Writing Unpredictable Characters

As writers (and readers), we often hear (or think) some variation of:

“Don’t let your characters act predictably. Keep it fresh. Keep us guessing. We want to be surprised, not bored.”

Ruggedly handsome mystery novelist Richard Castle said:

“Life should be an adventure. You want to know why I killed Derrick [Storm]? There were no more surprises. I knew exactly what was going to happen every moment of every scene. It’s just like these parties. They become so predictable.”

The point is, it can be downright tricky to actually DO this. My golden rule for keeping characters, reactions and situations unpredictable is threefold:
  1. Brainstorm several possible reactions/actions your character could take for a given scene. Write them down.
  2. Cross off at least the first two. You don’t want to use these; they’re likely too obvious.
  3. Review the rest of your list, especially the last few options. Play around with the possibilities. Ask yourself if any are a) mildly realistic, b) intriguing to readers. Chances are, you’ll find a scenario with a lot more oomph and surprise than you initially thought. Have some fun with it! Instead of having your heroine fight off that nasty zombie were-bear, what if she lassos it and rides it into battle on the side of good? Didn’t see that one coming, did you? Your readers won’t either.

13 comments:

  1. Excellent tips :) I'm glad I saw the first episode of Castle recently, as I know understand that reference :)

    Completely agreed, though. People generally are unpredictable, and sometimes surprise even themselves, so it pays to not go down the expected route when it comes to character development :)

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  2. I like this, and you're right - you don't want to be too predictable. Keeping readers on their toes is what makes writing so much fun!

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  3. Great tips. I really liked your brainstorming idea. And thanks for the example.

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  4. Excellent tips! As I ponder another book, I know this is something I will need to do to make the story original.

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  5. Great ideas! I'm definitely going to use your brainstorming ideas on some of my characters. It also sounds like there are some more shows I should be watching :)

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  6. GREAT tips, Nicole. As a reader, I'm always so disappointed when I can see plot points and twists coming a mile away. I love it when a book knocks me off my feet, or sets up a plot and then turns it back on itself. I try to do that with my stories but it can be tough to know whether things are too predictable. I guess that's why we have CPs! :)

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  7. I guess knowing when to throw in the twist comes with making unpredictable characters.

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  8. this was awesome! so helpful! glad i stopped by!
    happy friday =)

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  9. I haven't ever seen NCIS... but my wife works next to one here in Hawaii, so I'll have to make sure I don't get in any car crashes while driving close to that office :)

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  10. NCIS does have some great writing lessons.

    One thing I love about not "building" my characters and letting them grow on their own is that I'm always surprised in the best way possible. :-)

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  11. Nice tip! I have to say I can't watch any more police procedural shows. I used to love them but there's only so many new crimes/serial killers you can device and still be original. The tip still stands, though. Being predictable is the #1 way to loose a reader. Thanks Nicole!

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  12. I love the list idea. That's not something I ever considered. Breaking Bad also had some great lessons in the way of unpredictability. They threw wrenches into everything, keeping their audience intrigued and on edge. There's not much worse than a boring story. I'll have to check out NCIS at some point.

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  13. Great tip. I'm putting it into practice today with the story I'm working on.

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