Characterization is one of those writing concepts I understand in theory, but have a hard time putting into practice. While I have no trouble coming up with backstory, plot and complications, I struggle with getting that out on paper. Maybe every writer faces the same problem, getting the words down that they hear in their head. I find that I reveal character through dialogue, and the way they interact with each other. I often skate a fine line between dialogue and prose; I don't think I balance the two well.
I didn't realize the impact characterization had on my overall writing until working on revising And You Tell Me I Am Home. One of the initial critiques I received was that the first half moved too slow, and I figured it was due to a lack of tension between the characters. Once Zeke and Emma start fighting, the scenes started to pile up, get interesting, even for me as I wrote them. Once of the conflicts I'm working on developing is between Zeke and Jay, Emma's ex, and I decided to use character sketches to help.
Jay, since I modelled him after one of my best friends, was easy to write. Zeke, on the other hand, I really struggled with. Suddenly the traits that seemed good enough when writing the first draft - Zeke likes music, he plays guitar, parents are divorced - were nowhere near as complicated as I needed them to be. He was risking becoming a stereotype, and I couldn't let that happen.
In the next draft of the story, I have some ideas of how to broaden Zeke's (along with the others) characterization. I've considered better conflicts, flashbacks, letting the reader in on more of the backstory behind each of these people. As an author, it's my responsibility to make sure each of these characters become real on the page - the readers, as well as myself, deserve that much. I'm sure it will take me several drafts to get it right, but that's okay. I'm learning. And that's a process any writer should always be a part of.
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