Can there only be two types of characters in fiction? I’ve read many articles about types of stories, claiming that there are a limited number of stories in existence. I don’t believe it. Not for a second. There are as many stories as there are human beings — and humanity is changing all the time.
But when you’re creating a character, a fictional construct perhaps based on a real person, you have to make a choice: a character who is normal or one who is abnormal?
Defining the Two Types of Character
Superwomen is clearly abnormal. She begins her story with rare powers. Frodo, on the other hand, is excessively normal. The entire plot revolves around him growing out of his normal personality to summon the powers of courage and determination.
Those are my favorite kinds of stories, and they abound in women’s fiction. Fantasy stories often feature characters who have special, inborn powers and who must summon qualities like that even given their gifts. I like combining the two. My time novels give my main characters a genetic gift of traveling through history, but after that, it’s up to them to make their stories end well. Jane Friedman has written an article making a brilliant case for the idea: TWO TYPES OF CHARACTER in fiction. I was thoughtful about this in writing The Renaissance Club. Mine is the story of a normal person meeting a highly abnormal person, the 17th century genius sculptor Bernini. He was definitely the rock star of his time.
How does meeting a star affect an aspiring fan? And how does meeting your superfan from the future affect the genius? Both feel a big impact — and falling in love is a BIG impact. For my young art historian, May Gold, Bernini’s effect is to encourage her artistic gifts and inspire her with the courage to do something about them. For Bernini, knowing his art will last through the ages has to change his creative approach. Maybe in being attracted to May, he falls a bit in love with his own future fame.
When a Character’s Journey Makes Her Extraordinary
One of the very true points Jane Friedman makes is that your ordinary character doesn’t have to stay that way. The journey can change her:
“Take the hero’s journey—one of the most common types of story in existence. It starts off with a normal character thrust into an abnormal situation, and the only way the character can handle it is to transition himself into an abnormal character.”
This is probably my favorite story, the story of how someone ordinary becomes extraordinary. How do we summon those extraordinary dimensions within ourselves to do something truly heroic, however you define heroism — small or large acts and intentions.
I think we all have courage within us — it’s not the same as audacity, but more like will. Often a normal heroine’s journey is about facing her fears and overcoming them. That in itself is an extraordinary, life-changing act. And one of the staples of women’s fiction. That’s May Gold’s journey in The Renaissance Club. Becoming extraordinary might in many ways be a life goal for all of us.
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