So, on to stock characters. I try not to use them, personally. Because, well, they're boring.
Sure, The Hobbit could never have happened without a Wizard. And sometimes you do need stock characters: they aren't just for playing Dungeons and Dragons, y'know! They're useful, for getting your story going. Keeping it moving. I have a nasty wizard in one manuscript and a nasty landlord in another, and each has his specific Victim. I'll admit that.
Doesn't mean I like using them.
However, if you look at any story, you can pick out these elements -- English teachers have been doing it for years! It all comes down to these basics, in the end.
It's what you do with the stock characters you find that drives the story or destroys it, in the eyes of an editor or readers. The way to do that is not easy. If you don't want extremely obvious Heros, for instance, then you must put up a fight with your own writing mind.
The way I do that is to try and see what I can do to give that person more depth.
1)what's he like to do? Say Sir Whatsisface plays chess -- badly, but he loves doing it. So then he could feasibly be around during some scene with His Majesty, because maybe that's something the upper classes do. Maybe the other knights make fun of him for it and he doesn't pay attention -- why doesn't he pay attention, I'd then ask myself? Does he not care or is he an imbecile? If he doesn't care, does he think he's too good for others, which should give me a clue to what he looks like. If he's an imbecile, that should tell me how he speaks, how somedays he might have his hauberk on backward, how he might not know what a unicorn is and the other knights might play pranks on him... and get him into this very prestigious tournament of live chess in the kingdom, where maybe he's set upon by one of the people playing a Rook and a whole other set of possibilities opens up...
2)what do they have in their past? So Sir Whatsisface might have been beloved when he was young but cursed by a nasty fairy to be stupid till -- what? Well, if it's till his true love's kiss, do you want to make that a man or a woman or a something else? If it's a man, it could be the king, in which case he'd logically have a reason to be playing chess with His Majesty. If it's a woman, maybe it's a prostitute from far away who somehow holds the key to his ending the curse. If it's a something else, well it could be any number of things, including a harpy who'd kill him, and he wouldn't understand that because he's had one too many bonks to the head... if on the other hand it is simply that he's had too many bonks to the head, well where'd he get them? What did he do? Is he a decorated fighter, is he a questing knight, was he on patrol when the gnomes attacked?
3)what does he look like? Sir Whatsisface might be tall or small -- if he's small, maybe he can get through keyholes. If he's a big guy, that makes him harder to not be the stereotypical "big lug". But maybe he's an officer of the Gingerbread Guard, who speak in tandem and are created by the kingdom and its magic. Or, maybe he's a dragon: well, so how'd he get to be a dragon? Maybe he's in the mouth of the dragon, because he's a big lug after all but was stupid enough to climb inside, and the dragon can't get him to shut up and stop asking stupid questions... Is he bald, then? How'd he lose his hair? Did the dragon singe it off? Does he have tattoos on his scalp? Does he have sideburns? Does he have both his eyes still, or did he lose one in a fight? He couldn't be blind... right? Or could he? A blind knight? Possible...
Ok, so I've looked at him. Stock character not so much anymore, at least I'm hoping so. You can do this with any of the stock characters and if you leave your mind open come to the darndest solutions.
Now for other stereotypes about them:
1)clothing - The instant thing that comes to mind, most likely, when I think of a Hero is: tall, tunic and leggings, maybe some armor, sword or bow and arrow across his back. But what if Sir Whatsisface fought naked and painted blue, like a Pict? What if that freaked out the enemy so the other knights always put him in the front, and he's not too bright, so he doesn't mind? Or, what if he chooses to go in front because he honestly believes he's invincible? (there are various shades of "not-too-brightness") Or, what if he actually is invincible? So he can do anything... Ok, so let's have him wear clothes now. What is his favorite color? What if he wears a specific brooch because it was his beloved's who died years ago, what if he has a sword he took from a dragon's lair back before he became an imbecile and that sword is very important somehow. What if he refuses to wear the colors of the king's guard because it's against his religion, or what if he wears a band around his leg to remind him of -- oh, wait, he doesn't know anymore, could that be a story?
2)accessories - Sir Whatsisface carries knives about his person. Uh... that's not quite as stereotypical as a woman doing it. Does he even know where they all are? What's he carry in his belt pouch, another stereotype, but we can work with this. He could have your generic meatroll, some coin of the realm, maybe a small vial of poison -- wait, what's he doing with poison? Does he know? Is that actually a meatroll or is it something that looks like a meatroll and is actually a pet? That he has to feed with poison? So where'd he get it? Why does it stay with him? What if he actually has something other than coin of the realm he's living in? What if a highwayman switched pouches with him? (ooh, then our Hero is in for it the first time he reaches into that pouch to try for what he thinks is a meatroll... or what if the Highwayman got the pouch with the creature inside instead?)... What about his shoes, does he wear any, or does he wear the kind that tie to your knees? Does he wear pumps or flat-foots? What kind of armor does he wear? Leather? Metal? Something else?
Personality is the third thing I'm going to touch on with regards to characters, and how I work with them. Here's the stereotypes I see most commonly in fantasy:
Hero/knight - dumb fighter (my take: Cherryn, a girl in a future that is almost totally dependent on being "plugged in", who decides to fight the system and go on the run, from PariahOnline "Cherryn Unplugged" 2003... or Charlotte Kelly, a girl who comes upon her grandfather's sword and discovers how heavy it is when she tries to attack a troll with it - soon to be reprinted at TeenAge)
Thief - sneaky, but has a good heart (my take: the Highwayman Keivan le Crue, soon to be seen in "Flame in the Night Regions" Stereo Opticon anthology by Drollerie Press)
Villain - nasty, but it's because of his childhood, often speaks in a British accent, very slowly, is an egomaniac (my take: the people who have decided they don't want dragons near their homes, despite the fact those dragons are peaceful... from "It Was Wide, Long and Tall" Ultraverse 2005, or if you want something more interesting, how about the lady of the evil guy who was overthrown, but who loves him despite, and is homeless after his death? Is she evil? It's "The Gold" from Science Fiction Museum 2006 )
Wizard - bumbling and kind, often making mistakes, or pedantic ad nauseum (my take on the first: Brin, a wizard who meets and raises a dwarf baby, but turns into a raven when he dies... on the second: the wizard/bard from "He Who Sang the Song" Mythic Circle July 2007)
King - bumbling and kind, making stupid mistakes that'll get him killed in the end (my take: The Sun King, from "Golden Halls" Mythic Circle)
There are others, and I'm only talking fantasy, though I did include a couple stories here where I did science fiction. Granted, I don't always get stock characters out of their stock form, but I try my hardest!
Tags:
character_clinic, joely, writing
Posted at: 10:41 PM | Add Comment
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