One of the reasons that writer’s block strikes is because we don’t know what the heck our character is doing, or how to get them to do what they’re supposed to do.
For example, maybe your novel needs your character to punch someone – a mean classmate, a cocky co-worker – but they just won’t do it. Every time you try and write that scene, no matter what you do it comes across as cringy, stilted, unbelievable. It’s so frustrating!
But don’t throw your laptop out of the window just yet. First, have a think about your character. Would they do this thing they’re refusing to do? Have they done something like it before? Based on what we’ve seen of them so far in the novel, does it seem realistic that they would do this thing?
That’s not to say that they can’t do things they wouldn’t normally do – change is at the heart of the hero’s journey. But have they changed enough at this point of the story that they would do this thing?
Let’s keep with the example of punching a mean classmate. Say the character is a quiet teenager who has been bullied. Maybe he is willing to put up with it, but when the bullies turn on his crush, that’s what makes him act. This could be part of his character – he will put up with being bullied himself but won’t stand for it when it comes to people he cares about. There could be a specific example from the past that makes him act like this – maybe his older sister protected him in the past and he wants to be like her.
Or maybe he wouldn’t protect his crush – at least not yet. Maybe it’s too early in his development and something has to happen before he gets to that point. Some examples of what needs to happen might be that he finds his crush crying, or his sister reminds him to be brave, or he reads a Reddit post about how to impress your crush.
How do you know which is the right option? Here are some ideas:
- You could try completing a character workbook to help get to know your character better.
- Write the scene a few different times, with different outcomes. In the above example, you might write a version where he does save his crush, one where he doesn’t even think about it, one where he does think about it but doesn’t do it.
- Which was easiest to write?
- Which felt most in character?
- Think about some examples of when your character has acted a similar way in the past, and consider why they acted at that point.
- If they haven’t acted in a similar way before, what would make them do so now? What will be the tipping point? It doesn’t have to be a huge event that makes them do this for the first time, but it will be more believable if we have seen them inching towards this change.
If after thinking about it, your character wouldn’t do the thing you need them to do at this point in the story, don’t panic!
You might need to go back and add a little more development for their arc to get them to the point where they would act. Or you might need to change the scene – get someone else involved, maybe. You might need to push this crucial point later in the story and have something happen first to push them towards action.
This doesn’t have to be a huge effort – you don’t have to change your entire story so far. You just need to really think about why it doesn’t feel natural for your character to act this way, and make a few changes.
When I’ve had to do this, sometimes it’s just a matter of adding a couple of sentences, so don’t be worried that you’ll have to change everything. But you do have to do the work to figure out how to get them there. Getting to know your character better is THE best thing you can do to get through those rough patches. Your character will always know the way forward.
If you want some help getting to know your character better, I have a FREE character workbook for you when you sign up to my newsletter.