Honestly, I was kinda blogged out—until, after a multitude of phone calls and emails to kick start a Leave Of Absence from my night job, the following thought occurred to me:
“Rainey, you forgot to give characters in your new WIP health challenges, and/or physical limitations. Oh, for Heaven….”
Below, I’ve listed those that came to mind while on hold, for over 30 minutes.
Itchy skin, cough, autism, double vision, going bald, chronic fatigue, a whistle when someone speaks, arthritis, or, hey, a broken patella.
Now, how can someone hold a weapon with a tight grip, if their fingers aren’t strong, and bones are deformed from arthritis? Goodness! All the possible physical health challenges that await your characters!
Mental and emotional impairments? Depression, OCD, bi-polar, schizophrenia, or miserable memories from childhood that surface at the worst times, or in the strangest ways. Yikes!
Under the pseudo name of Robert Galbraith, JK Rowling created a mystery series in which the main protagonist, Cormoran Strike, (a private detective), lost his leg in an attack in Afghanistan. If that isn’t enough, Cormoran is the illegitimate son of a rock star and a former Special Investigation Branch Investigator. In addition to dealing with mental and emotional challenges, Galbraith’s words paint this character’s physical challenges with fatigue, and throbbing raw skin that readers can feel.
Are challenges enough to make your characters realistic and more relatable? There I was, lost in the beauty of falling snow and I wondered, how does weather alter my characters abilities? How does it amplify their determination? Their temperament? Their weaknesses? Create an emotional impact? Bring about a new side to them that even they didn’t realize they had?
Does weather increase or decrease their physical/mental/emotional pain? This is your character’s arc, their personal battle/growth during your story.
All these trials are part of life. But how do your characters handle them? Do they battle with them? Try to hide them? Deny they have them? Do people not believe they are really hurting? Does your protagonist get surgery for them? Attempt to overcome? Avoid physical therapy? Or succumb to them?
Let your imagination, observation skills, and technical knowledge create realistic characters.
Think out of the box when you develop your characters/character arc. However, use caution not to overdo. Yes, many people have multiple tests in life! That said, readers do NOT want overwhelmed with someone’s illnesses and challenges. Audiences want to know how the characters deal with, and overcome challenges. Of course, your readers not only learn, they get involved in your protagonist’s life AND cheer the MC onward to a successful ending.
