This short booklet helps you learn the trick to creating real characters: Imagining them already real. You know they don't exist, that you are making them up-- but if you ever get too certain of that, you'll lose the magic of creation. Think of the characters as unique, multifaceted people that you know only a bit about, and set out to discover everything else.
If these characters were really real, you'd get acquainted in a variety of way, chief among them observation and conversation--watching and interviewing. I'm going to ask you to use these two techniques to discover -- to uncover-- one of your characters.
In this booklet, there are three different interviews:
Interview 1: Character/Plot Coherence, which looks at the requirements the plot places on the character. This is especially helpful if you're starting with a plot idea and need a character to fulfill it.
Interview 2: Character In-depth, which examines in depth the values, perceptions, and skills of the character. This is especially helpful if you have a character in hand but want more information so you can build a plot.
Interview 3: Family Dynamics, which builds some backstory for your character. This helps to provide a textured past and some understanding of how the character relates to others. If you are writing a family drama or saga, you might need this backstory to develop the interactions between the characters.
I also include an example of a self-designed interview. Once you know your character well, you might need to discover character attitudes, responses, and values specific to your plot. That's when you can direct your own interrogation, designed for this particular character, complete with follow-up questions and cross-examination. (Yes, sometimes your own character is a hostile witness!)
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