Greetings Storytellers! We’re off to Part 3 of Crafting Rich Characters. In Part 1, we explored a character’s physical appearance, mannerisms, and quirks. In Part 2, we covered Attributes and Traits, Skills and Abilities, and Occupations and Interests.
In this post, we’re going to look at Formative Backstories, Core Values, and The Lie. These are parts of the character that we can’t see, but they’ll impact your character’s thoughts, choices, and behavior.
Formative Backstory
All characters (unless they’re robots) have a formative life that shaped them and established their worldviews. In previous posts, I talked a little about the person as an individual, but a character is, or was, also part of a family or group. A child’s or young person’s experiences stay with them, and most people carry around some baggage from their formative years, both positive and negative.
This doesn’t mean you need to detail your character’s entire childhood in your story! But answering some basic questions will help explain a little about who your character is on the inside.
Here are some questions for exploring a character’s formative years:
- What was the character’s childhood like?
- How strong were/are the family ties?
- Where are the character’s parents and/or siblings?
- And my favorite: What significant event of the past shaped who the character is today?
(If I were only going to answer one question regarding a character’s childhood, that last one would be it. To appreciate the power of this, simply think back on your own life and the key experiences that you never forgot.)
- And finally, what was the character doing before the first page opened?
Core Values
Core values often arise in response to a character’s upbringing. They may align with family/community values or be in complete opposition. A family with a core value of amassing wealth at all costs may produce a ruthlessly greedy character or one who rebels and lives on a commune.
Core values are tied to the character’s beliefs about people and the world, and they shape choices.
Consider tying the protagonist’s and villain’s core values to their plot goals. What is it they prize above all else? A vigilante may possess a burning desire for justice. A rising star may sacrifice fame for a core value of family.
Examples of core values: Wealth, honesty, loyalty, compassion, fame, authenticity, adventure, success, beauty, community, family, pleasure, faith, power, justice, knowledge, love, security, reputation, wisdom, etc.
Here are some questions for exploring a character’s core values:
- What were they taught to dislike or disapprove of as a child?
- What pushes their buttons?
- What do they believe that’s not accurate?
- What do they believe that’s not so nice, but accurate in their world?
- What will they fight for?
- What are they ashamed of?
The Lie
The Lie is related to a character’s incorrect belief or lack of information. He or she is operating based on values, opinions, or knowledge that isn’t accurate. Information may be hidden by foes or allies or by his own biases. The point is – the character’s ducks aren’t in a row, and he needs to overcome this deficit to grow as a person or for the plot to resolve.
Lies are rampant in our world, and we only need to turn on the news to see how they impact choices and behavior. Lack of information or incorrect information leads people to make terrible decisions, even when well-intentioned.
What we’re talking about here is what the main character can’t see or doesn’t know, at least not at first. The character misinterprets her fiancé’s nights out as cold feet. The museum’s alarm went off but it seems nothing was stolen. The boy doesn’t believe he has any magical abilities. The man won’t hire the best talent because she’s too giggly.
Red herrings are perfect examples of The Lie – the character is operating off a faulty assumption (and so is the reader). The fiancé’s sneaky behavior was really about setting up a marriage proposal. The thieves replaced the stolen artwork with fakes. The boy discovers his power. The giggler shows her savvy and makes the giant sale! Love needs to be confessed, the final clue uncovered, the bias dispelled. The monstrous alien saves the hero’s life, proving it wasn’t such a monster after all. Peace is now possible!
In the above examples, the Lie is a big element of the plot, but it doesn’t have to be. Use the Lie to create one more obstacle for the character to overcome, even if it’s a small one.
That concludes Part 3.
Now that we’ve covered aspects of the character that we can’t observe, what’s planned for Part 4? My favorite part of character development: Secrets, The Big Fear, and The Mask.
Happy Writing!
Story Empire 
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I agree with the majority here. I love the lie. It is a necessity for the character to have that making them more realistic.
I am enjoying this series.
