From the outside...
Feb. 28th, 2006 07:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
khiemtranI'm starting to get better now at showing characters from the outside.
The first hurdle was getting used to the idea that a reader could still enjoy a scene without knowing as much about the character as I did. The second was realising that the surface image of the character also counts - if he's passionate inside and dull and boring on the outside, then he's going to be dull and boring until the reader knows better - but you also get a fair amount of choice in how you choose to show the external image. In fact, being able to show a character in different and interesting lights is something that's so useful, it's almost a waste to pass up the opportunity and jump straight into their inner feelings.
I've noticed that it seems to be surprisingly common for authors to introduce characters not as they are, but as they aren't. Instead of seeing Aragorn's qualities straight away, we get the dubious Strider, his image coloured by the perceptions of those around him. That's not to say we needed to see him from the outside first, but by not seeing him from the inside right away, we got to see a new view of him that we wouldn't have appreciated otherwise.
I've also noticed that it's common for new writers to introduce exciting characters as boring ones, somewhat less successfully. The surface image is a character too. It shouldn't be too hard to find an exterior view that makes an interesting character look interesting (or if it is, perhaps they weren't that interesting after all). Sometimes it's just a matter of finding the right angle or the right situation. Ideally, they should be fascinating, whichever way you look at them.
The first hurdle was getting used to the idea that a reader could still enjoy a scene without knowing as much about the character as I did. The second was realising that the surface image of the character also counts - if he's passionate inside and dull and boring on the outside, then he's going to be dull and boring until the reader knows better - but you also get a fair amount of choice in how you choose to show the external image. In fact, being able to show a character in different and interesting lights is something that's so useful, it's almost a waste to pass up the opportunity and jump straight into their inner feelings.
I've noticed that it seems to be surprisingly common for authors to introduce characters not as they are, but as they aren't. Instead of seeing Aragorn's qualities straight away, we get the dubious Strider, his image coloured by the perceptions of those around him. That's not to say we needed to see him from the outside first, but by not seeing him from the inside right away, we got to see a new view of him that we wouldn't have appreciated otherwise.
I've also noticed that it's common for new writers to introduce exciting characters as boring ones, somewhat less successfully. The surface image is a character too. It shouldn't be too hard to find an exterior view that makes an interesting character look interesting (or if it is, perhaps they weren't that interesting after all). Sometimes it's just a matter of finding the right angle or the right situation. Ideally, they should be fascinating, whichever way you look at them.
