Why do people read novels?
I think people read to find out what happens next. But what happens next is only interesting if it the “what happens next” involves characters or something important to a character.
Characters ARE your story. They act and react. They create emotion. They show motivation. Without any of this, you don’t have a story. That’s a tall order for your characters. So how do you make sure you’re getting the most out of them?
You edit your story and rewrite until your characters are performing at their best.
Characters and Novel Structure
Once you’ve finished your first draft, you most likely know who your characters are, what they look like, where they work, and so on. But what about how they fit into your story structure? To understand this and make the most of it, you must evaluate your characters in the context of the structure of your novel.
By this point, you know if you’re writing from first-person point of view (POV) or third person. You’ve also decided if you’re writing from multiple points of view. In essence, you know who is telling your story.
When thinking about the POV character for each scene, ask yourself:
- What is the POV external goal for the scene?
- What is the POV internal goal for the scene?
- How does the goal relate to the plot?
- What happens if your POV fails to achieve the goal?
- How does scene impact your POV character?
- How does the scene impact your protagonist (if not the POV for the scene?)
Once you’ve answered the questions, check each scene to ensure the reader will understand the answers. You can show, tell, or imply the answers. It’s up to you to find the right balance. You’re the creative one!
The more important an event, the more you should show the reader what’s happening. “Tell” the less important events, so the reader can move on to the good stuff.
Taking on the task of editing and rewriting your first draft doesn’t have to be overwhelming. A bit of organization will help you complete your rewrite without it taking forever. We created Fictionary to help writers perform their own story edit in a knowledgable and efficient manner.
Below is a look at my work-in-progress, Evolution, within Fictionary. Fictionary helps me focus on my characters on a scene-by-scene basis. It keeps me from convincing myself a scene is okay.
When I review each scene with a focus on the POV character’s goal for example, I know what my character wants. If a character doesn’t want something, the scene will lack tension, and hence be boring. In the scene below, Jaz Cooper has the POV. Once I know the goal, I can decide if she will achieve her goal or not. Sometimes she will. Sometimes she won’t.
I can assess her external goal versus her internal goal. The reader may or may not know what the internal goal is, but if I do, I can be consistent with my character throughout the novel.
It takes work, but I’m serious about making my story a great story, so to me, it’s worth putting in the time and effort. I’ll evaluate each scene focussing on characters, then I’ll evaluate with a focus on plot and setting.
Characters Per Scene
Fictionary shows you how many characters are in each scene. This gives you a chance to determine if you have too many characters in a scene. Too many characters might confuse your reader.
Scenes Per Character
Fictionary will also show you how many scenes each character is in and the order they appear in the novel. You can see I have 33 characters in my novel.
Jaz Cooper is in 85 scenes (good news for me as she’s the protagonist). Eighty-five is the maximum number of scenes a character is in. The minimum number of scenes a character appears in is 1. Dr. Patron is an example of a character who appears once.
Jaz is the first character to appear in the novel. Also good news. The less important a character is, the later he/she can appear in the story.
Fictionary is the first online tool for editing your story, not just your words. Think characters, plot, and settings. Find out more at Fictionary.co.
How Fictionary Works
A writer imports a manuscript. Fictionary automatically creates a character list, links characters to scenes, plots word count per scene, and draws a story arc.
The writer enters data regarding each scene, evaluates and edits the manuscript based the reports, and then exports the updated manuscript. The reports are dependent on the writer’s input and are created specifically for each manuscript. There are rewrite tips associated with each key element of fiction if you get stuck and need guidance.
Fictionary is designed for the serious author who wants to produce a high-quality manuscript.
Download our free eBook, Story Editing: 15 Key Elements of Fiction To Ensure Your Story Works and learn how story editing is all about evaluating the major components of your story.
Turn Your First Draft Into A Great Story
Try Fictionary for free. The first 10 days are on us. No credit card required.
Creative Story Editors 
Ideal for scatterbrained pansters as well as detail-orientated plotters. Also a great boon for the visually impaired too.
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Hi Madeline, I’m interested your comment about visually impaired. Could you expand on how this would help?
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Hmm–I’ll try–there is a condition called Keratoconus [don’t type that into images] and many other less common conditions–makes it difficult to read / see — a bit like looking into an old-fashioned cylindrical kaleidoscope where you can identify each image [perhaps] but you can’t tell which is the right one.
– here are some “safe” images http://bit.ly/2k8lYoc
Reading that back, it sounds garbled–but the images should clarify–thanks for asking and giving me the opportunity to jump in with my size tens 🐾
p.s. I do not suffer from this but I know a VIP {Visually Impaired Person} who does 😉📚
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Thanks for sharing, Madeline. I didn’t know this condition existed, although I know there are many different eye issues people have.
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Thank you for continuing to provide great tips and tools!
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My pleasure, Gary. Thanks for stopping by.
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Thank you for the many great tips and ideas. I’m using some of them while editing my WIP. I use Scrivener for the initial drafts of my novels, but might try Fictionary for the editing.
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Hi Christa. I write my first draft in Scrivener too. I love it. Then I import it into Fictionary to edit. We’ve put together a 4 step guide to export from Scrivener in the format that works perfectly with Fictionary. Here’s the link should you decide to give Fictionary a try: https://fictionary.co/importing-your-scrivener-manuscript/
If you give Fictionary ago, I’d love to get your feedback. We are gathering information from authors and update Fictionary every month. Thanks for stopping by.
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Hi Kristina
I always think that the best way to create a likeable character is to imagine that if you could sit and have a pint with anyone, imagine it would be them, male or female. What is your thought on that?
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Hi Tom,
That’s an interesting way to determine if a character is likable. I’m going to try it. I would add that now you’d have to take what it is you like about them and make sure that characteristics make it into the story. Not all at once of course. But bit by bit so the reader sees the likable traits in action.
I also pay attention to characters I see in a movie or read about in a book that I like, and then think about why I like them.
A character doesn’t have to be fully likable, but there should be something about them that readers can relate to. The character in Suits, Mike Ross, comes to mind. He cheats and lies, but he loves his grandmother. Even though he’s not fully likable, that one redeeming quality gives the viewers a reason to cheer for him. Later we find out he’s also loyal – another trait we can admire.
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Reblogged this on Author Don Massenzio and commented:
Check out this great post from Kristina Stanley’s blog on making your characters work for you.
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Thank you for sharing, Don!
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You’re welcome
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