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Thanks, Michele. I’m glad you’re enjoying the series. So much of this appears naturally when we write, but by looking at these elements a little more deliberately, hopefully we can intensify some of them. 🙂 Thanks for dropping by and commenting. Happy Writing!
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Thank you so much for sharing the post. I’m delighted that you enjoyed it. Have a beautiful day and Happy Writing!
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Thank you for sharing the post. I’m glad you enjoyed the tips. Have a wonderful week.
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Thanks so much for sharing the post. Have a wonderful weekend. 😀
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I love the idea of the lie being something the character believes incorrectly as a core value. That would be a deep plot to unravel. But I’m still not allowed to start on new characters yet! I’m back to work finishing Miss Liv Series. Great article, Diana!
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Ha ha ha. Yes, keep going on Miss Liv! The Lie can be the main theme of the plot or a little detail. Either way it should have some stakes associated with it to make it interesting. 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the article, Sheri. Thanks for the visit and say hi to Miss Liv for me.
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I just came from your “10 Things” post which, as it turns out, ties in quite nicely here, doesn’t it? (All those hidden elements of Diana that contribute to who she, how she thinks and what she does in the present.) As I think through your collective works so far, I can see each of these three points clearly put into practice.
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What a fun comment, Erik, and true for all of us, really. Our characters should be real people, and of course, we’re all characters in our own stories! Not all of the elements of character-crafting will end up in the text, but I think they’re all worthy of contemplation because they inform who they (we) are. Thanks so much for reading and commenting, my friend. Hugs.
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All great stuff, Peach! Thanks for taking the time. 🙂
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Thanks, Betsy. I love character-building and sharing ideas with other authors. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. 😀
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It’s fun creating people isn’t it? Once I was writing and kept saying out loud, “Oh! Oooh” and various other sad noises. Hubby asked what was wrong. “They’re having a fight. I just feel so awful for them!” He said, “But you’re making it happen!”
Pish. The non-writers just don’t get it. 😉
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Ha ha ha. No, they don’t get it. We have to make them suffer, but we can feel bad about it. Lol
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True. But at the same time, I didn’t feel like I was doing it to them. It’s just what would happen to them in that situation. All I had to do was be the stenographer.
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🙂 Ah, I can relate. I thought my first book was being channeled from another dimension. Lol.
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Ha. I can see that.
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Thanks for sharing, Marcia!
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I’ve enjoyed all of these posts, Diana, but this one really resonated with me as a character’s backstory is often the subconscious motivation for much of their actions. Without an understanding of that motivation, characters are just puppets dancing to the tune of external events. Bravo, my friend. Bravo!
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Thanks, Andrea. The last part of the series will go into motivation, and it kind of wraps up what came before, because your right, strong and deep motivation is what propels characters forward. They have to be intensely motivated in order to endure what we authors throw at them!! Backstories, values, and beliefs are big one that shape our characters. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts! Happy Writing. 🙂
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This is shaping up to be a brilliant series, Diana. You make each post flow effortlessly, but I suspect you’ve put a heck of a lot of work into distilling these insights. Looking forward to the next one. 🙂
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Thanks, Andrea. I’m glad it makes sense and flows. I enjoy learning this stuff (usually from other bloggers), distilling it, and then sharing it. I’m delighted that it makes sense! Lol
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It does! As one of the other bloggers said, some of this stuff we do instinctively, but it’s very empowering to consciously realise it’s a ‘thing’. 😀
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And I think when we know it’s a thing, we can use it more consciously if we want to. Another tool for the writer’s toolbox!
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Yes! I have a love/hate relationship with the whole ‘show don’t tell’ thing, but knowing about it helped me ‘tell’ /less/. It was also a key part of unlearning my tech writing skill set. Now I think I’ve found a comfortable balance between the two. That would not have happened without external help.
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That balance is the key, isn’t it? All the rules help, but there isn’t “one way” to do any of this. 🙂
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Exactly! Getting the balance right is the key to everything. 😀
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