Characters pop into my head fully formed, at least physically. I always get a clear picture of what they look like, but like any stranger we meet, while we can easily see their exterior we have to get to know them to understand what makes them tick. For an author this “ticking” or the psychology of the character is important because it will tell me exactly how someone is going to react in almost any situation, and my job is to put them in dramatic situations and allow them to have extreme responses. Why you ask? Because character reactions build tension and drama, and make for good storytelling.

I’m a visual person, so these are some of the charts and graphs I use to construct a character. I’m going to use Libby Tucker from BINDING ARBITRATION because I think she’s the most complex and misunderstood.

Step 1: Cement physical image.

Once I have this physical map filled out I find someone who resembles this character and they become my muse. For Libby, I chose Evangeline Lilly, who is very pretty but can have a hard edge (Lost) but a very emotionally complex psychological makeup. Also, this first chart allows for some of the first glimpses of the challenges this character faces. Here are the two sides of Libby…

Step 2: Plot Skeleton. How does this character interact with the plot? Libby’s our heroine trying to save her son from Cancer but much of her own baggage might stand in the way of her ability to reach her goal. She’s a hard-ass criminal defense attorney; did I mention she’s never lost a case in her career?

Step 3: Character Study. This is where the character is made in my opinion. I have a nine page character questionnaire that I answer for all major characters and several minor characters for each book. These questions range from physical appearance to more unusual things like, what’s the characters favorite food? It asks background questions about their family, their habits, and their attitudes about themselves and others. It asks about their self perception and traits, goals, problems, and crisis’. It even asks what the characters prized possession is? Libby’s is a small green enamel ring that she wears on a chain because it no longer fits her finger, but if you want to know why it’s important or who gave it to her you’ll have to read Binding Arbitration. By the time I finish this questionnaire and the following character study chart I have a pretty good idea about who my character really is.

Character development is vital to good story telling and when you know what pushes your characters buttons it makes plotting your book so much easier. If we have any authors out there and they’d like a copy of my character questionnaire please feel free to email me at elizabethmarxbooks@gmail.com and I’d be happy to share it with you.

Thanks for taking the time to find out how I make my characters so real.

Elizabeth Marx

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