10 Days of Character Building: Defining Characters By Their Roles
October 20, 2007 by John Hewitt
This is Day 1 of 10 Days of Character Building
One of your first considerations when creating a character should be the role you intend them to play in your story. Is the character a hero or a villain. If the character is a hero, is she a straightforward hero, a dark hero or a comic hero? Below is a short list of character types that borrows heavily from Christopher Vogler’s book, The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers
Also remember that roles can be defined in many ways. The method I am presenting is just one. Wikipedia describes a few others here.
Hero: Heroes come in many forms, but the essential trait of a hero is that at some point they make a major sacrifice in order to achieve a goal. A hero may be willing or unwilling, serious or comic, a leader or a loner.
Mentor: The essential trait of mentors is that they provide guidance and tools that the hero or heroes may need. The guidance that a mentor gives often varies in quality, but it is there nonetheless. A mentor can be anything from a slightly more experienced friend, a parent, or a boss to a former hero that succeeded or failed in their own quest.
Threshold Guardian: The essential trait of a threshold guardian is that they represent a barrier that the hero attempts to pass through. Threshold guardians are often minor villains, but may also be good or neutral people whose position happens to represent a barrier or a competing goal. Their job is to test the hero in some way.
Herald: A herald is a character whose information or actions alter the lives or goals of the hero. They may deliver a challenge or simply inform the hero of a change in the status quo. Heralds are often fairly minor characters.
Shapeshifter: A shapeshifter is a character whose role and even personality change dramatically throughout a story. They may start out as a villain but become an ally. They may begin as a romantic interest but become a villain. They may even wear a disguise and appear as more than person. In many cases, the hero’s love interest is a shapeshifter,
Shadow: A shadow is the hero’s dark counterpart. Shadows often serve as the central villains of a story, but may also serve as a cautionary victim. They often have many of the same traits as the hero, but have somehow become corrupted. They represent what can happen to the hero if she loses her way.
Trickster: The trickster represents mischief and misdirection. Tricksters often serve as comic relief, but can sometimes be threatening or heroic in their own ways. Mentors can also come in the guise of a trickster.
When creating a character based on their role in a story, you need to do more than simply decide what category (or categories) the character falls into, you need to decide what traits, skills, goals, flaws and experiences lead that character to take on that role. There are many ways to go about this. Here are a series of questions you can use to probe the character.
- What is my character’s primary role?
- If my character has a secondary role, what is it?
- What personality traits lead my character to take that role?
- What skills does my character have that might help to fulfill that role?
- What are my character’s goals and how do they relate to their role?
- How are my character’s goals changed by their role?
- What flaws does my character have that influence their role?
- What experiences lead my character to take that role?
Feel free to post your response to this exercise in the comments section.
Related links
- How to Create Fictional Characters Using Adversity (0.500)
- 10 Days of Character Building: A Day in the Life (0.500)
- 10 Days of Character Building: Possessions (0.500)
- 10 Days of Character Building: Biography (0.500)
- 10 Days of Character Building: Interview (0.500)
Contact John Hewitt
Writing Content and Web Consulting
Email: hewitt@poewar.comPhone: (520) 261-6104
LinkedIn: poewar
Twitter: @poewar
Facebook: pwar2
I’m a little disapointed. I wanted to just create characters for fun and for practice. I didn’t want to have to plan an entire book, so I”m just doing my own thing.
