Deepening the character of Luisa: Character-Building Exercise
During the writing course I took with novelist Blair Hurley at the University of Toronto in 2018, Blair provided us with a character-building exercise that I used to continue building my character Luisa.
Blair’s latest novel is called Minor Prophets which she describes as a dive into the dark side of (religious) belief. On her Substack, Novel News, Blair summarizes the book as “a story haunted by belief” that was “inspired by the hints of fundamentalism and apocalypse lurking around the edges of American life.” The book is about a girl growing up in an apocalyptic cult, and molded into a prophet by her father, the group’s charismatic leader (surface action). It is also about “self-discovery, complicity, survival, and the devil and the deep dark woods” (deep action).
I read Minor Prophets this past summer and couldn’t put it down. It’s a fast-moving story that had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next to Nora, the young girl who becomes a prophet in her community. Blair’s character-building exercise appears below and is followed by several examples of how I used Blair’s exercise to deepen my character Luisa.
Blair Hurley’s Character-Building Exercise (November 2018)
Name
Nickname
Gender
Age
Appearance
Education
Occupation
Money level
Marital status
Family
Relationships past and current
Places they visit a lot
Important possessions
Recreation/hobbies
Obsessions
Beliefs: religious/ethical
Political views
Ambitions
Religion
Superstitions
Fears
Biggest flaws
Biggest strengths
Pets
Taste in books/music
Favorite foods
Talents
Language/whistle/snap/listening
Samples of my answers that find their way into Home of Her Heart
Name
Luisa Gómez Rodríguez Silver.
Gender
Female
Age
17 going on 18.
Appearance
Long, black, curly hair.
Luisa is shorter and curvier than her sister Ana.
Luisa’s skin was deep caramel brown, darker than Ana’s.
Family
Born in Bogotá, Colombia to Inés and Juan Andres
Adopted by Harriet and Jonathan from Toronto, Canada
Birth sister Ana
Adoptive sister Clare
Obsessions
Returning to Bogotá, Colombia, home of her heart.
Talents
Luisa is a talented painter who likes painting portraits.
Language
Speaks Spanish as well as English; Spanish is the language of her heart even though she now speaks it with an English accent.
Sample of the way my checklist answers moved the story forward in Home of Her Heart
Name: Excerpt from Chapter 1
Luisa held her breath. The Colombian border control officer peered at her passport. Looked up at her, then down at her photo again. Her heart was racing. If he asked why Luisa was alone, she might be in trouble. She was only seventeen. Maybe too young to be travelling without permission from her parents.
“Are you here by yourself?”
He spoke quickly, and it took Luisa a moment to translate his Spanish into English. The question she’d been dreading.
“Yes, I mean, si.”
Luisa couldn’t believe she’d answered him in English. The language that had been her nemesis was now the first thing out of her mouth.
The officer stared at Luisa for several long seconds and then continued in Spanish. So did she.
“Where are you from?”
It was a complicated question. Louise kept it simple.
“Toronto.”
“What’s the purpose of your visit?”
“I’m volunteering at El Orfanato Para Niños y Niñas in Bogotá.”
“What are you going to do there?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
The officer gave her another long look and then glanced down again at her passport.
“Luisa Gómez Rodríguez Silver.” He took his time saying Silver, drawing out each syllable.
“Yes.”
“Canadian?”
“Yes.”
“Born in Canada?”
“No. Born in Bogotá. Silver is my adopted name. Gómez is my birth father’s name. Rodríguez is my mother’s.”
“Your adopted family is Canadian?”
“Yes.”
“How old were you when were you adopted?”
“Ten.”
“Does your family know you’re here?”
“My adopted family?”
He frowned, immediately suspicious. “Yes, your adopted family in Canada.”
Luisa nodded earnestly and lied. “Of course.”
Sample of the way my checklist answers told readers something about Luisa in Home of Her Heart
Appearance (in comparison to her sister Ana): Excerpt from Chapter 1
Although they were birth sisters, Ana and Luisa didn’t look alike. Luisa had long, black, curly hair. Ana’s was straight. She was tall and thin, Luisa was shorter and curvier. Luisa’s skin was deep caramel brown. Ana’s was much lighter. When they moved to Toronto, Ana’s gorgeous straight black hair and light skin made it easier for her to fit into their new school, which was almost totally White. She didn’t stand out. Luisa did. Ana was able to make friends. Luisa wasn’t.
Language: Excerpt from Chapter 2
(a conversation between Luisa and Sophia, a girl living in the orphanage where Luisa is staying during her return trip to Bogotá)
“So, what are you going to do here?” Sophia asked.
“I was planning to help Sister Francesca in the kitchen, but Sister Lorena wants me to teach English.”
Sophia couldn’t believe it. “But you’re not a real teacher! Have you even finished high school?”
“Of course I finished high school!” Luisa replied flushed with heat, unable to hold in the anger any longer. “I’m applying to university this year, just like you.”
Claudia tried to smooth things over. “What are you going to study?”
“I’m not sure yet. Maybe Spanish and Latin American studies.”
“If you want to learn about Latin America, you should study here,” said Claudia.
“I don’t think my Spanish is good enough to study here.”
“Actually, I think your Spanish is pretty good.”
Luisa felt a rush of gratitude. “Really? I worked really hard not to lose it.”
“But you have a really strong accent,” said Sophia. “You don’t sound Colombian.”
It stung, and Sophia knew it.
Working through the categories of Blair’s character-building exercise can provide some surprises and show writers something new about the characters they are building.
In my next post, I will continue to discuss the work of character development and share a different kind of exercise by screenwriter Linda Seger who wrote the popular book Creating Unforgettable Characters.
All the best,
Tara
References
Hurley, B. (2023). Minor Prophets. IG Publishing.
Hunter Johnson, Claudia. (2020). Crafting Short Screenplays That Connect. Fifth edition. Routledge.
Seger, Linda. (1990). Creating Unforgettable Characters. New York: Henry Holt.