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Chapter 3: Developing Your Characters’ Backgrounds
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Usually, a short story focuses on a critical moment of a character’s life, while a
longer piece builds up to this moment. Whatever happens in your story usually
determines everything that happens afterwards.
In this exercise, you take a look at the whole span of a character’s life from
birth to death:
1. Write a scene in which your character is born. If you don’t know anything
about childbirth, talk to someone who does! The birth may impact
on the relationship between mother and child – a difficult birth may lead
to a difficult relationship later on.
2. Write a scene about your character as a young child, under ten years
of age. The scene can be set at home or at school. Try not to think too
hard about it; just write what comes to you.
3. Compose a scene about your character as a teenager. Is the person full
of teenage angst, interested in books or music, or drugs or sex? Does
she confront her parents and challenge their values, or conform and face
problems with her peer group? Does she leave home?
4. Write a scene about your character as a young adult aged mid-20s to
mid-30s. Is she working and in a relationship or on her own? What are
her goals and desires, and is she on her way to achieving them?
5. Move on to a scene set when the character is aged mid-30s to mid-40s.
Is she having a mid-life crisis? Does something happen that turns her life
around? Or does she have what she wanted and finds that it no longer
satisfies her?
6. Progress to a scene when the character’s in her mid-40s to 60. Has a
significant change taken place in her life? Does she need to make a big
decision to change things? What are her goals and aspirations now?
7. Portray the character as an old person, looking back on her life. How
does she face the prospect of old age and death? What does she think of
her life – is she satisfied or regretful? Does she need to make amends for
wrongdoings – or to achieve what she failed to do?
Don’t be too rigid about this step – just write what you think is most
useful for you. And don’t worry if the character dies at the end of the
story you have in mind, maybe halfway through her life – just write what
would have happened if she hadn’t died. In itself, this step can provide
useful information about your creation, who by now is a rounded person
you’re really getting to know.
8. Write a scene in which the person dies. For the purposes of this exercise,
it’s usually best if the person’s death occurs in old age and follows
on from the scene in step 7. But if you kill the character off early, just
write her death scene now!