The Sorceress
She appeared on the edge of the grass
Entering the park like an emerging shadow
Flowing across the St. Augustine with the
Dignity and grace of one who knows
Perhaps it was the almost turban like
Varigated Guaze fabric wrapped tenusouly
Around her hair that assured one of
Her absolute command of any situation
She would go or stay, her choice
One would wonder at the delicate markings
About her hands and arms, self-made
But not the usual jail house art, contrived
And flagrant, but innocuous and precise as the passing
Moon, the Ank hiding in the folds of the
Bruised slik navy sheath,long and discrete
or the filigree of
Gold thraded through the tiny turquoise
Turtle ring in her left eyebrow
Trailing its thin filament thread along the faint scent
of Morrocn wood mingling in her
Aura and disappearing into the
Burnished bronze of curling locks strugling against restraint
And here she was now, standing about for a moment, like an egyptian Isis, assessing everything
Mesmerizing everyone, just standing
Looking, perhaps for a open voice of welcome
Or curiose questioning, it was only a
Moment until her choice was made, and
Like all others, unswarving, directed
A sorceress, surveying the potential strength
Of an empire, a vast arena of followers
To beguile and charm with potients and spells
And to what end, was her purpose, one would later wonder
As she chose her seat at the end of the round table
Under the trees near the lake
Connie, this is creating characters for fun. You don’t have to use them for a book if you don’t want to. I think I’ll do NaNoWriMo, but I’m not sure… depends on time and energy. I’ll be back with a character thingy later though
G’day.
Thank you, John. Very interesting way of doing it — short version of myth-based, Jungian Archetypes! – and yes – I’ve planned my life around nanowrimo this year – this time I WILL finish!
I haven’t posted the exercise because I did it for all four major characters and its a bit long — but I’ll be looking forward to tomorrow’s edition …
Thanks heaps
Back again, nearly 12 hours later. Yes, very interesting approach. I am bereft of story ideas at the moment so am going to use the exercises to re-examine my NaNo novel from last year, a first draft which has a lot of room for improvement. I’m not going to post here – unlikely to get much done tonight anyway; Sunday is always a wipe-off after market. But even just reading the exercise and thinking about my characters, I can see I was asking one of them to do a heck of a lot of work, being hero, shadow, shapeshifter and trickster all at once; and probably not giving the others enough to do. So that’s already useful, ta!
I’m really not a novelist and this is the only one I’ve ever completed even in draft – thank you NaNo – and indeed, only the second I’ve ever attempted. Someone suggested I should “fix” my novel by “poeticising” it. Not sure if she meant actual versifying, but Connie, your approach is very interesting to me. We shall see.
Rosemary…
Poetesizing will not fix, just poorly mask the troubles in your novel. The works of Homer and Chaucer (to name a couple) are indeed timeless classics. Who can forget Telemacheus as he sought news of his father or Odysseus as he traveled home, and their joyful reuion. Who can forget the quirky little group of travellers brought together by fate as it were, each telling their tale. Both of these tales had memorable characters and would have worked well in prose. But the form of the day was poetry, so in verse they were recorded for our enjoyment.
I suggest you first fix your story in prose, then if you desire the additioal chalenge of making it verse, do that afterward. There is not much market for novels in verse, but I do not write for the market (not yet anyway) I write for my own enjoyment, and the chance to express myself.
Good luck on whatever you do.
Thanks for the advice, James.
I might do some of these exercises in verse, though, just for the heck of it.
The novel’s not marketable and I’m sure never will be. I did it to teach myself some things.
Rosemary,
You never know, your novel just might be. Your an amazing writer and I would love to read that book!!! I would pay anything for it, Also I’ve seen some of Josh Sulkers writings, he holds back, but he’s great.
Rosemary,
I would love to read any book you write!!!
I won’t be doing NaNo – I already have a novel in progress that requires far more attention than it is getting. But as usual I’ll be reading along.
Obviously, the approach you listed above is just one of many, as you said, John. But I’m not sure I like this one. It is too linear as a way to begin. For me, writing a character is a process in the same way that getting to know someone is. They slowly evolve to have their coherence and their depth. Along the way, I learn things about them that I did not know when I started telling their story.
Having said that, I can see the benefits of answering these questions, but further along in the process, as a way to make the novel’s structure work. I wonder: If this method is used as a starting point, is it more suited to genre fiction, which is more often plot driven than character driven? Or is it simply a reflection of the way any given writer’s mind works?
