How to Draw Characters

An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Getting Noticed in a Noisy Marketplace

My daughter, the one I affectionately call Daughter Number 2, recently challenged herself to participate in a high school Debate Tournament, following in her mother’s footsteps. The topic? Be It Resolved that Santa Claus is a Dangerous Concept Which Should be Abolished. So, 6 AM, the morning of the debate, I’m surfing the net for stories of bank robberies and kidnappings by men in Santa suits. It didn’t take long before I got sidetracked onto something even better― a bunch of articles on The Santa Brand. (Let the kid do her own research!)

Gotta admit, it never occurred to me before, but Mr. Claus fits most of the criteria I set out in my upcoming book “Step Into The Spotlight! -’Cause ALL Business is Show Business!” (Publication Date: April 2008), criteria for developing a dynamic business persona using showbiz techniques.

In show business, actors, directors and playwrights spend a lot of time on character development. In business, we call this building a brand. A business persona, just like a character in a play, needs a unique look (white beard, rosy cheeks, an enlarged perimeter), a unique costume (Red Suit, much better for branding than Banker Blue), a unique name (Santa Claus), a clearly defined personality (Jollier than the Jolly Green Giant), a strong philosophy (You gotta be nice, not naughty) and the guy’s gotta know his lines and stick to the script (”Ho, Ho, Ho!”).

Santa does all that. And the guy’s consistent. You never see him in a blue Hawaiian shirt, even if he’s hanging out at the Honolulu Hilton in December. Try leaving your scarf or gloves or umbrella at a Chamber of Commerce Networking Breakfast. Would everyone immediately know to whom it belonged? They would if you forgot your red velvet hat with a dangling white pom-pom!

The Pillsbury Dough Boy, The Maytag Repairman and The Man from Glad also each have a consistent look and OK, the Dough Boy is irresistible. But none of these characters have the emotional connection with their audience that Santa has. And it doesn’t matter how many times you’ve seen Santa’s show, you’ll be sitting in the front row again next December. The Maytag and Glad guys stand for dependability, but Santa’s not only dependable, he stands for hope as well, ask any kid on December 24.

Speaking of kids, why is it that we let our kids sit on the laps of strange men in department stores? Why is it that year after year, chubby red suited guys get away with “naughty” deeds like robbing banks and kidnapping kids? Why? Because Santa is such a strong brand that not only kids, but adults, lower their guard and trust the guy. We even leave the guy milk and cookies by the fireplace and encourage him to break into the house when we’re all asleep. Even the Grinch Who Stole Christmas eventually succumbed to his charm as did the journalist who wrote “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus”. What does he stand for? Goodness and kindness and “pull out your wallet”.

Santa even knows how to work publicity. Many would disagree, but my philosophy has always been that it’s hard to burst onto the scene if you’ve been hanging around on stage all along! Santa doesn’t try to get ink 365 days a year. He lets Cupid have Valentine’s Day, lets the chicks and bunnies arm wrestle over Easter, leaves Thanksgiving to the turkeys and only then, bursts onto the scene after the stuffing’s been stuffed away.

But we’re talking business. You’re probably thinking, “Yeah Tsufit, but can the guy make money?” Yah Man! Actors are always asking their director “What’s my motivation?” and the classic joke answer is “To get paid”. Santa knows how to bring in the bucks as well as the next guy, better even. But there’s one question nobody seems to be asking. Who’s he making money for?

The major downside of the Santa Brand is that, unlike the Pillsbury Dough Boy or the Man from Glad or the Maytag Repairman, Santa will work for anyone. (You’d never catch the Maytag guy hawking computers on the side.)

I recently snuck out of a marketing seminar to visit the Coca Cola Museum in Atlanta and learned that although the Claus-ster’s been around for ages, Coke gave the guy his current look, Coca Cola Red suit and all, way back in the 1930’s and put him to work selling The Real Thing. But like Kleenex became just another tissue and Zipper became just another fastener, Generic Red Suit Santa started raking it in for anyone who wanted a piece of the action.

It’s nice that he lends his name to charity and stands on street corners pulling in bowls of dollars for the Salvation Army and unwrapped new toys for unfortunate kids. But that’s where I’d draw the line if he were my brand. In Showbiz, unique characters are the show’s best currency. If the character of Ugly Betty started showing up on Grey’s Anatomy and The Gilmore Girls and Desperate Housewives, it wouldn’t be long before she’d lose her draw.

