Those who have seen some of my critiques know I on the occasion I've analyzed writer's characters. What does this mean? To put it simply, if a character is developed (realistic enough), I will dive into their traits. I'll pick apart every known detail; whether its obvious because those physical traits were stated in the story or I'll take it one step further - uncover hidden personalities, especially when a detail doesn't meet that character or just doesn't make sense to me as the reader. Though, I might have confused you, I'm technically a visual learner myself, thus I'll explain in depth with examples a little later.
Reasons for this topic:
The few stories where I've analyzed someones characters have all mentioned how helpful it is to see a reader's opinions because the writer is gaining insight from a different prospective. I've even received a few PMs of some members on here asking if this talent (if I'd call it that. It's more of a skill, really.) was something I was taught; character analyzation or was it something I learned on my own.
The answer is I learned on my own to 'break down' character's personalities/traits. I guess I can call it a step further than the basic editing and if writers learn this skill, believe me, you will benefit tremendously from it. Besides it's more fun then scanning for spelling and grammatical errors.
So, all in all, I've decided to share this skill and hope others will appreciate and take full advantage of it.
Character Analyzation:
Like I mentioned earlier, I'm a visual learner, thus that's how I usually teach people outside of the Net or trying to convey my opinions. First, I'll list some recent examples of at least how I analyze characters.
Example one from Firestarter's A Port in the Caribbean:
Robert Shaw
-extremely cold due to shivering
-prefers to be alone at this time
-melancholy
-feels guilty for the death of his wife
-seems to be in denial presently (At least in the beginning of the story. This is refreshing because in my opinion most people will automatically assume when someone dies the first thing they'll do is cry. That's not always the case as everyone grieves differently. So, kudos to you for locking on that particular emotion - denial. It makes his character more realistic.)
-has been involved with the Navy since childhood
-extremely lonely and probably depressed
-very strong physically (I say this because Robert jumps overboard. Have you ever been in the middle of an ocean? There are usually many rips, the tide always changing. The ocean is most certainly unpredictable. I'm assuming they were near land and if that's the case the depth was probably 30-50 feet; enough where the current could easily carry you away in a few seconds. I speak from experience because I often go deep sea fishing and believe me it's VERY tiring to real in a 30lb+ striped bass against the tide. My shoulder is always tired and sore at the end of the day from the immense tug of the fish followed by the rips. Just thought I'd point this out. If Robert leaped overboard, he had to have been physically fit to not only attempt to haul a body but to tread water long enough to be saved.)
-boat had to have been fairly close to shore but in high tide (What brings me to this conclusion is that the boat had to have been near shore for the crew spot the body. There is no logical way otherwise for them to find Kate's body near rocks if the boat was father out in the ocean. Also, it they were near shore, it would have to been high tide. Near shore during low tide, a boat has to be extremely couscous for they will get stuck on a sandbar or worse; damage their motor on rocks. Besides, if it was low tide, surely Robert could have saved his wife since the tide is usually no more then neck length in depth, which lead me to believe she died during high tide, since she wasn't saved.)
Notice I started out listing basic personalities any character usually displays but towards the end, I went more in depth with Robert Shaw? Towards the end, when I was confident I had a 'feel' of Robert, I uncovered a hidden trait of Firestarter's character such as Robert's strength. Firestarter himself claimed he overlooked that aspect of Robert Shaw; his physical strength.
If you're interested, you can view the full the full analyzation here.
Example number two from Wraith by Samur:
Quote: Excerpt from Wraith
/8
The sheet is wet with blood and feathers. Grey feathers, speckled black. She snatches one up and holds it to the meager light. She feels her heart thumping inside of her. It has power, her wings. Magic. It makes her dizzy all over again.
Swallowing back a lump of tears, she balls up the cotton sheet again, this time so she won't have to see her own blood.
She holds one of the feathers, turning it in her hands. It reminds her of the before-place so painfully that something inside of her crumbles. She's remembering little bits and pieces, fragments dancing teasingly in front of her. She wants to go back so badly it's killing her. Huddling over the mess of sheets and feathers, she doesn't see him come in until he's standing right in front of her.
"I want to go back," she says quietly, clutching the feather till it's crumpled in her fist.
He doesn't say anything. She looks up at him — his face is blank. They stare at each other, and then he turns to go.
At the door, he stops. His voice is low.
"Your name is Birch," he says. He doesn't look at her. He stands in the doorway for a long time, and then he closes the door behind him.
Roman
-Uncaring and cruel(In his possession is an angel and she's clearly suffering, cold and is probably sitting in her vomit. It's clear that making sure the angel is comfortable is not his top priority and IS only seeking to keep his investment alive.)
-Dismisses angel's plea to return to her home
-Widower?
-Looking to recreate another race altogether? (Let's look at this; we have a human man and a female angel. If sex becomes involved, what traits would the offspring have? Dun.. Dun...)