Character Profile: Kunal Johar, a resident of Bangalore India.
What is my Kunal’s primary role?
As the Virtual Assistant to Henry Jarvis, he serves as a mentor. He provides essential information, sometimes serves as a counselor, and provides gifts.
What personality traits led Kunal to take that role?
Kunal is an efficient and organized person. He takes his work seriously but also has a rich family life that keeps him grounded. He is used to fulfilling requests, no matter how odd.
What skills does Kunal have that might help to fulfill that role?
Kunal is a virtual assistant. In that role he is part administrator, accountant, concierge, investigator and marketer. He serves as a representative of a fairly large organization that is aimed at meeting the business and personal needs of their clients. He is an excellent researcher with a staff of people to back him up on requests he cannot handle personally. If he cannot handle a problem himself, he arranges for someone else to carry out the task.
What are my character’s goals and how do they relate to their role?
Kunal’s main goal in life is to provide for his family, which includes his wife, his mother, his sister and his adolescent son. He also has a brother who is a computer programmer and another who works at a call center. Kunal takes customer satisfaction very seriously, as does his employer, and measures his own success by the success of his clients.
What experiences lead my character to take that role?
Kunal has worked for the Intelligasia, an international outsourced services company, for five years and has worked with Henry Jarvis for nearly three years. Before that, he worked for a call center for three years. He is very used to working with Americans and has an expansive though skewed knowledge of American pop-culture. He is, in fact, more knowledgeable of American pop culture than Henry Jarvis is.
How are my Kunal ’s goals changed by his role?
Because he finds himself playing more and more of a mentor role to Henry, he begins to feel more confident of his own abilities. He also begins to view Henry as more of a friend than a client.
What flaws does Kunal have that influences his role?
Because of the distance and the communication gaps between Kunal and Henry Jarvis, Kunal sometimes misinterprets tasks or delivers results in ways that surprise Henry. This confusion can be a problem, but sometimes results in unexpected benefits.
Rianon and Baby Doll, thanks, you’re very kind. Dear Rianon, don’t tempt me like that – I could sure use a few grand in exchange for my unpublishable manuscript, lol! Or even a few hundred, or even … make me an offer. No no, I’m not serious. But you do encourage me to persevere.
Hello, I was just reading this as I am writing a story (slowly but assuredly) and this came up in Google. I wanted to say thanks for the insight. However, if you were to revise this list, I would like to suggest you throw the “anti-hero” role in there.
Hey John
(re:Vincent, the last entry Dec.19/07)
His suggestion to throw in an anti-hero…
Is that not a possible role change or role shifting that a shiftshaper would be able/capable of? An anti-hero is in fact a villain is it not and in that case would and/or could also be the hero’s dark side or counter part. If this is true or correct then have you not covered the anti-hero role?
Please note that I am not critisizing Vincent merely making conversation as it were.
ps…
I only recently found this site myself and love it! I have been writing for almost 40 years now and still have not made the move to print/publish any of hundreds of poems and short stories. Thanks to this site I have been once again been biten by the publishing bug and will proceed as soon as I can. Thank you for that for starters! I will post my progress and some of my poetry soon and can’t wait for feedback.
Rene
Interesting idea. I’m familiar with The Hero’s Journey and mythic structure, but hadn’t thought about my character’s role in helping to define that character. Great idea. Thanks.
Rebecca Talleys last blog post..Writing for Children
Just thought I should add on the whole anti-hero thing, I think you covered it. An Anti-Hero is simply a hero who acts contrary to how we think a hero should act. A traditional hero is virtuous moral and ethical. A traditional villain is the opposite of those things. These personality traits characterize them (good guys wear white hats bad guys wear black). An anti-hero is a hero, he fulfills the hero function, but he eschews these traditional characteristics. He may act in rebellious or morally ambiguous ways, but at the end of the day he is still painted sympathetically and he still preforms a major act of sacrifice in order to achieve a goal. Usually the anti-hero will also be shown to have good heart in him after all, and though his actions and methods are questionable at first, they are later shown to be well intentioned (this does not need to be stated, but can be implied). In other words you can say he is sort of a blend, a hero with qualities of a shadow, trickster, or shape shifter.
