The Back Story of a Human Being
Okay, I have finally come back to talk about backgrounds. I took a bit of time off to *cough, cough* write a book. And now as I patiently (yeah right) wait on edits, I shall continue typing about how simple it is to create a realistic human being on paper.
That was sarcasm. You got that, right?
Human beings are anything but simple. We last talked about emotion. I mean, I could go on for ages about human emotion because it is such a complex and ever-changing state of being. Genetics play a part: being pregnant, hormonal, mentally ill. Those examples and more can affect how we see, read, and react to outside stimuli. Another part would be background. How a person was raised - how they were taught - how they were allowed to react. You might think that none of this is necessary for your book. That this is way too much work. And you might be right depending on what kind of story you are writing and what age group it is meant for. But remember that just because you might be writing a middle grade novel doesn't mean that you can write cardboard characters. Your readers deserve better and you are capable of better. You won't need to write an in-depth character analysis for certain books but you, as the writer, will want to know your character inside and out so you know what choices and in which directions your characters will be going. I mean, if you're going to do it you should do it right, right?
So, let's make an example because I'm sure some of you are a bit confused. Don't worry if you are. It's probably my fault. I'm not always eloquent.
Today, we are going to talk about Karen, a woman in her mid-thirties who is recently divorced. She has decided to throw caution to the wind and move to Ireland to find herself. If you've ever read a romance novel or an adult contemp, you've read this story. Since this story is a journey for Karen to "find" herself, the writer is going to need to know where Karen started and where she is going to end up.
Let's begin with Karen's divorce because that it where our novel would begin. Why is she getting divorced? What happened to make her marriage fall apart? For our story we are going to say that Karen's husband left her. He was tired of how clingy and needy she is. She depended on him for everything and when he grew tired of it he went looking for a strong woman who didn't need him but wanted him. Is the reader going to be angry at this faceless man for dumping our heroine? Yes. Should they be? That depends. Let's dig into Karen's past, something that will pop up throughout the book as Karen's journey progresses, and see if he was right.
Karen grew up in... I don't know... Kansas. A flat landscape where drinking and practicing procreating is a favorite pastime of the young adults. But Karen did not fit into this group. Her parents were strict. Besides, she never liked the taste of cheap beer. Now, how strict were her parents? Were they helicopter parents? Were they tigers? Was their relationship with their daughter so strict and unreasonable that it bordered on abusive?
Since this is my example and I have decided that Karen is clingy, I am going to say that her parents were lower middle class, working hard for every cent they had, and in their household there was never time for foolishness. In fact, they worked so hard and tried to instill in their daughter how life is something to be worked at, that maybe they didn't spend as much time with their only child as they should have. Karen grew up somewhat lonely. Sure she knew her parents loved her but did they ever show it by taking her to the park or sitting down to read her a book? No. So our Karen grows up with a determination to show her love at every opportunity - something that can suffocate. Not only does Karen latch on but she is a people pleaser, never saying no even when her conscience tells her she should. As she goes through her tween and teen years, Karen finds herself being used time and time again because she's too afraid to lose that small amount of attention they give her.
Our Karen needs a therapist maybe.
So, Karen has a semi-normal childhood and still ended up with "issues." This is normal. If she had had a sibling they could have grown up in the same household and come out completely different, but our Karen is sensitive. Maybe she's a Pisces. We tend to get down on ourselves and cry a lot before bounding up and doing it all over again.
Now for Karen's first real mistake. She marries a man she doesn't entirely love. But, once again, she was afraid. Afraid no one else would ever ask her. Afraid that if she said no she would break his heart. Karen was afraid for all of the wrong reasons. She was thinking about him and about what she expected life to be: marriage, life, kids, stability. Because she had never seen her parents show much affection to one another Karen assumed that it wasn't necessary for a good marriage. So Karen marries a man that she doesn't love but wants to love. Karen latches on to him and dotes on him to make him love her when it isn't necessary because he actually does love her. Her fake love and lack of understanding begin to push him away and he begins to resent her. She wants his attention but her affections are cold. He knows that she is going through the motions of what she thinks a relationship should be. So he leaves her. He deserves better and so does she. But Karen still resents him for leaving, for quitting when her parents never would have.
