How to make the most straightforward of characters interesting. How does one do this? I ask because that’s one thing I’m discovering about a few of my characters as I forge ahead with the Arc of Fantasy series. This is going to be something of a challenge for me as I work out some of the kinks in The Sons of Thor. Why? Because I’ve realized most of the characters are straightforward. They’re not the ones that are good at keeping secrets or at hiding their guilt because they weren’t raised that way. They try to overcompensate in trying to be sneaky and devious because doing so goes against their nature. They’re not necessarily complex. It’s like they have no reason to be complex.
Or do they? How does one add complexity to non-complex characters? The answer is in their actions, in what they’re trying to accomplish when they’re going against their usual honest nature, be it trying to trick another person or to deceive. Why is the character going against his/her usual self? What does this character hope to gain by doing this? Can straightforward characters even grow and develop? I believe with the right situations, the right catalysts, that, yes, a straightforward character can grow.
Writing fiction is as much a study of psychology as it is a form entertainment.
So, what am I going to do about adding the complexity to my straightforward characters? The answers are in the questions I’ve already posed. After all, even straightforward characters have everything to lose when the world is in turmoil.
Until the next time, my friends!
Enchanted Realms 