Classic Anti-Heroes include
The Man with No Name: started with Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo, later adapted by Sergio Leone in the Spaghetti Western Fistful of Dollars played by Clint Eastwood, this character popularized the anti-hero by setting him as the hero of a western, a genre that until that time was defined by its moralistic heroes and there morally depraved villainous counterparts. (hence good guys wear white hats bad guys wear black hats)
Han Solo: From star wars, selfish materialistic loner modeled in part after The Man with No Name.
Wolverine of X-Men: The quintessential Anti-Hero, and Probably one of if not he most popular.
In my opinion there is a big difference between anti-hero and tragic hero of simply a villainous protagonist. Macbeth, although the protagonist, is not portrayed sympathetically, we are not meant to route for him but rather to marvel at his downfall.
Sorry i know it was a little much, forgive me, just wanted to clear that up.
What is my character’s primary role?: She’s the reluctant hero, who must go against her beliefs to stop a possible war.
If my character has a secondary role, what is it?: The mentor or sidekick, helping her friends go through the trials, and making sure they don’t die
What personality traits lead my character to take that role?: She’s can’t help but help people when they’re in danger. She’s willing to sacrifice herself for her family and friends.
What skills does my character have that might help to fulfill that role?: She can sense other people’s powers, strength, capabilities, and what they have mostly likely done. Plus she’s a half vamp
What are my character’s goals and how do they relate to their role?: She wants to be left alone. She resists to help at first.
How are my character’s goals changed by their role?: Now she just wants to survive
What flaws does my character have that influence their role?: She worries to much about other people. She can’t stop thinking about her older brother who rarely comes home. She never sees most of her family members. And she’s always thinking how her life has changed.
What experiences lead my character to take that role?: She risks her life to save friend, and then a boy she never met the next night. Which led to people wanting her help to stop a possible war.
What is my character’s primary role?
Giuliette’s role is of the protagonist. She is not a typical hero though, as she clearly has a darker side to her. She is forced to choose between her lover Trystan, a heretic, and the wealthy Crusader Arnaud who will provide her with a life of luxury. The story details her inner-conflict and choices concerning this.
If my character has a secondary role, what is it?
She is also a shape-shifter to a certain extent. At the beginning of the story we see her as a wronged and likeable young woman, but as the story progresses we see her ‘true colours’.
What personality traits lead my character to take that role?
She is naturally a friendly person, making her likeable and easy to relate to.
She is in general a caring person, and will sacrifice in order to help people.
She is dependable, and people trust her.
She is family orientated, and will do anything to protect her family.
She is hot-headed, often regretting her actions.
She is power-hungry (due to childhood incidents) and her goal is to gain power.
What skills does my character have that might help to fulfill that role?
She is talented at healing, and has been dabbling in herbs and their medicinal properties for years.
What are my character’s goals and how do they relate to their role?
She is driven by her goal to gain power for herself, and for her family. This relates to her role as the shape-shifting hero, as this desire and goal gradually reveals itself over the course of the story.
How are my character’s goals changed by their role?
Her role is influenced by her goals, not the other way around.
What flaws does my character have that influence their role?
She is materialistic, and will prioritize this over her other desires and even needs. She is quite hot-headed, and will often say things she doesn’t really mean, or do something she’ll regret later.
What experiences lead my character to take that role?
She was ignored as a child, in the wake of her more interesting siblings, and this fueled her desire to amount to something important. Also, her rape at the hands of one of her fathers old friends seriously affected her, and lead to her deep seated desire for power, as she clearly had none in this situation.
I’m a 16 year old student in Australia, and this is part of my major work for english extension 2 in my final year of school. Any suggestions or critique are greatly appreciated!!
