Editing the Characters in your Novel

The biggest question for me as I begin the edit of my novel concerns my protagonist Danny Beck – what I need to know is will the world love Danny Beck as much as I do ?  Have I brought my Private Investigator to life? 

If  characters don’t live then readers won’t keep turning the pages of the novel. It’s as simple as that!

So here are the questions I will be asking myself as I read through my first draft – and I will be asking them not just of Danny but of all my main characters

Is he alive? Will the reader empathise with him?  Is he three dimensional: does he laugh, cry, hurt, have fun? Does he have both weaknesses and strengths? Can we see him, do we have a physical picture of him? Does he have a history?

Does he want something? Does he struggle?  Does he have major obstacles to overcome? Does he change? If he doesn’t change or grow then it won’t work – there is no real story arc. You need to ask these question of all your major characters

Does he continue to hold our attention or does he grow stale? How does he surprise us? Our characters should not always be predictable although they must be believable.

Is he consistent? For example, in the beginning of the novel I show that Danny is often hungry, always looking for food although worrying about his weight, so I need to ensure that this theme continues throughout the novel – although maybe at the end he is not so hungry anymore.

Is he on the page and not just in your head? I have certainly had the experience of creating a character who was real to me but who others found unconvincing. It came as a real surprise to me. This can sometimes happen when a character’s experience is close to your own.  Here, as in all aspects of editing, you need to look from a distance and take nothing for granted.

Some questions more relevant to minor characters are:

Is she necessary? if you removed her would it matter? Does she have a role to play?

Does she reflect the themes of the novel?

Have you introduced a character once and then forgotten about them? No character should be lost like this, if they are not important then they shouldn’t be there in the first place.

Are your minor characters consistent eg. are their eyes always the same colour? !

You are sure to find ways in which you can improve or add to your characterisation as you edit. As you do bear in mind there are many elements that come together to create a good novel but characters are the driving force behind them all.

Good Luck – here’s Danny…

Beck hurried away. He figured there was nothing he could do but take her with him to join the ghosts of the other dead women who lived inside him. Suddenly he was very hungry.

…. The Cafe Marino was several streets down from the Quayside. Beck went there when he needed to eat or think, or both. Once inside he saw that his usual table near the back was empty. He made for it, took his coat off, draped it over the back of the plastic chair, realising as he did so that his hands were shaking, and sat down. A man more used than most to daily dramas and tragedies, the realities of prison life, he was nonetheless shocked by what he’d seen. To compensate he ordered a bottle of house wine. It was rough, red, gut-churning, the only wine they sold. It would do. He’ d intended to ask for a glass but when it came to it, ‘bottle,’ was the word that escaped his lips… 

While we’re on the subject of editing I have made a note in the margins to locate the Cafe Marino more precisely with a small local reference. All part of my Newcastle research? Any suggestions?

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