Jean Valjean, James Bond, Sherlock Holmes, and other great fictional characters:
Wattpad brings you a guest post from Ian D. Ghrist, writer of scifi action “Dawn of the Epoch,” about archaeologist Hunter Price and his scientist wife Tiyana, who accidentally unleash a darkness buried long ago…
Great characters are carefully developed. Unfortunately, they do not spring to life on the page of their own volition. In a California Federal District Court case called, “Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. v. American Honda Motor Company,” the Court struggled with the issue of whether James Bond was a copyrightable character or whether he was merely a “stock” character, a generic spy hero. Of course, the Court held that James Bond was not just a generic spy hero; instead, he was a unique creation. But what is it about Agent 007 that makes him so special?
The Court said, “Like Rocky, Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, and Superman, James Bond has certain character traits that have been developed over time through the sixteen films in which he appears.” The Court described these characteristics as his “cold-bloodedness; his love of martinis, ‘shaken, not stirred;’ his marksmanship; his ‘license to kill’ and use of guns; his physical strength; and his sophistication,” among other things. The Court also pointed out the “music, pace, and mood” that go along with the character.
Movies and graphic novels can create characters visually, but books must rely solely on description. Fortunately, this can be an advantage, rather than a disadvantage. For example, Victor Hugo’s depiction of Jean Valjean and Inspector Javert is richer and deeper than movie/musical portrayals, which are only glimpses of the original masterpieces.
So, how does one create awesome characters? Here are three ways to get a good start:
1. Use character templates. Fill them out before you even start writing the story. There are hundreds of these available online. Get on your favorite search engine and do a search for, “character profile” or “character template for a novel” or something along those lines. You will find plenty of options.
2. Think about the range of emotions that people feel. Look at Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions (again, just type it into your favorite search engine). Give your characters a background that takes them through the wheel and makes them who they are.
3. Give your characters distinctive characteristics, like Bond’s sophistication and marksmanship or Tarzan’s feral nature and inquisitiveness.
Dawn of the Epoch introduces the Dahjaat, a race of prehistoric, supernatural giants. After remaining frozen in stasis for thousands of years hidden deep beneath the earth’s surface, they are unwittingly awakened. The story also features the Aldenduenum, pre-historic humans who left traces of their sophisticated technology behind when a worldwide typhoon wiped them out. I liked stock characters like zombies , vampires, ogres, cyborgs, wizards, cyclopes, minotaurs, treasure hunters, dragons, sea monsters, and knights, so I mixed and matched from stock elements, added features of my own, and created new products. Wattpad has whole genres set aside for vampire and werewolf stories. Maybe one day, Wattpad will have a Dahjaat genre? Given, however, that vampire stories were told around Transylvanian hearths before the printing press was invented, I have centuries of catching up to do.
By the way, Bram Stoker did not invent vampires. He only popularized them by inventing the most infamous vampire character of all, Count Dracula.
Thank you for reading my post! I hope you got something out of it. If you are interested, then check out my first novel, Dawn of the Epoch, available exclusively here on Wattpad!
Dawn of the Epoch by Ian D. Ghrist:
Archaeologist Hunter Price and his scientist wife Tiyana are on the verge of a groundbreaking discovery. While digging deep beneath the Pyramids of Egypt, they uncover long-lost secrets. They awaken a darkness that was buried long ago.
An army rises from deep in the earth. A tyrannical demigod threatens to enslave millions. Mythical creatures are resurrected. Only the sage wisdom of a hermetic guardian living high up in the Himalayas can give Hunter and Tiyana the guidance that they need to stop the onslaught.
With the help of their Kenyan digsite manager and an Italian carpenter who lost his lover in the ensuing chaos, they follow clues left by a bygone race from a pre-historic era. Brute force will not be enough to end the devastation; they will have to become something more. With all of their guile and courage, they will take a stand against the darkness. They must be willing to sacrifice everything in order to preserve our beloved civilization.
Pandora’s box is open. Welcome to the dawn of a new epoch!