For me, one of the most challenging things I face as I develop a character is how much development or detail to create.
Stephen King made a statement in his wonderful memoir/how-to book “On Writing”. After laying out many suggestions and writing tips for us to soak up, he states that above all else, we should remember that it’s always about the story. Number one priority is the storyline. Not characters, not locations, and not all the other embellishments we add along the way.
I took this advice to heart and still adhere to it. So, I develop my characters to what I would describe as mid-level. I give the reader enough details to know the characters and care about them, but not enough to bore them or fill paragraphs with things that do not contribute to the story. Actually, I follow this same writing philosophy as I develop the other facets of my book such as describing locations and relationships that are found in my stories.
I know this is the opposite of what many writers practice and I am not telling you that I am right and they are wrong. Some readers prefer more detail and others will stop reading if there is too much minutiae. Therefore, I try to balance it all and stay somewhere in the middle. I recognize this is an imperfect science, but I believe Mr. King’s advice to be generally true as he has written enough to know what works. He has learned the majority of readers want to be swept along in your story like a raft in a swift moving river current. If that raft slips off to the side for too long, the trip becomes boring. A break to catch our breath is always a good thing, but readers want to know what is around the next bend in that river.
So, as you review your own drafts, pay particular attention to how much time you spend in allowing your characters to develop. We really want to know them and care about them, love them or hate them. But even more, we really want to see what they will do next.
It’s always about the story…
Larry Hamilton
Author of The Atlantis Codes and Critical Mass
Learn more about the author and about Critical Mass – Book 2 of the Atlantis Legacy Series by Larry Hamilton https://hamiltonhousebooks.com/
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