by Cynthia Wall

Created on: August 02, 2008   Last Updated: November 03, 2008

"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." George Orwell had a great first line in 1984.

So did Salman Rushie in The Satanic Verses. "To be born again" sang Gibreel Farishta tumbling from the heavens, "first you have to die."

If you're like me, trying to polish a novel, first lines are fairly easy. "Mornings are the hardest because I have to be SO quiet." What comes after is the real challenge. In my case, telling the story of a runaway girl hiding in someone else's house, the work is in developing a flawed character who can grow and change in the path that all mythic heroes follow.

As we've heard from Joseph Campbell and more recently from Christopher Vogler in his book, The Writer's Journey, memorable characters along with compelling plots share
many commonalities. Our main character should be one who sets out on a journey. It can be an inward journey (such as fighting drug addiction) or a physical journey (the detective who travels cross-country to find a killer). Along the way, the character's personal weaknesses will stand in the way of success. There will come a point when it appears all hope is lost and then the character will change and grow and do something that makes his life or quest turn.

"If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten." This quote from Anthony Robbins is as true about character development as it is about life. If your character does not change, your story will not keep readers reading. It's not hard to assign character flaws to a main character. I simply look at my own life. Any of the fears that I have which keep me from succeeding can be transposed into my character's fears that hold him or her back. My fears may be small but under the author's spotlight, they are changed into larger than life ones for my struggling character.

If you are able to successfully develop a great character arc in which a person changes and succeeds, the final plot question is the ending. There's a saying in film writing "enter late and leave early." The same holds true for great novels. We don't need to have an epilogue that chronicles the marriage and family life of our character. It's better to leave readers wondering as in "For tomorrow's another day," Scarlett O'Hara's last line in Gone With the Wind. Wondering if she will ever get Rhett back is much more interesting to contemplate than knowing for sure one way or another.
An intriguing beginning, a flawed character who changes, an ending that

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>