The Use of Character in Short Stories

Posted by admin on October 17, 2008

Whether writing online or off, short stories rely on a few basics in order to be successful. While plot may be essential for most stories, for many stories there are no real twists or turns to follow and there may not be much in the way of action or adventure.

For these stories, and for all stories, the crucial elements are the characters and their interactions with each other.

A common mistake made by many new writers is to fail to fully develop all of the characters in the story. All too often the lead character or perhaps the lead and his supporting character are the only developed characters in the story. The remaining characters come across as paper figures. Their dialogue is flat and full of cliche phrases. They often do little to move the story forward and their interactions with the protagonists feel awkward and stilted.

Much of this can be avoided by taking time to understand their place within the story world. If these characters are to become interesting to the reader then they must first be interesting, at least on a basic level, to the author. Only then can the author place them appropriately into the story and have them interact in an interesting way with the main characters.

When writing for the online audience, often authors feel rushed because stories tend to be shorter.  Any audience, on the internet or in a magazine, however, requires the same level of depth and suspension of disbelief.  It pays to take the time to truly develop characters to give the story the necessary level of depth.

One technique for doing this is to simply write a quick paragraph about the character in question. From that little idea the author will quickly come to understand how the character will fit into the story – if at all.

For example, the protagonist may be passing a bellhop in a hotel lobby. The bellhop may have a bit of crucial information to give to the protagonist. How their interaction comes about will decide whether the bellhop comes across as a plot device or if he comes alive as an interesting addition to the story.

The author may write a quick paragraph about the bellhop:

A thin, greasy figure who was awarded this position because his brother-in-law conceded to his sister’s demands. He does not like vegetarians in general, and often complains about having to cater to the demands of the hotel guests. He prefers to wear a pair of yellow sneakers despite company policy and uniform procedures. He smokes excessively and has a rough voice.

From these few sentences the author now understands how to approach the scene, and can introduce the bellhop appropriately into the story. As the story progresses, the bellhop will have a logical place within the story world that will grow organically out of his naturally established place.

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