For those of you that missed last week, the last three Wednesdays of every month will be taken up by Key-Word Cavalry, my attempt to answer the writing related key-words that lead people to my blog but that I don’t think have received due attention from me.
So today’s key-phrase: Writing Quiet Characters.
For all my life, I’ve had two specific types of characters that I loved most. First would be the bad-ass. The second would be the Quiet One.
Both are awesome for different reasons, but in every movie with a Quiet Character, I’ve always been intrigued by one. After all. Their silence implies something. Something mysterious. Something awesome. And we want to know.
There’s a depth to them, since they’re the guys who have to put up with living in their noisier (and often stupider) companion’s shadow. Usually the noisy one would fail to function if the Quiet One were to be removed from the equasion.
Makes for some excellent entertainment. So of course, when I started writing Doorways I was excited to know that one of my main characters is a Quiet One.
Little did I know what a pain he could be to write.
See, in the movies, we’re constantly aware of his presence because we see him. Those moments that the camera focuses on him can be some of the most significant ones in the entire film.
In books, the reader can’t see him. Not unless they’re constantly reminded he’s there. Of course, I had the luck that his Noisy One needs and resents his presence at the same time. So if your quiet guy isn’t going to be the only main character, or if his noisy friend isn’t motivated to stay aware of him, I urge you to find a noisier replacement.
Still, the heart wants what the heart wants, so here are a few things to remember when writing a Quiet Character. (From own experience, so by all means, experiment. I’d love to know how it went.)
1) The character can never be completely quiet. Complete silence does not translate well to writing, unless we get to hear the character’s thoughts all the time.
2) There has to be a reason for his being there. Otherwise, the other characters in your cast will have to drag him along through the whole story. And as we all know, we cut the dragging bits out of our writing.
3) Strength. Presence. Conflict. Tension. He can maybe have two of these four characteristics missing. Any more, and we have ourselves a persona non grata. Someone who the readers will skip over when they encounter him. And it’s easy. Because he doesn’t have all that much to read about.
4) Something’s gotta give at some point. We the readers have to see him come into his own at some point. He has to get his voice, his moment.
5) For heaven’s sake. Let us see his reactions at some point. Don’t have him mutely follow everything he’s been told every time. Or let him, but let him be angry if it’s something he doesn’t want to do. He’s quiet, not emotionless or stupid.
Do you have a Quiet One in your story? How do you keep him from vanishing between the furniture?
I close this with the image of my favorite Quiet One. Yes he talks, but only because his subordinates don’t understand sign language.
The Five Year Project 