I was reading the abstract on the back of a book. The girl: shy but pretty.* The guy: tall, dark, and handsome. Now, any book can sound ridiculous when you condense it into an enticing blurb on the back of a book, and I will read this book and probably love it, but as I read that description, I could only think that I do not want to write fiction like this.
The fiction I wrote in high school didn’t include the words tall, dark, and handsome, but it might as well have. And, nearly every female character was smart and shy, yet people somehow found her interesting.**
In college I made more attempts toward creating real characters with faults and everything, but it always felt a little false. It’s easy to fall into stereotypes. The genius who has no common sense. The clumsy girl. Ideally, creating characters is a very natural thing, but sometimes it’s like assembling Mr. Potato Head.
Fictional characters are not real people. They’re always more interesting, but almost never as complex. They do things in ways that make sense to outsiders. Their lines are defined and not blurred. As I’ve matured as a writer, creating characters has become more natural, but there’s still a Mr. Potato Head element. I mean, it’s amazing how much the very conscious decision to make a character in my novel short made her whole personality click in my mind.
I’m much better now at writing realistic female characters, though I must admit that I still wrestle with a few issues. Probably the most difficult is how to describe them physically. It’s easy to risk realism by falling into the trap of wanting to make your character different and original. I also wrestle with ideology, especially when it comes to feminism. I want to write smart and strong female characters, but we’re not all strong. The lead character in my novel is not very smart and she’s not politically-minded at all, but she does have a strong will that feels very real to me.
Lead male characters, I still really struggle with. I knew I had the tendency to make them perfect, but I thought I’d largely moved beyond that until I realized one day that the lead male character in my novel is genius-smart, really good at sports, a good friend and excellent listener, and just all around nice guy. Oh, and his family is rich. Am I kidding with this crap? Yeah yeah, he’s too intense, a little needy, and he’s got family issues, but basically he’s an All Star. I struggle with this, because he feels very real to me–probably because he’s been in my head since I was 17.
I don’t mean to overstate this, because there are people of all kinds and you’re not going to get realism by dulling down all the outstanding elements of characters. And, realism is a lofty goal, but it’s not the be all, end all. Bottom line, I’m trying to build an interesting story. Edward Cullen and Mark Darcy, perfect as they are, were both at the heart of stories I really enjoyed.
Stories are heightened and full of cliches. Characters are too. So, while I promise never to describe anyone as tall, dark, and handsome, I think I’d rather write boldly, even if it means sometimes falling into cheesiness and stereotypes. I’m not going to fear the jacket-cover description.
*Because shy people are usually ugly?
**In my experience, the allure of shy people is a phenomenon that exists only in fiction.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’t know if fiction is possible without the occasional cheesiness and cliche. So long as the characters are original and the story is gripping, who cares if a cliche sneaks up on you here and there? It might even make you smile.
It’s great to read how different writers struggle with developing their characters and stories, though. It shows a growth pattern, specifically here when you state how much you’ve grown in your writing since high school.
Ah, Mr. Darcy (well, in his Bridget Jones’ Diary form ) makes an appearance. I had to Google Edward Cullen to figure out who he was, but I’m not surprised you mentioned him as well ;-)
I think your way of going about things is best. You know and are aware of the cliché and you won’t only use them, but you won’t restrict yourself. That, in almost anything someone does, is the key- remaining natural and not over-thinking. I’m big on those very imperfect characters, but that has sort of become a cliché or archetype in of itself- Holden Caulfield, any one of the Hemingway heroes. Oh well, to each their own!
I tend to view characters like you do. Though I will say that I view stereotypes as a building block when it comes to characters. I feel as if you pull certain elements from different stereotypes when creating a character. Very rarely can you create someone who succeeds in being the ultimate original character. You are bound to have traits in your characters that others have already written about. Inevitability is the word I want here.
I want to be able to say that I could step into the shoes of whatever character I create. Hopefully, I’ll be able to create a “real” character who will connect to readers. We’ve all stereotyped ourselves at some point in real life I’m sure and the thing is we identify with that. Sometimes that is how we connect to others. If that’s how readers connect then I’ll provide a little cheese. :)
“**In my experience, the allure of shy people is a phenomenon that exists only in fiction.”
Totally agree! Makes me think of a great line by Jens Lekman:
“People seem to think a shy personality equals gifted
But if they would get to know one I’m sure that idea would have shifted
Most shy people I know are extremely boring
Either that or they are miserable from all the shit they’ve been storing”
http://www.lyricstime.com/jens-lekman-it-was-a-strange-time-in-my-life-lyrics.html
And thanks from saving the us from yet another tall, dark, handsome fictional male!
Ha. I like your analysis of the shy girl.
I took some fiction writing classes in college (woo creative writing majors! hehe) and everyone always tried so hard to create interesting characters but really, our characters are US or some part of us and I like them to sort of take their own shape and their own life.
In high school the first time I wrote a curse word in a short story I remember apologizing to my teacher about it and he said, “You didn’t say the word, your character did!”
I think the idea of the “shy pretty girl” is sort of overplayed. Like, it’s a little too John Cusak in Say Anything. It’s almost 2010. If we’re shy, chances are we’re writing on the internet and not so mysterious! Ha.
As long as they feel real to you, I’m sure they’re real to people who’ll read your novel. That’s all you can hope for! I think most writers probably struggle with this, thinking the characters they create are too contrived. As long as they’re right for the story, it’s ok.
Definitely a challenge to write characters that aren’t cliche! Granted, cliches are cliches for a reason, so some elements are ok I suppose. It is hard to come up with a character that is original–I wish I could! Sometimes I wonder if it’s possible to write a character this is seemingly cliche…and then throw in a shocking element that makes them not cliche.
“**In my experience, the allure of shy people is a phenomenon that exists only in fiction.” — I totally cracked up at this!
well it might be stereotypes that make novels more riveting than real life. haha. Because Edward Cullen is too damn perfect. Darcy is a little perfect, although he seems to have a few more flaws, at least.
I always fear when I read novels that I am brainwashing myself, and setting myself up for failure in the quest of finding a man similar to a novel. It ain’t gonna happen.
But isn’t it great fun to pretend?
I loved this post. When I was younger, I always wrote about girls getting saved by guys. The female was never strong and the guy had no faults. Obviously, I hope my writing has matured from that point on. Girls can be strong. They can be assertive. And guys can be sensitive. They can have faults.
I’m very interested in your book. (But not so interested in the one you’re reading ;) )
I think stereotypes remain the easiest because they are the most easily understood. People identify more with the cliches simply because they are cliches, because they are something more commonly known than the misunderstood cheerleader or the gay jock. And although characters like those are in every day life, they are considered less “the norm” and less relateable to the general public as well.
We’re told “write what you know,” so do just that.