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Flat, cardboard cutout characters once plagued the writing of Larry Jenkins. It wasn’t until joining the Professional Writing Program at the University of Oklahoma that he began to learn the basic techniques of storytelling, plot tools, and character development. With a bachelor’s degree in musical arts and a master’s degree in journalism, Jenkins now works as a journalist and as an environmental consultant to the communications industry. He also teaches a writing class to university students. Recently I spoke with Mr. Jenkins about character development and the cost of change during the protagonist’s journey.

Xplana: Why is the protagonist’s internal journey just as important as the external?

Larry Jenkins: The plot is very important, but it’s not the most important thing. Someone gave me this advice, “Whenever you are pitching your novel-telling what it’s about-keep in mind it’s not about the plot.” The story is about what your character goes through. It’ll fall flat if you don’t also have them learning as they go.

Xplana: Does the protagonist’s change come at a price?

LJ: It should. In every novel there are questions along the way, such as, “Will my protagonist be able to do this or that?” It’s better to answer those questions with, “Yes, but this will also happen,” or “No, they don’t get the golden idol, and furthermore this happens.”

Xplana: Is the protagonist the only one who undergoes a change?

LJ: No.

Xplana: Is it a problem if too many characters change?

LJ: You have to limit it. If you have too many storylines going it becomes overwhelming for the reader. You can have two, maybe three, tops.

Xplana: When you construct protagonists, do you tend to draw from yourself or do you draw from someone you know?

LJ: A bit of both. It’s something I had to get over being worried about. I draw so much from my family and friends. I pray they don’t notice.

Xplana: What mistakes regarding forming a protagonist did you make before you started?

LJ: I would neglect the internal journey. I would just make them a person that had to do task A, then B, and then C. That’s very unfulfilling. Now I always try to create a dossier of their life. I try to give them dates-this is when they graduated high school; this is when they met the love of their life. Even though all of that is not used in the story, it gives you a better sense of the character. You will see them acting certain ways based on their past. Even though the reader doesn’t know all of their past, their actions still make sense because they are a complete person.

Xplana: In writing your story, do you start with the protagonist and form your plot around his decisions, or do you start with a basic guideline?

LJ: I have a basic guideline. I used to be really concrete on plot but now I just keep an outline of some scenes.

I usually plan about two chapters ahead. It’s flexible enough. I’ve had many times where I’d think, “It would be better if my character did A instead of B.” So I allow that to happen. Then I have to rethink the next couple of chapters, but it always works out better if I’m in the moment, seeing and hearing the language in my head. Now I go with what I’m thinking at the time rather than what I had planned.

Xplana: Are the current popular novelists students of the craft?

LJ: They’re absolutely students of the crafts. I see interviews with writers talking about what writers they enjoy and learn from. Writers read. If you do this for awhile, you’ll start reading from a different perspective than just reading for enjoyment. Writers study the craft all the time. But there are naturals, too.

Xplana: Would you say that characters of novels are constructed differently than protagonists of film or television?

LJ: You’re given more leeway in a novel because you’re allowed internalization. You can also do more with character tags and characterization in novels than screenplays. With screenplays you are limited to a couple of character tags that are going to illustrate the character. It’s a very quick medium.

You can look forward to “A Lesson in Storytelling” with Larry Jenkins as a regular feature in Xplanazine.