We are delighted to welcome Harlequin Historical author, Catherine Tinley to Write for Harlequin and to share her key to character development!
Writing strong, layered characters that seem real to the reader is a key part of any successful novel. In a romance novel, the book needs to center on the main characters, and minor characters need to earn their right to be there by moving the central relationship or the plot on in a significant way. The writer needs to know the main characters well before starting to write.
Sometimes I start with a fairly sketchy idea, and I get to know the main characters as I see how they respond to events, but then I have to go back and edit for consistency. I much prefer now to have done quite a bit of work on the characters before I begin writing, using the Goal, Motivation, Conflict framework described by Debra Dixon.
It focuses around three questions for each main character, as follows:
Goal: what is this character trying to achieve? Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz was trying to get home. In order to do that she had to follow the yellow brick road, make friends with the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion, and reach the Emerald City. She then had to see the Wizard, defeat the Witch, and bring her broomstick back. All clear goals.
However, her actual goal, internally, was to learn an important lesson: There’s no place like home.
The character arc is the inward journey of change that a character travels in order to learn something about themselves or become a better person by the end of the book.
So, what is your main character’s goal? And what must they learn or change by the end of the tale? How will this journey change them? Focus on both the external and internal factors.
Motivation: This is the ‘why’ question. Why does this character have this goal? Why do they believe what they believe? Was it perhaps something in their past? An unhappy childhood? A previous difficult relationship or break-up? We want the main characters to come across as flawed but believable human beings, whose barriers to love are believable, yet resolvable.
Conflict: The actual goal in any romance is for the main characters to fall in love with each other. If they fell in love easily on page ten or page twenty, we would have no book. So, what is it that stops these two people falling for each other and acknowledging it in a straightforward way? This is the ‘Why not?’ of this model. What are the barriers, and are they realistic? Some conflict will come from the beliefs and fears the main characters already have when the book begins, but additional, new barriers can be introduced at different points in the story. Perhaps plot points or the actions of secondary characters impacting on the main characters. It’s always good to have a mix of external (plot) and internal (character) barriers.
So there you have it… Goal, Motivation, and Conflict in a nutshell!
Happy writing, and good luck!
Catherine Tinley
One reply on “The Key to Character Development”
This is very helpful. Thanks for sharing.
#Cebuwomen
Comments ( 7 )
I spent the entire shutdown working. Had no time to wind down. I didn’t see my son much when school shutdown. My one co worker was told to stay home for 3 weeks so I picked up her hours. This year has been really crappy.
Ugh, Janell. Here’s hoping the rest of your summer is better.
Thanks for the info, Carol! Everyone is different in how they deal with the shutdown! I stay at home all the time since I don’t work so I haven’t been too effected but my shopping and errands sure have been effected!
Valri, I’ve been doing most of my shopping online. My local Target is still low on some items – mostly cleaning supplies. Grocery store is pretty much back to normal. Most of the dining in our town is outdoor. I can’t imagine have school-age kids!
Wow–getting your creative process on track must have been daunting–especially with “extra-large dog” glad to have you home. You don’t like coffee–I love coffee and have enjoyed my fortifying 2 cups in the morning even more than usual! How as COVID affected your story lines and characterizations? Best Wishes for all releases!
Interesting question, Virginia. You’ll have to tell me if the tone of my “COVID” books changed any! LOL
Life has changed so much! My dad passed Feb 2. The assisted living facility my folks were at went into hardcore lockdown the beginning of March. Mom couldn’t leave her apartment for 4 months! She was on the third floor, Will be 89 in two months & doesn’t use the phone. My husband and I remodeled the lower level completely and moved her in with us July 1. What a life change and difficult transition for the 3 of us! But we’re working thru it!