Christopher Wakling: 'You need to know where the characters were before the story began'
BY Christopher Wakling
26th Apr 2012
Without compelling characters, stories are stillborn. Heap in all the pyrotechnical jeopardy you like, and readers still won’t give a toss, not unless they also care about the characters, be they soldiers, lovers or goblins in play. The writer can't know these people too well. It’s a given that you have to know more about your characters than you tell the reader. The old image of the iceberg, the submerged mass of information beneath the surface of the story, which gives weight to the characters visible on the page, holds true. You need to know where the characters were before the story began and where they’re heading after it ends. Their fears, regrets, hopes, loves and hates. Their taste in music, their thoughts on religion. The kind of underwear they favour. Whether they have ever been ill. The balance in their current account. Sit down and write yourself a list of a hundred or so things you think you should know about your protagonists, then answer them, and you’ll be part way there. Which characters from novels have lingered on in your memory long after you finished reading the book, and why? As well as expert teaching from published authors, all our novel-writing courses offer dedicated modules on submitting your novel to literary agents – and include sessions on writing a synopsis and preparing a covering letter. Click for more information or to apply for our creative writing courses.