The lesson here? Develop a clear living breathing persona for your business, but make sure it’s your brand, one that has a unique look, philosophy and connection with the crowd so people will pull out their wallets for you too. Before you know it, you’ll be rolling in more dough than the Doughboy!

iS

TSUFIT

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For many reenactors, military and civilian, one of the pleasures of a weekend spent in the field is that elusive moment when everything works. I’ve heard the sensation called “the bubble,” or simply “the magic.” There’s no way to predict exactly when it will happen. The feeling may last only seconds. But once you’ve experienced a moment that suddenly looks, smells, sounds, and feels so real that you completely forget your modern existence, you’ll be hungry for more.

I know I am. After a decade of reenacting, I’m not able to participate much any more. Instead I read, disappearing into the magic of good historical novels. And I write historical fiction as well, a hobby-turned-career that lets me spend time in imaginary scenes of my own creation. My most recent novel, Hearts of Stone, grew out of a Civil War refugee camp scenario at an event in Tennessee. And one of those “bubble” moments provided the kernel of raw inspiration.

Is there a novel in your future? If, like a number of reenactors I know, you’re interested in trying your hand at fiction, why wait until someday?

Reenactors are well poised to write historical fiction-much more so than many of the beginning writers I meet when I teach general workshops on the genre. As a serious reenactor, you’re already steeped in the history and social fabric of your chosen period. You know a lot about material culture and historical process. You’re experienced a
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t traditional research, and you conduct experiential research every time you participate in a new event or try your hand at a new activity. And you probably have an innate sense of story. The things that you find most interesting about your hobby would likely make a strong foundation for a novel.

If you are ready to get to work, here are a few suggestions.

1. Develop a fresh story idea. If you want to write a children’s book about the Civil War, see how many stories about drummer boys exist before writing one of your own.

2. Once you’ve settled on your idea, focus first on writing your story, not publishing your novel. Enjoy the process. Take a class. Learn your craft. Let the marketing stuff come later.

3. Create a compelling, memorable main character. The best fiction is character-driven, so spend a lot of time thinking about the people you’ll be writing about. Develop a complete history for them. All the information won’t make it into the story, but it will help you present a complex, believable, consistent character.

4. Once you have a strong sense of your character, shape your plot. Think in terms of having your character struggle to achieve something. Short stories and books for young children may have one clear plotline. More complex novels have multiple plotlines. I like to think in terms of “outer” and “inner” struggles. In Hearts of Stone, my main character Hannah’s outer plot involves struggling to keep her family together after she and her younger siblings become orphaned and homeless during the Civil War. Her inner plot focuses on her emotional struggle to accept both her father’s decision to fight for the Union Army and her best friend’s support of the Confederacy.

5. Some writers outline their novels in advance; some don’t. Choose whatever approach works for you. I don’t outline, but I do build a graphic organizer as I go. I create a table with four headings across the top: Chapter, Date, Scenes, Historical Events. That helps me keep track of what my characters are doing, and how their actions fit into the actual timeline of events that form the backdrop for my story.

6. Research, of course, is essential and ongoing. The historical details we love can also bog down a novel’s pace. If you fall in love with some fact or process, don’t just describe it in your fiction. Use that information to help reveal something new about your character, or to advance your plot.

7. Also, decide in advance where you are going to draw the line on historical accuracy. Are you willing to fictionalize weather details, or to make up business names for the merchants in a particular town? Reenactors are often fanatical about getting the details right. At some point, you’ll have to say: Enough. I’m done.

8. Keep a journal when you are at events. With a well-chosen pencil and notebook, you can even make it part of your impression. Make a point of recording specific, sensory details. Those details will bring your fiction to life, and will signal to readers that you are a trustworthy narrator.

9. Read as many different primary accounts as possible. Becoming steeped in period literature of all kinds will help you impart the flavor of period-appropriate speech in your fiction. (Note I said “flavor.” You don’t want to overwhelm readers with period-perfect but hard-to-understand speech.)

10. Join a professional writers’ organization. Membership can be an excellent way to learn more about both writing and publishing. The groups’ informative newsletters are often worth the price of membership. Most groups also hold regular conferences, which let pre-published authors meet other writers, agents and editors. The Historical Novel Society is an umbrella group for all historical fiction writers. Genre-specific groups like the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Mystery Writers of America, and Romance Writers of America may help you find professional success.

Once your story is as good as you can make it, you have options for publishing. If your top priority is creating a book that your family and friends can enjoy, sooner than later, you may want to self-publish. If your only dream is a book contract from a major publisher, hunker down for the long haul. Learn everything you can about the industry. Read what’s being published and make note of what different presses are looking for.

Having a book published is an amazing experience. Still, if someone told me that I’d never be published again, I wouldn’t stop writing. The process of researching, imagining, and writing my stories brings its own rewards. I hope you can find that magic as well.

Kathleen Ernst

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