A story is made up of plot, setting, and characters. The best stories have all three of these in spades and nicely balanced. I’ve commented on setting in my exploration of world building. The interaction between these three creates the value of a work and make a story more than a simple parade of words. I am fascinated by the interplay of these quantities and want to explore how pushing and pulling on one or another can build, change, or develop the others.

 

As an aside, Brandon Sanderson, author of the Stormlight Archives and The Mistborn Trilogy, does a fantastic course on writing fiction and deep dives into the structure of stories. I have learned a lot from the course and agree with his structuring which is the basis for my current theories on story telling. I’ve currently paused my watching through the series because I’m still reading through the example he is using (and loving it – definitely recommending Mistborn). This course is free on YouTube – if you’re interested in writing, check it out. 

 

Many of the stories that I tell Calvin and will form the basis for MirthnCo are character driven. Calvin requests stories based more on character than setting or plot. In the beginning, these characters were almost always based on his stuffed animals or action figures so each began to develop their own personality traits. Now, he has a pantheon of characters, some original and some of those older characters, which now drive the types of plots and settings they inhabit. When I do not have a pre-set story to tell him, the choices of these characters, driven by their experiences and personalities, literally develop their worlds as I tell these stories on the fly. 

 

Characters should be used to describe the world, give background to the plot, and drive the story. Long, narrative descriptions of a world can be done well but it is very tough. I am not talking about describing a scene, rather, I am talking about the broader world and its various environments, history, peoples, cultures, etc. Kelsier in Mistborn is a great example of this. No spoilers, of course, but even halfway through the book, he is one of the most compelling and interesting characters I’ve come across in awhile! Sanderson does little to outright describe the world in which the story takes place. Rather, he uses off hand remarks, memories, and conversation to flesh out the world and provide background. When Kelsier acts and speaks, the reader does well to read carefully to get the full depth of what he offers and not just the surface level activities moving the plot forward. 

 

My love of Marvel superheroes is no secret. When I was younger, I thought that I wanted my superheroes to be stoic and pure. As I grew older, I realized that these were impossible characters to develop and I simply did not relate to them. How, exactly, are you supposed to relate to a near-invincible alien that has super strength, super speed, can fly, shoot lasers, freeze rays, and has perfect disguises? Instead, I became fascinated with heroes that struggled with more earthly issues alongside of their heroic endeavors. Funny enough, one of my favorite heroes, Thor, has powers on par (arguably) with Superman and, yet, feels so much more human in his hubris, stubbornness, enthusiasm, and ultimate humility. These characters shape their settings and plots more than the other way around, which also leads to about a million alternate universes and conflicting plot lines. Headaches aside, I love the various worlds and versions of a hero that multiple authors develop over the years. Thor has gone from arrogant, invincible god, to humble outcast, to the All Father, to human, to a frog, to a thousand other alternatives, all Thor and all driving his story forward. 

 

I am working on two ideas related to characters apart from MirthnCo which I hope to reveal soon. Don’t worry, I am developing MirthnCo. Currently, I am working on building a proper backlog of stories to ensure continuity upon launch – more on that soon. The first explores the question of how long it takes to develop character and drive plot forward. My goal is to provide a glimpse into a tangible character and more a story picture along in as a few lines as possible. 

 

The other explores the idea of world creation through character development. Each character is to be developed by individual people. Make the character your own, add personality, add traits, add them into the larger community how you desire. Together the characters will create a fantasy world far broader and varied then any one mind could create. Granted, a “governing body” will likely be needed to guide, shepherd, and keep consistency but the goal is to drive world creation by the community on a broad scale.

 

All of this goes back to the idea of a well crafted character coming off the pages and being relatable, understandable, and real.