What the Fiction Editor Looks For

>I just received a note from an editor that said my characters tended to be predictable.
After going back through my novel, I discovered he was right. So I took those same scenes, and flipped them on their head.
For example, I had a recovering alcoholic fall off the wagon. Predictable.
Have alcoholic hold bottle in hand, pour it out and when heroine smells it on him, assumes he drank again. Not so predictable. Or so I hope.

>Lots of good things to remember when working on your characters. Those that are sympathetic, active, and unique will be liked as long as they're written well.

I will point out though that it is definitely possible for someone to have no friends. Especially in places where people are easily overlooked.
- Nicholas

>Complexity isn't easy to convey. A course I once took in psychology pointed out that so many subtle traits contribute to personality but are difficult to demonstrate in a credible way. I'd love to hear a few examples of how you would add complexity.

>I had a tough heroine that crit partners (just the male ones, actually) kept saying wasn't likeable. And while I wanted her likeable or at least sympathetic, I didn't want to make her a sweet little Betty Crocker and lose her edge. I used some of your suggestions, similar to some suggested by Michael Hauge, for making the character relatable if not Betty Crocker's bff: put them in a situation that draws sympathy, make them really good at something, have them doing something heroic.

I think of Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman's characters in Australia. Both of them exhibit some unlikeable qualities at first, but they each do something that either makes them grow on you or at least fascinates you with their gall long enough to pull you into their story.

Sometimes we just like a character who ruffles our feathers, but if we look hard enough, usually they have a quality or they've done something to make us root for them.

>An excellent list of things we can refer to when stuck or going through rewrites! Thank you for going through fiction writing like this.

I particularly like your reminder: How does the character know that? Sometimes, I'm so busy working out the story in my head that I forget to show how the character knows certain things. And I do like the ends all tied up when reading fiction!

>This is one of the best blogs I’ve written about character development – thank you, Ms. Gardner! I know where I fall down on the job, and that’s not maintaining the character’s POV — even though I know what it is. It’s just laziness, really, and it’s something that I’m working on as I do revisions.

As a former literary journal editor, I saw too much self-insertion very frequently, especially in the work of novice writers. I see it a lot in my critique groups, too. To my mind, it’s obvious that their characters’ passions are their own passions. Their characters’ lives mimic their own lives. I could express very clearly how these things pour out in the text and what alerts me to “Ah! This is the writer, verbatim!” but I’m sure you can explain it much better. Can you give writers pointers on how to avoid using too much self-insertion?

>Protagonists may not have to be likeable, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. I won’t name names, but I have a long list of books that I struggled to get through because the protagonist was “relatable” but I couldn’t find anything to like about the character. We got to have a reason to cheer for the protagonist. The other characters may not see him the way we see him. The other characters may despise him. That’s okay, but the reader has to see him as he sees himself. The reader has to have a reason to want him to learn from his mistakes and overcome the problems he has that keeps the other character from liking him. No, he doesn’t have to be “sweet little Betty Crocker”, as Camille said, but it sure helps if the reader has a good reason to like him.

>Thanks for this post. I'm finishing up revisions for my editor this week, deadline Friday, and this list definitely helps me tweak. It adds many layers to any story.

>Thank you, Rachelle. I need to read this every morning before I start writing. Would you consider writing a post about making relationships ring true?

>Insanely good! So much of the heart of writing for me is my characters so this list is invaluable.

My post today is about asking questions to get to know your characters better. I'm convinced all writers are psychologists at heart. The more we know how our characters will behave in one setting, the more we can nail it in the settings we are actually using in our work.

Love this post!

~ Wendy

>In the first draft I had a hard time pushing my protaganist beyond her limits. I mean, I like her and I don't want things to be TOO hard. But the more feedback I get, books I study and blogs I read the more I realize if I don't "break" her she won't come back together the way I need her to. I guess this is where I learn to embrace the chaos I try to avoid in my own life!

>Excellent. Just bookmarked for later use.

I'm with Andrew. I worry that as my protagonist grows spiritually, the book gets sappy. I get the feeling that less is more, but I struggle to find the perfect formula.

>Love this list, Rachelle! I'm definitely bookmarking it. One aspect of character development I always struggle with is going even deeper with the character's emotions without "telling." I would love to see a post on this or hear your thoughts.