-Seems distraught
-Save humanity?(Since we have no knowledge of the world, whether we're in the present or future, Roman is the only human we've met. You have mentioned the use of magic with the angel, right? So, is Roman using the angel's magic to undo any wrongs humanity suffered? Like, did a massive comet crash and he was the only survivor? Does the angel actually have the power to shift into the past and change history?)
-Regardless of his fear of the angel, he seems intrigued by her. He keeps returning to check on her health
Angel
-Seeks passage to Heaven, I'm assuming?
-Despite being in so much pain, she seems resilient. (Her wings are damaged, she's hungry and bleeding. Not to mention cold and lieing in vomit. Yet, she is remarkably able to cope and fight that wonderful emotion depression, lol.)
-Has/Had magic
-Named Birch
-Connection to other spiritual creatures/animals? (revolves around magic)
-Capable of speaking mentally? (Same as above. Revolves around magic)
-Seems to be in control still (Even though several attempts were made to move her wings and she clearly is sad, the angel hasn't displayed a more critical emotion; panic. Even depression has not surfaced yet. Actually, I'm amazed anger has presented its ugly mug. If I was physically handy capped, I would certainly be frustrated, angry and depressed. Sadness itself is an incredibly strong emotion but when it is combined with panic and anger; things change drastically within ourselves. So, since the angel hasn't displayed any of these, she is still in control and only has experienced pain and sadness. I think she experienced confusion too.)
-Why is she alone? (Eh, I apologize for going on a minor religious POV again but one thing puzzles me. If she is an angel, where are the other angels? Or is she the only one left? Actually, that's not true because I remember now, the angel stating 'we never bled before.' So, if she's not the only one left, where are her compodres?)
With this analyzation, like Jack (Firestarter), I also include comments or questions concerning the character specifically in parthensis. Notice that not only I listed the angel and Roman's basic traits, I went beyond and again picked apart certain things that I thought that should be addressed?
Again, if you want to see the full analyzation I did with Smaur's Wraith, you can read it here.
Exercises - Mastering it:
Well, I have to say in my opinion, this skill may or may not be a simple thing to grasp. To analyze or understand someone else's character you first have to be able to do it with your own work.
When I first and discovered this skill by putzing around with a story, I only did the bare minimum; listing trait after trait. While this was helpful because it showed how much I really knew about my characters, for me, it simply didn't suffice. I wanted to prefect it and like all skills, I had to practice.
One of the exercises I discovered and it helped me by leaps and bounds in so many ways, was to 'people watch.' How does this revolve around our discussion about character analyzation? People watching is a writer's tool in more ways than just 'breaking down' traits, but that would be going off track. Anyway, when you watch people you're immediately exposed to a multitude of facial features, emotions, clothing styles, dialects, body postures, physical disabilities (loss of a limb for an example) and etc. All which is free to your espousal and by privately studying them, you will eventually, I hope, understand how people in general operate in society. Thus, when you're reading a story, you are better equipped to judge if this character you're reading about meets the criteria that the writer is trying to display; their traits related to the plot.
The second exercises is actually difficult and not everyone will be able to accept this challenge. Once you're comfortable listing basic character traits and you're able to distinguish their flaws in stories, the next step to master this skill is not analyzing your own work or others but to analyze yourself.
Yes, you read it correctly. If you really want to understand a character or do what I call 'get into their head,' it's extremely helpful to list your own personal traits, quirks, flaws, what have you. This is not an easy task, at least I don't think so, because you'll have to list your positive as well as your negative traits.
Have I done this myself? Yes, I have. Did I enjoy it? Yes and no, lol.
But by listing all known traits about yourself, you, or hopefully, you will have a better 'feel' of realism. It's not enough to sit on a bench and watch strangers because it's just that - they're people you do not know. People watching is only the basis of outlining and being able to decipher what's realistic and not in stories, especially a character's emotions. However, by listing your own traits and quirks (what makes you, you)you'll know exactly the real and genuine personalities a character should possess in a story, 'pending on the conflict, because by now after those two exercises you can tell the difference between an underdeveloped or a developed character. At the point, you can begin analyzing the characters in that writer's story and list every know trait/quirk you see and if something seems 'off' or not quite right with that specific trait, let the writer know.
Closing:
I hope I didn't confuse anyone, lol, but if I have to offer any advice I'll say don't be afraid to speak your mind (in a polite and constructive manner of course) even if you think your opinion might seem weird or 'not important.' As the old saying goes, honesty is the best policy.
All I can say is analyzing characters is interesting and more fun that editing for grammar and spelling but the skill may take time to harness. I suggest to start simple - list basic traits such as:
-Birth
-Death
-Eye color
-Build
-Emotions
-Special quirks that separates that character from everyone else
-Ambitious, cunning, angry, unpredictable
And so on. While this is technically outlining, it serves the basis of analyzing a character and eventually being able to go in depth beyond the physical personalities I began listing above.
I hope this skill will help other writers and they'll benefit from it because it really does give insight with characters and what should be tweaked or improved.
Enjoy!
fishr
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