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Joined: 3/16/2011
Posts: 279
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Today I was working on the second draft of my story, Bon Voyage and I realized something...
I think one of my characters may be a little too real. She's got more baggage than Paris Hilton going on vacation. I wonder if I shouldn't smooth some of that back, make her more simple?
Most of my writing experience before attempting to write a book has been nothing but character development. Creating characters, giving them life experiences, issues, phobias, backgrounds and family. I think I may have to tone that down for writing a novel.
What do you guys think? Can you think of any books with characters that are too realistic? Or books that strike the perfect balance?
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Joined: 4/27/2011
Posts: 6
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Provided the explanation of all her baggage isn't getting in the way of the story, I say leave it. Complex characters are interesting.
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Joined: 3/12/2011
Posts: 376
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Keep the character as she is. As KS said, if some piece of baggage doesn't advance the story or inform the reader about the character (*why* does she hold herself physically aloof?) then keep it in your notes, but don't put it in the story.
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Agreed!
Character development is incredibly important in a novel so you definitely don't want to simplify her and make her less human. It's those flaws and that baggage that will make her compelling and relatable to your reader.
There is a fine line though. While emotionally messy is realistic, you don't want to make her so messy that she comes off as a caricature or give the reader that feeling of "Oh, of COURSE, that happened to her TOO. Riiiiight." LOL
One way to avoid this, as everyone has noted so far, is to trim back parts that aren't relevant to the story in some way. You don't want unnecessary drama (yes, drama IS sometimes necessary!  ) that's going to distract your reader from the story as a whole.
Another way to avoid it is to continue to ask yourself "If someone told me this in real life, would I believe it?" Some things are believable in their unbelievability (come on, you know what I mean) but then there are others that are just too much or too "convenient" for the story. So, I'm constantly asking myself if I "buy it."
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Joined: 3/16/2011
Posts: 279
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Thanks for the wonderful advice! I don't think I need to trim back on any of her baggage, for the most part it's stuff that she needs to overcome through the story.
The reason I was asking is, I was working on my character bible and sat back to look at this character as a whole and realized...if I met this person on the street, I wouldn't like her. There aren't many people on this earth I do like, so that's not saying much, but I guess it's a sign that the character isn't a Mary Sue or something.
I'm off for a nap, if that didn't make any sense I'll rewrite this post when I wake up!
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Joined: 3/16/2011
Posts: 214
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A lot of the people I know IRL, as well as the things that they do, so many things that they’ve become, are indeed stranger than fiction. As in, they’re unbelievable. Really unbelievable. And they do inexplicable things that logically make no sense.
But as far as a character’s personal history? I dunno about that. I think that it all depends on where your characters are in life. Usually by the time most people reach a certain age – mid-30s or so – they’ve been divorced, have had children with other spouses, have lost jobs, changed careers, and have experienced significant milestone events. I personally feel that to be fair to readers, it’s important to reflect what’s usual and expected, even if it does mean giving the character a little extra baggage. It makes them genuine – and real. ☺
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Joined: 10/4/2013
Posts: 1
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There is such a thing as a character being too realistic, but usually it means that they're too boring. If your character has a lot of backstory and you think that's weiging them down, I would suggest refraining from stating it directly, and maybe just making small hints about it through her dialouge or reveal it piece by piece, as not to overwhelm the readers with her baggage.
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Joined: 4/28/2011
Posts: 24
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I agree with what Vega19 said about too realistic characters. The times I've heard people say that characters were too realistic, it was a subtle way of saying the character was dry as dust. If you have a character with more baggage than a Trans-Atlantic flight, don't doubt yourself and water him or her down. The only thing I would recommend is that you reveal the baggage gradually. As it comes out, think about which parts of the character's past have the greatest influence over the decisions he or she makes and spend less time discussing the rest.
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Joined: 10/25/2013
Posts: 3
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yes in my views ....character building is main thing. the more your characters are realistic the more they attract readers. some times reader finds him or herself in that character.