Thank you for this post!

>Excellent post. The bottom line: Story and Conflict.

>Rachelle,

I love your blog today!!!

However, where can I get that sweatshirt that you have a picture of? With all the technical documents I am working on, I would like to wear it to work. The engineers I work with will get a kick out of it.

>This is so helpful! The whole crying thing has been an issue for me. When you’re writing dramatic fiction, that’s always the temptation. Make them cry. (Which is funny because I am not a crier.) But in reality, sadness and grief manifests itself in so many different ways—anger, emotional withdrawal, flat-out denial, fear. Quite a challenge to keep your rule—that a protagonist should only cry once in a book, but I always like a challenge.

Love getting practical advice on the craft of writing from an editor’s perspective.

>This now became my checklist! I can't wait to see what Part 2 is. I love your blog and am so happy I discovered it.

>Thank you. That post blew me away. The list is extremely helpful. I write fantasy, and keeping characters real can pose a challenge. This also helps with pointers on how to compose a query letter. I'll be sure to print it and save it in my files.

What I would like to read about more in depth is alteranting POV. I've encountered plently of books lately written in that manner. It seems to work.

Thanks again.

>great list….and so true about crying…an actor friend told me it's much more powerful NOT to cry in a scene, but to show unhappiness in other ways.

I agree with comment above about self-insertions. That annoys me, too, when I read a novel. I'm afraid, however, that someone might read my novel and think a lot of the stuff is self-insertion when it's not.

My other problem is turning readers off too early to my character before she grows and becomes more sympathetic.

>I'm going to print out that checklist and use it to make sure that my characters are working because it's so true!
I once had an editor say that my characters weren't sympathetic, so now I follow a simple rule–if I don't like my own characters, if they bore me or depress me or annoy me, then I know something's not working. That may sound like common sense, but sometimes it's tempting to let the characters serve the plot instead of letting the characters drive the plot.
In future blog posts, I would like to know more about villains because they're fun!

>This is outstanding. Thanks for such a thorough list.

>Q4U, Rachelle: Where can I get that sweatshirt?!

>Yikes! A protagonist should only cry once in a book? Oo-boy. Part of me wants to rush right out and change this in my MS. Yet, part of me thinks that maybe there's a good reason why you would say this. I suppose tears, at least to some people, are the climax of emotion. I, however, cry during a homeschool lesson on phonics. I need to decide if my character's crying, which isn't excessive, is an accurate gauge of their emotion and if it could turn readers off. I'm going to talk this over with my critique partner — maybe I need to tone it down. Thanks!

>Love these points! As for anything I'd love for you to devote additional blog space to, I'd like to hear more about two things.

First, protagonists not having to be likable but relatable. I hear so often how a protag needs to be likable to propel a reader to read the whole book, but I agree with you on this distinction and would like to see it elaborated on.

And I'd also like to see a post on secondary characters. You say to have enough, but do you tend to have a rule as to how many is too many? While I didn't have any agents point out too many characters in my manuscript, it came up several times by critique partners.

Thank you!! Can't wait to read the rest of the posts this week

>loving this post. my friend told me a trick to use for multiple characters. do the online personality quizzes through your character. "if he were a colour which one would he be?" this is perfect timing for editing my novella though and fleshing out the story characters.

>Rachelle, this is a great list. Very helpful. Thanks.

I especially like this one: Avoid overstated emotion. For example, a single tear can be more effective than a dramatic breakdown. (Rachelle’s rule: a protagonist should never cry more than once in a book!)

I read a novel within this past year in which not only the main character cried but so did all the minor characters. They cried if they were happy or scared or worried or in love or mad or sad. Yes, even the men cried in all circumstances. It was too much to bear!

I agree with you to a degree about likable vs. relatable characters. My reservation is that I don't see enough likable characters. In so much Christian fiction we have someone in need of change learning, growing, developing throughout the story. In the beginning, then he or she is not a very nice person.

The truth is, there are lots of likable non-Christians. Just because a character needs to change doesn't mean he has to come across as uncaring or a jerk or selfish or cynical or any number of other types I've read. Why not a likable sinner?

Becky

>One kind of related subject I've been studying lately is how to handle characters that are already known, especially as old stories are being retold and even modernized (Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Sherlock Holmes, anything related to King Arthur, etc.)

