Give Your Character Attitude

Dig deep and you’ll find attitude, and when you find attitude, you find voice. ~ James Scott Bell in Voice: The Secret Power of Great Writing.

What kind of attitude does your main character display? Do her words drip with sarcasm? Is his inner monologue colored by his bleak outlook? If your character doesn’t ooze attitude, maybe you need to dig a little deeper.

These simple exercises will help you dig deep and explore your character’s attitude.

One-word lists

Make a list of ten or so words that your character would use to answer questions such as:

• What are you most afraid of?
• What keeps you up at night?
• What are the dreams you are afraid to tell anyone about?
• What makes your blood boil?
• What turns you into a puddle of mush?

The more intrusive the questions, the better the results. You are trying to force your characters to reveal their deepest feelings, which will color their attitudes.

Connect the dots

Choose a random word from one of the above lists. Free-write about that word from your character’s POV. After a few minutes, randomly choose another word and connect it to what you’ve been writing. Write for a few minutes and then select another word and connect that to what has come before. Keep going as long as you like. Did you discover any interesting connections that surprised you? Did the combination of words take you down a path you would never have thought of? Did you unearth any gems of attitude that make your character more complex or in-your-face?

Do the unexpected

Imagine your character in a typical setting. Now, imagine they do something destructive, like smash an expensive vase, kick the dog, or set a building on fire. Brainstorm what might motivate the character to do such a thing. Keep digging until you discover something that resonates. How can you tap into this deep well of passion in the pages of your novel?

The autobiography

Imagine your character as an older person, twenty, or perhaps fifty years in the future. Put them in a situation where they are compelled to relate their past to someone. When the character remembers the incidents in your novel, how would he talk about them? What would he mention, and what would he rather not think about? What attitudes and revelations would hindsight have given him? How can this exercise inform his character arc?

Mood music

Choose a piece of music that has a distinct mood (romantic, suspenseful, victorious, jubilant). Instrumental music works best. I suggest pieces from sound tracks—especially from movies you haven’t seen recently. While listening to the music, free-write from the POV of your character. Try a journal entry, or plunk the character into a situation from the story and let them react however they like. The more they ramble about their feelings, the better. Now switch to a different piece of music and try again.

This exercise may be particularly useful if you are struggling to understand their reactions to a specific situation. Identify the emotion of the scene and listen to music that captures that mood. The emotions in the music might pull new emotion from the character.

In conclusion, the more attitude your characters exhibit, the more memorable they will be. A writer should not be a good parent, gently instructing our characters to be on their best behavior. Instead, we should prod our characters into letting their attitudes shine for all to see—rude comments and all.