When the Characters Become People and Doing Things We Don’t Expect
When we read a story and start getting to know the characters, we think we know how they will behave. We also believe what their thoughts are.
What happens, however, when the characters start behaving like people and doing things we don’t expect?
What are the consequences on the reader of this “twist” regarding the characters’ behavior? Let’s find out together.
When characters become people (and do things you don’t expect)?
And then, there are the “rounded” characters. This concept was also taken up by the British writer E.M.Forster. His essay “Aspects of the Novel” also discussed this particular characteristic.
These types of characters are multifaceted and complex.
Sometimes they are contradictory and unpredictable (positively or negatively), and they amaze the reader with their moves.
They are usually the main characters in a story because they occupy the scene longer, and the author can enrich them with details and nuances.
Why do characters have to become people?
Indeed, characters, especially the main ones, should never be monolithic and should not always remain the same from beginning to end.
If it is a short text, such as a short story, usually the main character is represented with precise characteristics that are confirmed until the end of the story, but in more extended writing, such as a novel, it is essential that they evolve: the vicissitudes they go through cannot leave them indifferent.
A successful character grows throughout the story and, on this journey, takes the reader with them.
The unexpected character change is a magical element that causes amazement and acts as a catalyst for the reader.
In this way, a new element is created that leads the reader to continue reading to find out how many more surprises the characters in the narrative have in store for us or even simply to understand who that character really is.
How should you act when a character does something unexpected?
Simply get out of the way. You should let go of the imagination and let the character express themself freely.
A writer cannot completely control a character. Nor can they make them always act correctly and impeccably or according to their own ideals.
We may divide characters into flat and rounded.
E.M.Forster
Create your unexpected character thanks to bibisco
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Conclusions
In certain situations, the narrative leads a character to behave unexpectedly. Let them do that; let their imagination run wild. That is the beauty of storytelling and an element of surprise that will play in your favor with the reader.