It seems to me that, if you're tackling a project somehow related to stories already "out there" you have to be careful with how you handle known characters. You have to prove to the reader that you know those "people" just as well if not better than they do.

>Anon 8:31 pm: It's a personal thing, I guess, but I know I'm not alone. I can't abide a weak and wimpy heroine. If she cries too early in the book I might just put the book down!

>I'd love to see a post on secondary characters. I want mine to be memorable, but not so much they steal the show. Do you have some criteria for cutting a character? (When is a character deemed non-essential?) Anything else in this vein would be great.
Thanks!

>Great checklist, I'm bookmarking it too, thanks Rachelle.

>Wow! In a nutshell! A whole book in one page! (Sorry–too many exclamation points!)

Andrew, why not paint outside the lines? Sounds like you're feeling constrained. Preaching to the converted is good, but so is spreading the net. In "secular" fiction, as in fishing, the fibers of the net must be almost invisible, most of the time. That's all. And I think the "secular" pub. industry is more open to "spiritual" themes, treated with subtlety, than they used to be. Rachelle, do you think this is true? At least it seems as if steamy sex scenes are no longer generally required.

>Susan 11:14 am:If the protagonist in your memoir doesn't have an overall goal or trajectory, then you're not writing a memoir, you're writing a rambling self-indulgent diary. IMHO. A memoir is not life. It's a slice of life, in which the character has an arc, ending up in a different place from where they started. That's the reason for the memoir in the first place – to tell a story with a beginning, middle and end, a story that means something.

About the sweatshirt: You can find "red pen" merchandise all over the web. CafePress.com and Zazzle.com both have a selection.

Sarah Thomas and Andrew: GREAT point – when I'm working with authors and we come up against a roadblock, the answer often lies in the author's own psychology. For example, I had a writer who had a terrible time portraying one character in a "real" enough way, in all her flawed humanity. Digging deep, I found out this character was modeled after the writer's mother! No wonder she couldn't be honest about the flaws.

About spiritual arcs: If you're having a problem with the story getting sappy as your character grows spiritually, or your character is becoming a Holy Joe, then you're still quite a ways from finding the right way to portray spiritual growth. Hint: "subtle" is the key word.

David Jarrett: Notice I never said you can't change POVs. Personally I love POV shifts. What I don't love is a scene written in a POV that is well established – except for a line or two that pulls me out. Read the advice I gave in the post… I said, once you establish a POV, be careful not to pull the reader out of it (unless it's an intentional POV shift, deftly handled).

>Thanks for the great post Rachelle! It's extremely helpful!

One thing I'm currently having issues with is my MC. I need her to be passive, so that when she changes in the end she will be emotional, full of life, and active with the world. However, obviously the issue with this is that before the change she is so flat I don't even want to write her. I need to make her stronger, relatable and enticing without having her be an active go-getter. Does this even make sense, ha? Oh, my difficult novel drives me crazy sometimes.

Do you have any advice for having a passive main character that is still active somehow?

Thanks!
-Rachel

>Thank you for a list that makes sense and for your comments at the end. I appreciate blogs that truly help a writer develop skills. Blessings to you, Rachel…

>To develop my characters, I use them in paragraph role-playing games to learn their voices and quirks. I either do it first, during the progress, or before I go back to edit. It really helps a lot to know little things about the characters.

>This is very helpful. Thanks for all the great advice!

>This is so good. I've bookmarked it and am actually working my way through the comments which are also helpful. I like the ref. to Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman in Australia and totally get it. Although there was no point I didn't like Hugh, ha ha, the larrakin.

POV. That's what I struggle with, but am getting better. I often see published authors swinging between POVs and yes, it is annoying.

Looking forward to learning more.

Denise<3

>Also, I know I'm late to the party here, so you may have moved on, but what are your thoughts on dual protagonists? From what I've seen, it is frowned upon. I'm currently working on my first novel and what I planned as a secondary character is now emerging more as a co-protagonist. Can this ever work? They are currently working towards one another (though they don't necessarily know it). It makes perfect sense to me! But I would hate for editors or agents to pass on my book because I committed a mortal writing sin.

>I love coming back here and finding an answer to my question! This is such a generous service you provide.

Thank you!