Last year, I did a post on interiority and how it gives readers access to the POV character’s thoughts and feelings throughout a story. If you missed that lesson or need a refresher, you can read my post on interiority before we dig deeper into the topic today. I found that while that post covered the whole concept, I may have crammed too much information into one spot, making it hard for readers to grasp and maintain it. I was also new to the idea, but now I’ve had almost a year practicing this technique. So, I’d like to break it into two parts and go over interiority more thoroughly with you.
Interiority
Interiority it what allows your readers to get into the mindset of the character. It’s closely linked to the character’s voice. Each character is different with unique perspectives on life, and interiority allows you to show readers how your character sees the world. There are two levels of interiority: subconscious and conscious. This week we are going to focus on subconscious aspects and how they can be portrayed in a story.
Subconscious Mind Interiority
The subconscious mind shapes how people, and therefore characters, see and act in life. They are ingrained responses that everyone has, some good and some bad. They can’t be controlled, but a character can choose whether to follow that path and act on it or not. Below are seven forms of interiority that you can write for your POV character to help the reader understand and connect with your character.
I give examples for each interiority type from the book The Black Prism by Brent Weeks. You’ll notice that some examples include interiority from more than one category. That often happens as things aren’t always clear cut, but I’ll do my best to give each a direct definition and example.
1. Biases
Biases are how a character sees the present based on past experiences. For instance, do you have a name that you really don’t like? One that you’d never name your kids? Chances are, you knew someone with that name who you didn’t get along with in the past. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard soon-to-be-parents discuss names for their baby, and one of them rules out a name because he knew someone with that name he didn’t like in school. There is nothing wrong with the name, but the person is biased against it because of a past experience.
In order to show interiority through biases, you have to know your character’s backstory. Note: I did not say you have to tell your character’s backstory. You simply need to know it, and let that past shape how he sees and acts in the world. If you do it well, your readers will pick up on the bias and the reason for it throughout the story.
Example
Little green fragments glowed even in the whites of his eyes. Kip gasped and shrank back.
The Black Prism by Brent Weeks, Chapter 1
“Please!” the man said. “Please, the madness isn’t on me. I won’t hurt you.”
“You’re a color wight.”
“And now you know why I ran away from the Chromeria,” the man said.
Because the Chromeria put down color wights like a farmer put down a beloved, rapid dog.
In this example, the author doesn’t need to explain how he was raised to fear color wights. He simply shows Kip gasping and shrinking away from the man. Then the last sentence is added for interiority to explain the bias that Kip clearly holds.
2. Fears
Fears refer to how what scares a character restricts his actions. If a person is claustrophobic, he will take the stairs rather than the elevator. His fear dictates how he acts. It can be an internal fear too, like the fear of rejection. He may never do anything that would give another the opportunity to reject him. He won’t ask someone out on a date, won’t ask for a promotion, or won’t invite people to a party. That fear restricts his life.
To show fear through interiority, you need to know what your character fears most. Once you have that, you can approach each scene with the goal to avoid any brush with his fear. You can also color his interpretation of something that happens with his fear. If he is scared of rejection, perhaps he’ll think the coworker who doesn’t join him for lunch doesn’t like him. Yet the truth could be that the coworker just has a lunch meeting that day. Interiority doesn’t have to be the truth; it’s just what your POV character thinks is true.
Example
Even Ramir wouldn’t come out here at night. Everyone knew Sundered Rock was haunted. But Ram didn’t have to feed his family; his mother didn’t smoke her wages.
The Black Prism by Brent Weeks, Chapter 1
Here we have an external and internal fear. In this situation, Kip has a clear fear of his surroundings. Yet there is also a hint that he has the internal fear of going without food. That internal fear of starving to death beats his external fear of the haunted battlefield. He is so determined to get food and live another day that he’s willing to go to a haunted place that even the town bully wouldn’t visit. His greatest fear is making him act in a way that he normally wouldn’t.
3. Desires
Desires deal with how what a character wants dictates his actions. It’s similar to fears, just opposing feelings. Whatever the character desires will shape how he makes decisions and acts. If he wants people to see him as a wise man, he’ll only speak when he knows his words are true and beneficial. If he wants prestige and respect, he may seek a promotion to a leadership position by looking for times when he can take charge and prove his worth. A character will do whatever he thinks will best serve his end goal.
Showing desires in interiority is just like fears. You need to know what your character’s desire or goal is in the story. Then you simply ask yourself in each scene, “What does he need to do to get closer to his goal?” Your character should always take a step toward his goal when the opportunity presents itself.
Example
Even Ramir wouldn’t come out here at night. Everyone knew Sundered Rock was haunted. But Ram didn’t have to feed his family; his mother didn’t smoke her wages.
The Black Prism by Brent Weeks, Chapter 1
This paragraph also shows Kip’s desire for this scene. He wants to feed his family. Often a character’s fear is the opposite of his desire. Therefore, it makes sense that a fear and a desire can be stated close together.
