You have a wonderful character in your head, and you have vague ideas about the themes she will be dealing with. But you don't have specifics yet as to what the conflicts will be, and you don’t know how to develop the person in your head into a story. How do you go about creating a series of events for your character to interact with?
Plot Development: Think About the Kind of Story you Would Like to Write
There are three basic sorts of children’s book – plot-driven, epic and character-based. Read up about them and decide which one most appeals to you – and suits the character you have developed.
In character-based stories the character grows and changes over the course of the story through interaction with other people and the environment.
In epic stories the character changes through interaction with the supernatural, spiritual or philosophical.
In a plot-driven story the character does very little developing but faces an endless array of tests. He or she is tested against the environment.
Think Up a Back Story
A good place to start is to think up a back story for your character – let’s say she’s a young girl called Bethany. Bethany doesn’t just spring to life on page one of your story and cease to be as you write the last sentence.
She had a life before your story started, and it’s your job to know all about that life. So think about her family, parents, and the dynamics between the members of the family.
Where they have lived matters, what their family values are, whether they are an active family who take Segway Tours on holidays, or whether their holidays consist of lying around watching TV, bickering and ordering takeout.
Think of the family in terms of the world too. Where was Bethany on 9/11? What was the family doing when the Tsunami hit Thailand?
How did they respond when they saw it on TV? Did they change channels to something less ‘gruesome’, start raising funds, or go to the computer and learn all they could about Thailand, India and Tsunamis?
Character Development: Spend Time With your Character and Get to Know her Better.
When you know something about Bethany’s life so far, it's time to get to know her better. Think of this as being like getting to know a new friend.
The first meeting you form an impression of the person, and you learn a few details about who they are. But it’s only in spending time with them that you really get to know how they would react in particular situations.
Some writers run mental interviews with their characters. Try asking Bethany what she feels strongly about. And when you have thought up the beginnings of a plot and other characters, ask her what she feels about those characters and the incidents. You’ll be surprised at the answers your subconscious throws up at you.
Look Out for Incidents that Remind you of your Main Character
Be on the lookout for incidents that remind you of Bethany. You’ll find clues all around you if you remain aware. You’ll see children in the street behaving in a way that reminds you of her, you might see a program on TV about children with disabilities, and wham, you’ll know that she has a disabled older brother, and the story is going to be about how she decides to raise money to buy him a wheelchair. The story will come to you if you look for it.
Read about ways to get going with your novel for children.
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