Characters and Character

“Character is much easier kept than recovered,” Thomas Paine said. But, what is character?

Personality is who people think you are; character is the real you. Character is all your deeply-held beliefs, your goals, your standards, the things that make you laugh or cry; your hates, your loves, your fears, your belief in what is right or wrong. Your inner core–that’s your character.

Those make-believe people who live within the pages of a cozy mystery–they are characters and they have character. It is fun to create each one, to decide their background and what makes them tick. Their true self shines through in words and actions.

In one of the mysteries I’ve written, the murderer has a sunny, helpful personality. A good friend and neighbor is the facade, the personality that fools a lot of people. However, one of the other characters (see how mysterious I am with not mentioning names?) can see right through this outer layer. She suspects that all is not well.

Characterization is, to me, the major component of a story. If the reader likes and empathizes with the hero, the story is a success. Character is at the core of each book, just as it is at the core in real life.

It’s fun but a little dangerous to try character analysis in real life. Listen to what someone is saying; watch the expression and body language. Do they match the words? Just don’t get too carried away with being an amateur psychologist and, for goodness sake, keep your diagnosis to yourself. It’s safer that way.