Building distinct characters

This probably applies more to authors that are trying to write a multiple POV book. It’s more about how to distinguish characters from each other by making them unique from one another.

If you want a great example of an author that I think does this really well, read Joe Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy. I don’t think I’ve ever read an author that built such tangible characters that were so distinct from one another. I literally could tell exactly which character I was reading without even seeing the person’s name or context. Absolutely phenomenal.

For most authors, we have a set way of writing our stories. Our voice and tone take shape as an overarching narrator of events. This is unavoidable. It’s the only way to tell a story. However, there are ways to make your characters feel more unique as an individual within the overall tone of the book.

1. Keep the characters separate as you write

When I’m writing a multiple POV story, I like to write one character at a time. For me, this gives me an opportunity to really dive deep within the character’s own personal antics and personality. I know their quirks and the way they think about the situations that arise. It just makes the story flow a little bit easier because I can trust the decisions of the character instead of forcing my own plots upon them.

I believe staying in a particular character’s headspace makes the character feel more consistent. In the past, when I’ve tried to jump from character to character in a chronological format, I felt like the styles started to blur together. Now this is very much a stylistic choice. Not all authors want to create that much distinction between characters because it can feel like completely different authors writing a story. But that’s just my preference.

2. Break the story into sections

Don’t write an entire character from start to finish. Keeping them separate is good, but you still need to make sure everything fits together cohesively. For this reason, I like to break my books into two parts. Once I’m done writing part one for a character, I switch to the next character. As I’m writing that character, I’ll see how I might need to tweak a few things with the first character’s POV.

By breaking it up, I feel like you still can keep your characters distinct from one another, without sacrificing the overall plot of how your story needs to come together. The last thing you want to do is back yourself into a corner with your writing. This can lead to writer’s block and just discourage you from finishing the other character perspectives.

The last thing you want to do is write an entire plot for a character, then realize it won’t work with another character’s storyline. When I was writing Stoneblood, I wrote Murgath’s character first. But then, as I incorporated Arkli and Sedra, I quickly realized I needed to make some major adjustments to Murgath’s plot. In the end this actually worked to my benefit, as it forced me to give Fae her own POV. But it still added months to my writing process, which was a pretty grueling process at the time.

3. Create character markers

Writing different personalities isn’t enough to create distinction between your characters. For example, writing a character that is smart or funny doesn’t really make them feel distinct from a narrative perspective. That just gives them a personality in the author’s story.

For me, what really creates a tangible character are the unique, identifiable characteristics of a person. What mannerisms, quirks, accents or phrases make one character distinguishable from another? In the First Law trilogy, Logen Ninefingers was clearly from the North. He spoke differently. He had catch phrases he’d repeat to himself. He was rough around the edges. Completely different from Glokta, who seems harmless and sophisticated until you see his inner monologue. If you haven’t read it, his books will do a better job than I can do it justice in this blog. It’s a masterclass in and of itself.

Let’s just take the characters from Stoneblood as an example. Notice that I’m not describing their personality traits, such as humorous or clever. I’m only showing the specific markers for a character.

Arkli

Rambling and distracted speech patterns
Internal monologue that we can only see with his character

Sedra

Uses a catch phrase of “Better not to do this or that”
Nervous habit of checking to make sure her horns are covered

Murgath

Uses a catch phrase of “Mm”
Uses one word sentences to convey emotion

Fae

Bites the insides of her cheeks
Uses the “–” to break apart her thoughts

Now of course there are exceptions to this. These example markers are just a general idea or guideline, but that doesn’t mean none of the other characters can’t have those traits once in a while. You just have to make sure not to overdo it, or they’ll start to blend together.