder. I loved hating her. 🙂 Great post and congrats to both you and Dark Omen for his growth as a writer. 🙂
Umbridge: It was her insipid girly voice that was so creepy. That, and those kitten plates hanging on her wall…
(Memo to me: work in kitten plates in my next novel…)
Beautifully said! I admit creating characters is my weakest area. When I force myself to complete writing exercises for the characters in their POV, I'm so much the better when I sit down to write a scene. Thanks for sharing, Sue! :o)
This is such an great idea: "For my major secondary characters, I've taken to writing narratives in brief that tell the story from their POV, filling in background and emotion, stepping into their shoes for a while. A lot of that may not show up in the story, but it will inform their actions, dress, and speech, and how they interact with my main characters."
I am so planning on doing this!
@Margo I'm glad it helped! 🙂