4. Attention Draws
Attention Draws are what a character tends to notice first. When you first meet someone, what do you notice first? His smile? If he maintains eye-contact? How firm his handshake is? How he is dressed? None of these are bad answers, but we all have things we notice first. When entering a room, some people may note where all the exits are, some may study the decor, and others might assess the other people in the room. What a character notices first gives subtle hints to his personality. If he looks for exits, maybe he’s paranoid. If he studies the decor, perhaps he’s materialistic. But, if he studies the people, he may be focused on power and aligning himself with the most prominent person in the room.
Putting attention draws in your story is easy. Whenever you have your POV character meet someone or enter a new place or situation, keep the descriptions similar. I’m not saying every room has to be blue, but always describe the decor first. Or always comment on a person’s posture. Or whatever your character is focused on for attention draws. Be careful not to sound redundant, but make sure there is a subtle pattern. By doing this, most of the time a reader can tell whose POV the scene is in by what things are described in the narration.
Example
Kip crawled toward the battlefield in the darkness, the mist pressing down, blotting out sound, scattering starlight.
The Black Prism by Brent Weeks, Chapter 1
The first thing described about Kip’s surroundings is the eeriness of the place. Darkness, mist pressing down, blotted out sound, scattered starlight. It’s clear he feels scared, oppressed, and alone. The reader can immediately jump into his mind and circumstance and feel like he does.
5. Associations
Associations are what parallels the character draws on for descriptions. This isn’t the same as attention draws. Associations are what metaphors, similes, and analogies a character will use to describe things or people. For instance, if his background is military, he may describe someone like a drill sergeant and an activity as grueling as boot camp. On the other hand, if he studied ballet, he might call the person a juror and the activity as rigorous as the International Ballet Competition.
Writing associations for interiority is all about drawing from a character’s experiences. He will compare things to what he already knows. A person could remind him of his grandmother or his ex-boss. A place can take him back to memories of his summer camp or his poor uncle’s shack. People draw from what they know to understand the present and to explain it to others. If you already know your character’s backstory, it should be easy to place a few good metaphors or similes in your descriptions to show your POV character’s interiority.
Example
Because the Chromeria put down color wights like a farmer put down a beloved, rapid dog.
The Black Prism by Brent Weeks, Chapter 1
By using this comparison, the reader knows Kip is from a rural area. He might have even had to put down his own beloved dog or know someone who had. The author doesn’t tell us, but we can conclude what type of lifestyle the boy has lived by this small association.
6. Impressions
Impressions are how a character experiences things around them. When something happens, it will be interpreted by the character is a unique way. A man standing tall and quiet in a crowd can leave different impressions on different people. Some may think he is stuck up and full of himself. Others will feel that he is powerful and wise. Same thing can happen with a setting. A stone mansion can be impressive and gorgeous or cold and lonely. Some people love a good rainstorm, and others hate them. Everything that happens leaves an impression on your character.
Impressions need to be present in your story so the reader knows how the character is perceiving his surroundings. If your reader loves rainstorms and your POV character doesn’t, the reader won’t know to interpret the storm as a bad omen unless it’s stated. Impressions aren’t something you need to plan before writing. As you come to impactful events, important characters, or new settings, give a sentence or two about how your POV character feels about them. Make your readers feel the same impressions that your character does so they get pulled deep into the story with the character.
Example
Kip saw something in the mist. His heart leapt into his throat. The curve of a mail cowl. A glint of eyes searching the darkness.
The Black Prism by Brent Weeks, Chapter 1
Then it was swallowed up in the roiling mists.
A ghost. Dear Orholam. Some spirit keeping watch at its grave.
Kip notices someone in the mist, and he immediately thinks it’s a ghost. As a child and already in a state of fear, that impression makes sense. It’s also understandable that he doesn’t think it’s a friend or adult come to aid him since we’ve already seen he feels he’s alone in life.
7. Instincts
Instincts are urges and involuntary reactions. You’ve heard of the freeze, fight, or flight response, right? When surprised or threatened, we all have one of these instinctual reactions. You can train yourself to respond another way, but that first moment of shock you will always default to one. Mothers have the instinct to care for their children. Men have the instinct to protect. This type of interiority also includes trauma triggers. If someone has been through an intense experience, he may have lasting emotional or psychological reactions that can be triggered by something reminding him of the past. When it happens, people can’t always control how they respond.
Your characters can exhibit these involuntary reactions in times of intense stress or surprise. Instincts aren’t something that you need to show often in your story, but they do help with authenticity when you are trying to show a shock and how the character responds. Plus, instincts happen without thought, giving you an opportunity to show who your character is at his core. So, while not used often, they are a powerful tool for interiority.
Example
Look on the bright side. Maybe wolves are scared of ghosts.
The Black Prism by Brent Weeks, Chapter 1
Kip realized he’d stopped walking, peering into the darkness.
When confronted with the idea of a ghost, Kip froze. He didn’t mean to, but his involuntary reaction was to stop moving. His instincts told him to be still and stay hidden.
Final Thoughts
These seven aspects of a character’s subconscious mind can help you show readers interiority. By allowing readers to see inside the character’s mind, you can connect them to your POV character and draw them deeper into the story. Next week, we are going to go over seven ways to show interiority through a character’s conscious mind. For now, practice putting these seven subconscious responses in one of your scenes. Then set it aside so you can add the other seven to your scene next week.
Thanks for reading!
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