You wouldn’t be the first to think that special interests is just an autism thing. So how does it link to characters? I’m going to share with you just how useful special interests can be to make your characters less cardboard cut outs.
What are “Special Interests”?
Special interests are a fascinating subject. As an autistic person, I find peace in them. I can use them to communicate with others. I could even learn how to communicate better from some things. Sadly, there’s not been a positive spotlight on autism and special interests for a long time. There’s also the stereotype of what counts.
We could have a fascination with a whole variety of subjects other than the stereotype of trains. Mine are as varied from Doctor Who to a lot of Crime Dramas and even a love of writing craft books. Think I’m joking? I’ve got nearly two rammed shelves full of different writing craft books. Once I find a writer whose books I love, I’ll then go out and get as many of them as I can. Yes, I am looking squarely at the likes of Rick Riordan, Peter James, Lee Child, Fiona Leitch and Lucy V Hay.
1. Fleshes Out Your Characters
When you’re creating a character, fleshing them out is crucial. This means you’re not making two dimensional cut outs. We want to go deeper than the surface. If you give your character a special interest, you’re giving them a personality.
If nothing else, it could be a source of a skill you need later. Maybe you’re writing a story where a group need to escape something. How great would it be if you knew a character had an interest in labyrinth tunnels under their hometown and can lead the group to safety?
2. Communication With Others
A part of the appeal special interests have is there’s a specific kind of language to many of them that you may not realise at first. What if your characters aren’t freely able to speak? If your characters were, say being held prisoner by a bad guy. You wouldn’t want to give the game away if a character comes up with a genius plan. So, this could be your opportunity to use words associated with that special interest. It would give the team the clue but the baddies would be clueless.
If you’re writing a drama where the family dynamics aren’t great, maybe try using it as a point where two members can communicate with each other. Let it be a way for a brother to enter his sister’s world through a shared interest. It could be the source of a heart-warming moment if plotted properly.
3. Learning And Bonding
When you find your community, it’s a great feeling, isn’t it? You might be in a group who all love Pokémon or Dungeon and Dragons. It could be something completely different. The point is, when you consume everything to do with that special interest, it helps you learn. You learn to communicate with others. You learn about the moral messages that might be lurking in the subtext.
From stories way back when, there were morals and teachings based in them. Beware hubris. Figuring out how to work as a team. Selfishness gets you nowhere. That kind of thing. When we use the lessons and bonds we grow in a community, it can help us to be more empathetic to others. We can use those special interests to pull together. I mean, all I need to say is ComicCon and you probably have an idea what I mean. Community is all we want.
I hope this little blog has been helpful in sharing a different point of view on special interests and how it can help deepen your character creation.
Happy writing!