I’ve been rereading my work-in-progress, trying to get back into the mindset of the story so I can work on it. Usually by the time I’ve written 37,000 words, my characters help develop the story. No, my characters never take over — they always do what I make them do. It’s more that I know who they are, what they want, and who’s going to stop them from getting what they want. Unfortunately, during the first part of my WIP, my hero mostly contended with the ever-changing world, and the people he met were simply passing through his life. So now I have to create a whole cast of characters.
I’m thinking of having a contest — let people suggest characters, and if I use it, they get an acknowledgement in the book along with a copy of the printed book when it’s published next year. Seems a bit of a cheat, but it could be fun.
But I digress. One of the characters I have to create is a group. Sounds odd, but groups have a culture, a dynamic of their own, a character that is different from the sum of the individual members. Groups also develop, just like characters do, and there are several distinct stages:
1. Coming together and finding the individual roles
2. Defining the task.
3. Feeling unrest — disenchantment with the group and each other
4. Cohesion — beginning to feel like a team
5. Interdependence — work as a team, believe in the subculture they have created.
In addition to creating a whole new cast of characters and developing them into a group, I need to figure out how to get my hero to give up the relative security he recently embraced and go back out into the dangerous world and dubious freedom.
When the novel is finished, much of this scaffolding will be invisible to the reader, but I need to be able to see at a glance how all the parts fit together so I can show what’s happening rather than telling it. It sounds to me like a need a . . . gulp . . . outline. I’ve never outlined a novel before. Should be interesting.
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Bertram's Blog 
September 4, 2009 at 10:48 am
Pat, here are some things to consider about ‘the group’.
What is their stated purpose? Once you have the purpose, personalities will emerge. And your character’s reason for joining will become clear.
Is there a hierarchy? What are the positions? Are there Power grabbers? Or is it benevolent? This will help guide the willingness or lack there of for your MC to settle in or become more distant.
Would it be possible for a few of these ‘group’ members to bump into the MC in the first 37k?
September 4, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Sherilyn, good points. And I even have the answers to your questions! The hero did bump into a few of the group members in the first part, but their characters haven’t yet been developed. And the individual roles have been determined. Nurse, Leader, Power grabber (young turk), clown, victim, combatant, consiliator, opressor, seducer, taksmaster, scapegoat (all groups consciously or unconsciously pick a scapegoat to blame for whatever goes wrong).
Knowing all this is what makes an outline imperative. Too much to keep in my head. I need to find scenarios to show each of the individual roles, how the group came together, how the hero became the scapegoat — and all without it being apparent to the reader what I’m doing.
Or perhaps my supposed need for an outline is simply another way of procrastination. Seems like I’m getting very good at that!
September 4, 2009 at 11:52 am
This is interesting! I hadn’t thought of a group as a character before . . . of course it fits — as a city or landscape becomes its own sort of character. Or the sea in Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. I like this way of thinking, Pat. Helps me with focus on a “group” I’ve inadvertently created in my new WIP, a “group” which appears from time to time in the chapters as “those in the neighborhood” . . .
Always informative and a pleasure to read your posts, Pat. Thanks.
September 4, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Hi, Lynn! I’m delighted you stopped by. I’ve had groups in books before, but I never thought of them as characters, but I suppose all groups are even if the author doesn’t know that they are!
September 4, 2009 at 1:35 pm
I’ve done outlines for 5 of my 6 books, and I’ve done outlines for other writers. It’s not fun, per se, but effective. Here’s one way:
Get 3×5 cards, make a list:
– Title
– ? scene of chapter ?
– Protagonist/narrator/POV
– Protagonist’s goal
– conflict
– disaster
I wrote a blog on story structure or story breakdown of the 3-act movie or novel. Goes something like:
Protag
goal
conflict
first turning point
plants
first act climax
second act turning point
goal, conflicts, plants, disaster
third act turning point
disaster, action, confrontation and climax.
if there’s a fourth act, then I stick that here.
There are more than enough examples online, Pat. I guess it means finding the one you feel comfortable with.
In your case, with a group outline, I think I’d start small and build from there. Start with #1 and so on. Then do a mind map of the entire outline. Or not.
September 4, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Sorry, meant to say that you could assign coloured 3×5 to each individual. Then do a chapter outline for each chapter. Lay them on a flat surface under headings Act one, Act two, Act three. And then list them under the acts. By the colours you’ll be able to see if there’s a formula at work or if there’s any blanks that need filling in.
Hope that makes sense.
September 4, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Makes sense, but so much work!! I am impressed that you go through the trouble of figuring out so much of the story ahead of time. I usually have a character do something, then figure out the ramifications later.
September 5, 2009 at 11:21 am
Oh Lord, no. I do this ‘AFTER’ I’ve finished.
September 5, 2009 at 11:22 am
First time around, there are so many holes in my plot that goosebumps build on top of my hot protag until she’s grabbing that winter down jacket and looking like Mama Bear instead of sexy vixen what’shername.
September 5, 2009 at 11:24 am
I’ll get this right eventually. I only do an outline on what I’ve written if I’m stuck. Otherwise, I keep on typing.
September 5, 2009 at 12:25 pm
I’m an “after the fact” outliner too — it’s how I keep track of the story details. I did go through my scene notes yesterday and got them on index cards. Maybe that will help.
September 4, 2009 at 6:32 pm
This is interesting. I’ve never really outlined, though I did create a scaffolding when I had a pile of related stories and wanted to put them together into a novel. I “synopsis”d, but outlining’s much harder.
Personally I’d recommend talking to the “people” in the group till someone pulls you in. Then you can use their definitive version of what happened next.
September 4, 2009 at 7:29 pm
After seeing the “O” word, I need a large glass of Scotch.
Are you thinking that your group won’t be cohesive if you start writing about it without the “O” word or the mission statement?
Malcolm
September 4, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Wait a minute — maybe I should rethink things. You wrote a novel where you just let it all flow out. I wonder what would happen if I tried that? Utter chaos, perhaps, but maybe a bit of fun? At least more fun than . . . shhhh . . . an outline.
September 5, 2009 at 7:44 am
What is the worst that can happen with that chaos where worlds are waiting to be born.
September 5, 2009 at 12:24 pm
I like the way you think!
September 5, 2009 at 9:06 am
I’m not an outliner either, but I did have to create an intricate timeline for Seeds of September so I could follow the characters through 50 years. We do what we gotta do, Pat.