Short story masterclass: Character study
Improve your characterisation by learning from the greats, with classic short stories highlighted by Helen M Walters
Whatever sort of fiction you are writing, well-drawn characters are crucial. In a novel you have plenty of time and space to dig deep and really explore your characters, but how can you make characters seem equally authentic when you only have the limited word count of a short story?
I’ve selected three classic short stories for this character masterclass and they all have something different to teach us about how to create great characters, who will spring off the page and remain in the reader’s mind, within the constraints of a short story. The stories are – The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty by James Thurber, Mary Postgate by Rudyard Kipling, and Parson’s Pleasure by Roald Dahl. As usual I urge you to read the stories for yourself (see right) in order to get the best out of the learning experience: spoilers ahead.
Walter Mitty
The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty was an obvious choice when selecting stories for this piece because the character of Walter Mitty is so well known that even people who have never read the story know what we mean if we describe someone as being ‘a bit of a Walter Mitty’. In fact the character is so compelling that it has sparked two film adaptations based, somewhat loosely, on the story. So why does this story work so well, and what can we learn about creating memorable characters from it?
Walter’s secret life is more real to him than his actual life, so it is fitting that the story begins with a glimpse into his inner life as he imagines himself to be a military commander. The reader, and Walter, are then brought down to earth with a bump by the voice of Walter’s wife remonstrating with him about his driving.