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Joined: 6/7/2013
Posts: 1356
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I was thinking about this thread as I read the book for the blog post for yesterday, CARTWHEEL by Jennifer duBois. Her characters were so realistic, it made me kind of uncomfortable. I could tell that was the point of the book--she really wanted to make those characters' quirks and flaws come out. But sometimes it made me just want to back away from these people--it was definitely one of those books where no one was particularly lovable, and it was depressing.
That didn't stop me from turning the pages, though! I read it in 24 hours.
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Joined: 1/2/2014
Posts: 2
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In my opinion there is no such thing as a character that is too real. Having realistic characters helps hook the reader. There times I have stopped reading something because I have realized that the character is not realistic, or that their actions in the story do not match up.
I personely enjoy learning about a chartiters back story. Make your charter's emotional baggage believable, and if it is some thing that you make a big deal of, assure that it is important to the plot.
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Baggage doesn't make a character real. In fact, too much can make a character very, very fake. What makes a character real is how they react, and what they take out of the situation. How does the baggage define the character in their future? How does it make them unique? You can have a character with close to no baggage and still have them be real.
Overall? There's no such thing as too real. Real is the end of the spectrum. You can't go past it. But amount of baggage is not the determining factor of what is and is not real. So much more goes in to that.
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Can character can be too real? Probably not, but it depends on how your portray them in your story. Good character development is essential to your story. I personally do not based my characters on real people. however, I want the reader to feel as if they are real people, which means they should have a weakness or personal issues which hinder them from reaching their ultimate goal as well as strengths. One of the things i do, is created a profile for each of my characters. I include every possible thing I need to know about them. From family history to what their favorite color is. The more you know about your character and how to portray them in your story the better your story will be. I hope that helps
jlwordsmith.
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Joined: 11/17/2011
Posts: 1016
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My character, a talking cat, is based on talents/flaws/idiosyncrasies of me and my husband, which makes it very easy to write about him. I've put our combined narcissism, intellectual curiosity, and charming/not-so-charming behaviors out there for all the world to see.
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Writing my occasionally adorable pompous little ass is a snap. Real, in case you haven't noticed, is full of potential humor.
--edited by Mimi Speike on 1/19/2014, 4:14 PM--
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Joined: 3/23/2015
Posts: 12
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If a character seems too realistic, congratulate yourself. Characters like that tend to make a story interesting, for as long as he is still connected to the story in some way. A character who is realistic is relatable, and when a character is relatable, he/she will often be the topic of bookclubs, forums, heck even strangers, which will help you a lot when you decide to publish your works. --edited by genfr1tzie on 4/16/2015, 11:15 AM--
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Joined: 4/23/2015
Posts: 38
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When you said that if you met your character in the street you probably wouldn't like her, I smiled. I have characters like that. I don't think it's an issue though, personally. There are aspects of my closest family that I don't like that doesn't mean I don't love/like them as a whole. I think it's important that main characters have some flaws and the baggage thing sounds great, it sounds to me that you have a well-established character. Congratulations!
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Joined: 8/20/2015
Posts: 19
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If a character is realistic then they are believable, which is good.
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Joined: 12/1/2015
Posts: 3
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Isn't there a certain expectation for a literary character that in some ways requires them not to be too realistic? I am thinking of a novel I worked on last year. My main character responded as I felt I would respond to situations - i let her cry, rage, weep, mourn, etc as bad things happened to her. I thought I was writing a realistic character. But when I got feedback I heard she was too whiny, too needy, and too reliant on others - and I realized it was true. The protagonist has to be DOING, and solving for herself. SO I changed her. But in real life I don't have to solve all my own problems. I can let others take care of me. I can whine and wait for someone to show up and help me (and often I do - so I'd better not write a story about myself!)
This is what I think of when I think of a character being too realistic. OR take YA fiction - how many teens do you know who have the wherewithall to change the world? To solve crimes? to start revolutions? etc. As an adult, you read teen fiction and think "where are the parents and the teachers??" But I understand that the protagonists must be doing or it's not interesting. YEt, it's not realistic. Might not be what you were asking...but i feel like it's something no one ever talks about.
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