Kathryn Silver-Hajo
INTERVIEW YOUR CHARACTERS

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Sometimes when I want to get to know a character better or they just aren’t ringing true on the page, I request an interview. Like, really. Depending on who your character is, you might have a cozy tête-à-tête over a cappuccino, or meet in a pub for a pint, or decide instead that a stroll around a rippling pond might be the perfect setting to get them to open up. 

When I was revising my YA novel, “Roots of the Banyan Tree,” I wanted to deepen my understanding of the protagonist, Noor, a Lebanese-Palestinian girl with a complex identity growing up during the Lebanese civil war in the 1970s. I interviewed her “later,” when she was eighteen, and could look back on her experiences, reflect on how they changed her. Some things she said surprised me, some impressed me, but everything informed how I fleshed out her character in revision.

When I met with Noor in her living room in Beirut, she offered me sweet, black tea in little gold-rimmed Turkish glasses. I started by asking what it was like growing up in wartime, what she found most difficult. Her answer? “Boredom. Not being able to go to school or hang out with friends. During a vital, exciting time of my life all these men with their guns prevented me from doing the things any teenager needs to do to live a normal, balanced life.” If I hadn’t already been in love with this character, I certainly was after that comment!

I cut to the chase with Noor, because she’s such a forthright, no-nonsense person, even at a young age, but with shyer, more reserved characters you might want to start by making them feel more comfortable—and form a picture of their life at the same time: What kind of car do they drive? Do they take public transportation? Favorite foods? Do they cook? Only get takeout? Have health issues? Education level and line of work? Hobbies, passions? Ethnicity, race, religion—or lack thereof.

Once they’re more relaxed, get nosier. Do they have money issues? Are they conservative? Progressive? Did they grow up in a loving household? An abusive one? Did the family have money—or struggle to make ends meet? What about their sexual orientation? Love life?

Now here’s a spoiler alert in case you read my novel—which I hope you will! Later in my interview with Noor, I ask about her time in New York City, what impact it had on her. She said that at first, she hated being in the U.S. Everything felt alien and unwelcoming, but with time she found herself evolving, adapting. “I was trying so hard in Lebanon to understand who I am, to become empowered as a person, especially as a woman. But I faced so many obstacles, threats and setbacks. Once I was in the U.S. and out of pure survival mode, I realized there are so many ways to empower yourself. I have to do what is right for me—and if others don’t accept that, well, that’s their problem in the end. I don’t mean this to sound arrogant, but we women spend way too much time worrying about how our actions are perceived and not enough time acting in ways that we believe in. In the end we have to live our truth.” Right on, Noor!

At the end of the interview, I commented that she seemed wise beyond her years. She smiled, nodded before replying. “Well, I suppose hardship does that to people. It makes us tough and smart—either that, or dead!”

Hearing Noor’s ideas not only made me understand her better—it actually made me think more deeply about certain issues. I first used this interview technique when I was writing the novel, but now use it with flash as well, since listening to your characters can be quite enlightening, even if you spend just a few minutes talking. Once you do, you may learn more than you bargained for, even feel disquieted. And much of this information won’t make it onto the page, but YOU will know what makes your character uniquely who they are when you put pen to paper.

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Kathryn Silver-Hajo’s work was selected for the 2023 Wigleaf Top 50 Longlist and nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best Microfiction, Best Small Fictions, and Best American Food Writing. Kathryn’s work appears in Atticus Review, Cleaver Magazine, CRAFT, Emerge Literary, Ghost Parachute, New Flash Fiction Review, Pithead Chapel, Ruby Literary, The Phare, and other lovely journals. Kathryn Silver-Hajo’s flash collection Wolfsong and novel Roots of The Banyan Tree were both published in 2023. More at kathrynsilverhajo.com