I don’t do character charts. They are the opposite of helpful for me.
Instead, whenever I endeavor to begin a new story, I sit down, write the protagonist”s back story, and thanks to Jeff Gerke and now, Lisa Cron, I search for….
A dark, significant moment from the character’s past
This could be anything….
As a child, the character could catch his mom having an affair.
She could discover she was an “oops” baby while eavesdropping.
Bullies might call her ugly or fat or any other mean thing bullies like to say.
Whatever moment we choose, it should lead to…
A false belief
The character who caught his mom having an affair might believe that only fools fall in love.
The character who eavesdropped might believe she’s a mistake or a burden.
The character who was bullied might believe she’s unlovable when she’s herself.
This false belief results in…
A debilitating fear
The character is afraid of opening his heart to a woman.
The character is afraid of being a burden to her parents.
The character is afraid of rejection.
This fear gives rise to what craft book writers refer to as…
The fatal flaw
Otherwise known as the knot or internal issue. Basically, it’s any practice or habit or personality trait that shields the character from the fear, but will ultimately lead to his or her death. Whether that death be physical, emotional, spiritual, social, or psychological.
The character pushes women away, because that way he’ll never find himself in the same position as his father all those years ago.
The character is an overachiever, because enough success will make up for being a mistake.
The character starves herself and acts like the popular kids, because that way, she won’t be rejected.
Once we’ve decided, we should remember to….
Let the fatal flaw steer the plot.
Each conflict should rub against it. Jeff Gerke calls this the escalating arms race–where external forces continually and more aggressively challenge the protagonist’s old way of doing things. In return, the protagonist holds on to the old way even tighter. Because that knot is important. Take it away and our character will have to face his fear.
Which is the crux of the story, isn’t it?
As much as we might say story is about achieving a goal, it’s really about facing fear. Ironically enough, the very thing the character has been avoiding or flat-out fighting (facing that fear) is exactly what the character needs to accomplish the sought-after goal.
Let’s Talk: What false beliefs have you held onto in the past? What fears have you had to face?
In my debut novel, my protagonist definitely has a dark, defining moment (hello, prologue) in her past that leads to false beliefs and fears and a fatal flaw that she must overcome. If you’d like to give the book a try, you can read the first three chapters for free here.
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Hey Katie… I just wanted to pop in here and say that I really appreciate the way you’ve pared down the lessons from those two books. Very helpful! THank you! 🙂
FYI, there is another great book out there for this type of thing called “The 90-day Novel” by Alan Watt. IMO, he reaaaaally helps you get to the core of your story by provoking you to think about internal issues you might never have considered with your characters. Well worth it before you tackle a first draft.
Love this post. I did that unconsciously w/my historical fiction novel, but I’m starting a new one and I want to be more intentional about it. I tend to deal in psychological themes for my MCs (which are often founded on past events). Anyway, I’d heard Gerke’s First 50 Pages book is awesome–need to get my hands on that! Thanks, Katie!
*I should say “sub-consciously,” since I was not UNCONSCIOUS as I wrote my book–hee!*
Good stuff, Katie!
A lie I believed my whole life: I was not pretty. Just smart. My whole identity was wrapped up in my brains and what I could achieve with my smarts.
I’m still learning, slowly, that the only real way to define myself is as God’s daughter. And He sees me as beautiful.
It’s funny how we see ourselves, isn’t it? You are so right, though….I can sit here and tell you that I think you’re beautiful, but at the end of the day, that doesn’t matter. What matter is that God declares it. 🙂
Ooh, yeah, this is good. I look for the same things, but with slightly different names. Hehehe…
A false belief I’ve held on to, and still face on the blah days: That my identity and purpose is what I achieve, what I do, or what I have/don’t have…when the truth is that my identity, the real thing, is found in Christ.
Yep, I know this false belief well!
These are all parts of my character interview sheet. I also write a back story for them, sort of a stream of consciousness thing. But it’s when I discover their motivation and lie, then I have a story. 🙂
Oooooh, this is great!!! Thank you for breaking it down like that. Character charts are bad for me but I think I could do this.
I’m not good enough. It’s a fun one to fight through.
And I’m going to work on this with my MC today. Thank you!
~ Wendy
I think a lot of us have that one, Wendy. At least I do!
Excellent post, Katie! I do the same things with my characters, though initially it flowed a little more organically. I started doing it deliberately once I realized how well it worked. I also found that tying both main characters’ fears/fatal flaws into the same theme (even if they’re opposite sides of the coin) helps with developing a cohesive conflict throughout. Good stuff!
I use a similar technique too — but I like charts. I use to think I liked to fly by the seat of my pants when it came to plotting — and there is a place for that — but I’ve learned how important it is to know my characters.
And, yes, I believe what is true for our characters (wounds, lies, fears) is also true for us. That’s why stories can be so compelling to read — when we hit those real-life truths with our fictional characters.
I use a very similar technique when I plot my novels–I’m an inside out plotter…I focus on the character’s past to propel him toward his future.
Thanks for those other two resources. Checking them out today.
I am still reading Lisa’s book. Such great information there, and on your blog! 😉
Thanks for this info, Katie. I plan to put it to use when I plot my next story.
I just ordered Jeff’s book and look forward to reading it.
Keli – you’ll have to let me know what you think! I plotted Wildflowers from Winter completely from Jeff Gerke’s How to Find Your Story book. Love the worksheet he provides!