This is where I would insert a scene where her mother assures her that she and Karen's father are very much in love and that they make their life work because of that love. This would be where Karen decides to throw caution to the wind and move far, far away. Once in the far, far away, Karen begins to work on herself, changing the habits that have been hurting her... well, some of them. We can't all be perfect, even in books. The climactic scene would be something about how she had thought she had changed for the better but she hadn't because she fears she's pushing her new love away. Maybe he brings to light for her something she didn't realize she was doing, aka being extremely clingy, which leads to an argument and some time apart. Then she has to prove to him that she loves him not just because he's there but because he's her soulmate or something cheesy like that.
At the end of this novel, Karen will have learned to be happy with who she is and find the love she deserves, keeping the past in the past. She's not perfect and the man she eventually loves isn't either, but they love each other enough to make their lives together what they want it to be.
I have outlined a very sweet, little cozy romance here. I could definitely go deeper than I did here if I were going to write our character Karen. I would do the same for her love interest. And, truth be told, I would probably make her background a little more dramatic because who really wants to read something so simple? And I didn't even touch on home life when Karen is an adult. Her job, or lack of one, money, ability or want for children would all play a role in this story. Not to mention moving to a new country and what that would entail. The point is, if you are writing a short story or a book you need to know your characters inside and out. If you do then you won't need to tell your readers who they are, you'll be showing the readers based on character choices and dialogue. Your well-rounded characters will shine through your writing without you even knowing it.
If you are still having a bit of trouble understanding how to create a character background, I recommend that you grab a book and analyze its main character. Likes, dislikes, home life, tics, abilities, etc. Find out what makes them them. It would also help if you went through and analyzed the arc, the themes, and the journey. Literary analysis should be second nature for a writer and avid reader. Don't be afraid to Google for other articles on literary analysis and if you need any links or would like some good book recommendations, hit me up in the comments :)
Happy writing!
That was sarcasm. You got that, right?
Human beings are anything but simple. We last talked about emotion. I mean, I could go on for ages about human emotion because it is such a complex and ever-changing state of being. Genetics play a part: being pregnant, hormonal, mentally ill. Those examples and more can affect how we see, read, and react to outside stimuli. Another part would be background. How a person was raised - how they were taught - how they were allowed to react. You might think that none of this is necessary for your book. That this is way too much work. And you might be right depending on what kind of story you are writing and what age group it is meant for. But remember that just because you might be writing a middle grade novel doesn't mean that you can write cardboard characters. Your readers deserve better and you are capable of better. You won't need to write an in-depth character analysis for certain books but you, as the writer, will want to know your character inside and out so you know what choices and in which directions your characters will be going. I mean, if you're going to do it you should do it right, right?
So, let's make an example because I'm sure some of you are a bit confused. Don't worry if you are. It's probably my fault. I'm not always eloquent.
Today, we are going to talk about Karen, a woman in her mid-thirties who is recently divorced. She has decided to throw caution to the wind and move to Ireland to find herself. If you've ever read a romance novel or an adult contemp, you've read this story. Since this story is a journey for Karen to "find" herself, the writer is going to need to know where Karen started and where she is going to end up.
Let's begin with Karen's divorce because that it where our novel would begin. Why is she getting divorced? What happened to make her marriage fall apart? For our story we are going to say that Karen's husband left her. He was tired of how clingy and needy she is. She depended on him for everything and when he grew tired of it he went looking for a strong woman who didn't need him but wanted him. Is the reader going to be angry at this faceless man for dumping our heroine? Yes. Should they be? That depends. Let's dig into Karen's past, something that will pop up throughout the book as Karen's journey progresses, and see if he was right.
