K is for ... Kooky

Most stories have a kooky character in them. Usually it isn't the main character, but a pretty significant secondary character. When I say "kooky", I don't necessarily mean "funny."

In Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, Silas plays this part. He's mysterious, yet all-knowing. It seems as if he watches over Bod as his duty, yet he generally cares about Bod. He's odd in that he's not the typical ghost who lives in the cemetery - he can leave, where the other ghosts are stuck inside the gates.

Bod is only one example of a kooky character. Can you think of more?

C is for ... Character

Undoubtedly one of the most important elements of any fiction writing is creating characters, both the main and the secondary (supporting) characters. Storyline will only take a reader so far. If the characters are not fully and completely developed, the reader will do what all authors DON'T want them to do - put down the book and never pick it back up again.

Here are a few quick examples of how to develop a character:

• Create a character study which includes simple to complex information about the character. Examples are: name, age, gender, location (where do they live), likes/dislikes, occupation, fears, family members, friends, extra-curricular activities, biggest desire in life (or story), quirky behaviors, etc.
• Description of a character will only get a reluctant reader so far. Through dialogue and action, characters can reveal much about themselves. Take for instance Willy Wonka. Could you imagine his character as a stuffy, old professor? The story would have been so different if he hadn't had those crazy conversations, ideas, and mannerisms.
• Relationships with other characters show a lot about the main character. A good main character doesn't leave his best friend behind when there's trouble. Or perhaps, the two characters weren't really all that good of friends if either of them rats on the other to the principal.

 Who are your favorite characters either from childhood or now?

Setting as a Character?

When I introduce setting in my writing workshops, I'll often talk about how it can be used as another character when writing. Oftentimes, I get confused or WTH? types of looks from the participants. It is at this point that I take a deep breath and spin my story. Here's what I tell them...

Let's think about some stories where the setting played an important role, if not became a character in and of itself. The first that comes to mind is The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I'm not talking about Kansas or the hurricane, but of Oz proper. All the elements that make up Oz-the yellow brick road, the forest of talking and screeching trees, the city of Oz itself- make the story that much more interesting. Would we have wanted to read Dorothy's story if Oz hadn't of been the setting? We can all agree that the story would have been completely different if she'd woken up two cities away from her aunt and uncle's home.

How about any of the Harry Potter books? Let's just look at Hogwarts. From the outside, this castle looks just like any other castle. But once Harry is inside, he can see that it isn't ordinary at all. Moving staircases, talking pictures, this place lives and breathes magic. It would make sense that the author would create such a setting so that the characters to grow. If it had taken place in just a regular castle, without it's own magical abilities, the stories would have been significantly different.

I know what you're thinking - Kris, these are both examples of fantasy and the setting usually has to be over the top. But I challenge you to think differently. What about debut author Jean Kwok's Girl in Translation? It's the apartment and sweatshop that drives the main character, Kim Chang, to want a better life for her and her mother. The apartment they are forced to live in-with it's garbage bag covered broken windows, roach infested walls, and lack of heat- and the sweatshop they are forced to work in-filled with heat, steam, dust, and lack of hygiene-both make the reader feel something for the characters. Would the reader have cared so much about Kim, being as brilliant as no other student in her school, if she'd lived in suburbia? I think not.


When setting is viewed as another character - or better yet, an extension of the characters, the story becomes deeper and richer, as if it couldn't have been told another way.

I challenge you to look closely at your setting and make it come alive for your readers. I don't think you'll regret it.