This week, I finish my look into literary beginnings for March. Before then, I want to remind everyone to stay safe and sensible in these trying times. My home state of Arizona has recently issued a stay at home order; so hopefully, my content here and in The Cases of Inspector Marshall: Vol. I can help entertain and stimulate the minds of those stuck in their homes.

2020 so far has been a roller coaster on a track made of glass, and my recent slew of Cthulhu dreams has me laughing nervously.

But, speaking of dreams, this final week of March, I will share some of my insight on starting a character, using Inspector Marshall as my example.

Like with previous posts, this should not be taken as an end all be all approach, rather a way to assist in brainstorming.

This all started with a literal dream – one night in my second year of college, I had a dream about a man in a bowler hat and trench coat going to a manor in a swamp, and looking into the owner’s missing husband and son. Not much else happened that I remembered upon waking, though I did take down notes not long after.

In a creative writing workshop class, I needed to submit a short story, so I decided to flesh out the detective in the dream. I already was curious of the occult monster hunter style, so this fell greatly into place.

Thus, “The Creature of Kettle Hall” was typed. And I liked what I created so much, that I started two more stories that I finished over the summer and fall. And the rest is published history.

When first crafting Inspector Marshall, I wanted a character who would make a good action star, while being relatable and engaging. His mental asides, the sarcastic thoughts he keeps to himself, helped show his wit. His skills and knowledge-base follow from the archetype of the “situational adventurer.”

A method I have found to make a character more likable, and balanced in capabilities, is to put a restraint on or take something away from them. And, the common trope of the loner monster hunter without a family gave me an idea – why not give him a family he cares about, then separate him from them?

As a mundane human, he already has a limitation compared to the things he goes up against. Thus, an emotional weight on him fulfills this role, and allows the reader to relate more to him.

More of his backstory was written in “The Haunt in the Walls,” where his past as Marine Corps Intelligence demonstrated where he gained his combat and investigative skills. The most significant part about fleshing his character and past out made the best use of the short story structure: never giving too much at once. Gradually introducing more and more of him as time went on.

This allows the reader to learn about the protagonist, without it interfering with the plot at hand.

Which leads me to suggest the following model to develop a character: know their skills and advantages, understand their disadvantages, and create a backstory that plays to both of these. This can be revealed in how they act and react in certain scenarios the work presents.

Details on personality can be brainstormed in all three of the above criteria, and can be freestyled when writing dialogue. For instance, given the traumatic nature of his job, it fits that Marshall has a dark sense of humor – as often develops in soldiers, medical personnel, and morticians. In effect, a personality trait that develops from his skills and backstory.

Thus, some of the questions you can ask about your characters to begin them include:

What are their goals, long and short term? Who are their closest relationships, and what are they willing to do for them? What skills do they have, and how did they acquire them? Where have they lived and visited, and how did this impact them? What vulnerabilities do they have, and why? Why is this character in the story at this time and place, and what impact do they have on the story?

Most of these questions should be asked for protagonists, major antagonists, and deuteragonists; minor characters and “extras” fill these in as needed.

Characters are the life of a story, and developing them often involves diving into their perspective and motivations. Knowing how they would respond, to create internal consistency. If the author cannot empathize with their characters, then the reader never will.

Writing the personalities of characters as they respond in real time is a delight; and starting them could be as simple as a dream brought to paper.