Karen grew up in... I don't know... Kansas. A flat landscape where drinking and practicing procreating is a favorite pastime of the young adults. But Karen did not fit into this group. Her parents were strict. Besides, she never liked the taste of cheap beer. Now, how strict were her parents? Were they helicopter parents? Were they tigers? Was their relationship with their daughter so strict and unreasonable that it bordered on abusive?
Since this is my example and I have decided that Karen is clingy, I am going to say that her parents were lower middle class, working hard for every cent they had, and in their household there was never time for foolishness. In fact, they worked so hard and tried to instill in their daughter how life is something to be worked at, that maybe they didn't spend as much time with their only child as they should have. Karen grew up somewhat lonely. Sure she knew her parents loved her but did they ever show it by taking her to the park or sitting down to read her a book? No. So our Karen grows up with a determination to show her love at every opportunity - something that can suffocate. Not only does Karen latch on but she is a people pleaser, never saying no even when her conscience tells her she should. As she goes through her tween and teen years, Karen finds herself being used time and time again because she's too afraid to lose that small amount of attention they give her.
Our Karen needs a therapist maybe.
So, Karen has a semi-normal childhood and still ended up with "issues." This is normal. If she had had a sibling they could have grown up in the same household and come out completely different, but our Karen is sensitive. Maybe she's a Pisces. We tend to get down on ourselves and cry a lot before bounding up and doing it all over again.
Now for Karen's first real mistake. She marries a man she doesn't entirely love. But, once again, she was afraid. Afraid no one else would ever ask her. Afraid that if she said no she would break his heart. Karen was afraid for all of the wrong reasons. She was thinking about him and about what she expected life to be: marriage, life, kids, stability. Because she had never seen her parents show much affection to one another Karen assumed that it wasn't necessary for a good marriage. So Karen marries a man that she doesn't love but wants to love. Karen latches on to him and dotes on him to make him love her when it isn't necessary because he actually does love her. Her fake love and lack of understanding begin to push him away and he begins to resent her. She wants his attention but her affections are cold. He knows that she is going through the motions of what she thinks a relationship should be. So he leaves her. He deserves better and so does she. But Karen still resents him for leaving, for quitting when her parents never would have.
This is where I would insert a scene where her mother assures her that she and Karen's father are very much in love and that they make their life work because of that love. This would be where Karen decides to throw caution to the wind and move far, far away. Once in the far, far away, Karen begins to work on herself, changing the habits that have been hurting her... well, some of them. We can't all be perfect, even in books. The climactic scene would be something about how she had thought she had changed for the better but she hadn't because she fears she's pushing her new love away. Maybe he brings to light for her something she didn't realize she was doing, aka being extremely clingy, which leads to an argument and some time apart. Then she has to prove to him that she loves him not just because he's there but because he's her soulmate or something cheesy like that.
At the end of this novel, Karen will have learned to be happy with who she is and find the love she deserves, keeping the past in the past. She's not perfect and the man she eventually loves isn't either, but they love each other enough to make their lives together what they want it to be.
I have outlined a very sweet, little cozy romance here. I could definitely go deeper than I did here if I were going to write our character Karen. I would do the same for her love interest. And, truth be told, I would probably make her background a little more dramatic because who really wants to read something so simple? And I didn't even touch on home life when Karen is an adult. Her job, or lack of one, money, ability or want for children would all play a role in this story. Not to mention moving to a new country and what that would entail. The point is, if you are writing a short story or a book you need to know your characters inside and out. If you do then you won't need to tell your readers who they are, you'll be showing the readers based on character choices and dialogue. Your well-rounded characters will shine through your writing without you even knowing it.
If you are still having a bit of trouble understanding how to create a character background, I recommend that you grab a book and analyze its main character. Likes, dislikes, home life, tics, abilities, etc. Find out what makes them them. It would also help if you went through and analyzed the arc, the themes, and the journey. Literary analysis should be second nature for a writer and avid reader. Don't be afraid to Google for other articles on literary analysis and if you need any links or would like some good book recommendations, hit me up in the comments :)
Happy writing!
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