Developing Credible and Complex Characters

When asked about writing fiction, authors will often categorise themselves as either driven by plot or by character. Another way to look at it is to consider whether when you write you focus primarily on the scaffolding of the story or let yourself be led by the story as it unfolds. I find it helps to consider the two approaches more as a spectrum than a rigid distinction.

When writing my debut novel This Is Not Who We Are, I had a general idea in terms of structure, with the perspective of the two main characters, Iris and Victoria, alternating every other chapter. This was decided for me by the premise, that of two sixteen-year-old pen friends writing to each other, one from France and the other from a refugee camp on the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaïre at the time). The structure mimicked the back and forth of letters between them, but also the physical and geographical distance that separated them.

Two different character development approaches: desk research and auto-fiction

Beyond that initial structure however, the research methods that underpinned my creating the characters of Iris and Victoria was quite different.

Starting with Victoria, I researched the 1994 genocide and its historical context, interviewed survivors and developed a mental picture of who I wanted my character to be, what values I wanted her to stand for, and how this affected the way she interacted with other family members. I was clear about the importance of creating complex dynamics between the characters to convey the social intricacies brought on by the genocide and also shine a light on the human implications. In practice this meant spending weeks building an image of each of my characters before putting pen to paper. I made lists of what Victoria and the minor characters who interacted with her liked and didn’t like; considered each character in a series of situations and wondered how each would react. This I did mostly whilst walking around, until I could conjure up each character in my mind and have them interact.

Writers often say we are led by our characters, and in the case of This Is Not Who We Are, it is true that at several points, the fate of Victoria and her brothers Benjamin and Paul felt like it had emerged from a place beyond my control. When that happens, I think it is a sign of a well-crafted character, sufficiently detailed as to make the decision-making flow for the writer. 

In the case of Iris by contrast, I relied heavily on autofiction and my own recollection of growing up in France in the 1990s. This approach has the advantage of bringing a lot of already built-in details, but at the same time it can be restrictive as the writer wrestles between the known memory and the needs of the narrative. At one point, it is important to let go and remind oneself to embrace the creative licence and amplify those aspects which better serve the story, discarding those elements to which we often feel most attached.

In the end, the distinction between plot and character driven approaches doesn’t matter. Either way it is important to spend time developing credible and complex characters who can operate beyond the immediate story, and to accept being driven by the plot when it comes to decisions about what to include and what to leave out. And you’ll know when you’ve hit the right approach because suddenly the action will play out in your mind like a storyboard or a dream. What comes after is an exercise in transcription where the hand tries to keep up with the images in your head.

This Is Not Who We Are by Sophie Buchaillard is published by Seren Books (£9.99) on 13 June 2022. For more information visit: www.bit.ly/ThisIsNotWhoWeAre

Find out more about Sophie on her website: https://www.sophiebuchaillard.com/

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