Working on my fourth novel, a historical mystery set in 1945 San Francisco, I’m finding myself spending what may be an excessive amount of time getting to know my characters before letting them loose on the page. I mean some of these are pretty detailed descriptions (see the bulletin board above)—their education, things that shame them, what makes them proud, their romantic histories, and how these are all revealed in the songs they hum and what they do with their hands when they lie. Much of this will never get in the book.
This kind of work is fun, second only to digging into research rabbit holes to uncover pivotal details like popular sandwich orders or swear words from 1945. But lately, I've been wondering: is all this pre-planning necessary, or am I just procrastinating?
As a reader, I've seen how characters that feel like real, complex people can make or break a story. When I believe in them, I can't help but get sucked into the plot. Writing these detailed descriptions is like having a late night call with each character before throwing them into the chaos.
In particular, I use the Enneagram personality typing system to understand each character’s distinct way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. I record their key traits, dig into their pasts, dream up their habits, and think about how they'll react when the story's central conflict unfolds.
It's especially important to me that no two characters approach the novel's central question in exactly the same way. For instance, I often explore the question, "When is it best to be ruthlessly honest, rather than tell a lie that may avoid hurting somebody?” I want each character to answer from a different angle, allowing me to more fully explore the story’s moral dilemma.
When I finally start actually writing, this character bible is a lifesaver, making it easier to make dialogue and action feel real and consistent. But I also wonder if I'm using all this character prep as a way to put off the messy, challenging work of actually writing.
I think both are true. Creating characters that feel like they could walk right off the page is the foundation the whole story’s built on. But I can't let myself get stuck planning forever. At some point, I have to take the leap. So I set deadlines, even if I don't feel 100% prepared.
As a reader, how much do you care about the authenticity of characters? As a writer, do you find yourself caught up in planning, or do you dive right in? I’d love to hear.
Book clubs. Last weekend we had a great visit in the Bay Area with college friends Suzanne and Scott, who invited me to Suzanne’s wise and funny book club (reading Poster Girl!) The readers had a lot of experience in working while female, a key theme in the Jane Benjamin novels.
(We also got to visit the Anderson Collection on Stanford’s campus. What you see above was my favorite art of that day: Christopher Brown’s oil painting, called 1946.)
I get to visit another local book club this week, which reminds me, I’d love to visit yours! Please message me if your book club or other group would like an author visit. I can’t get enough of them:)
Keep cool while reading, Shelley Blanton-Stroud
Shelley, as a fellow reader and writer, I care tremendously about each character’s authenticity. My character bible sounds similar to yours. But if I could only know a single thing about my characters’ backstories, it would be the answer to this question: “What is their secret—the one thing he/she doesn’t want anyone to ever find out?”
Discovering a character’s deepest secret unlocks their essence. It’s like finding the hidden key to their soul. These unspoken and concealed secrets shape their motivations, fears, and vulnerabilities.
And you’re right—sometimes these secrets remain veiled, known only to us, the creators, as we weave our narratives.
As a writer, I go deep, collecting similar things you mention. I do one-on-one interviews with a variety of individuals. All the while I’m doing research I am eager to dive in. But the research fuels the story. I need it to write an opening that leads to more story. Still, I do sometimes dive in to writing the story just to appease my impatience. Which means I probably have to change the opening at least once.
As a reader, I look for details and characterization that flows into mannerisms, etc.
Keep up the good work!