Invisible Depths
When you create a character, you first see only the tip of their life. Their smile, their clothes, their behavior in class or in bed. But like an iceberg, the decisive layers remain hidden beneath the surface. Family background, friendships, school, first love, sexual experiences – all of it shapes them, even if you don’t write it all down. As a writer, you must know this entire iceberg. Only then will your characters react in ways that feel true.
How Backstory Shapes the Body
Imagine the student who always covers her belly with a towel at the gym. For the reader, it seems like a casual gesture. But you as the writer should know that her brother mocked her for years because of a small navel piercing. That’s why she now instinctively hides her navel when others are around. Her belly is flat, her skin smooth, the piercing a tiny piece of metal. Yet in her mind, this part of her body is tied to shame.
Sexual Histories
Sexual experiences before your story begins also belong to the hidden iceberg. Picture a young man touching his girlfriend’s nipples with hesitation. He slides his hand over the smooth skin cautiously, almost as if it might break. It looks shy – until you know that his first partner once laughed at him and told him to keep his hands off. That past moment shapes his present. This is why you, as a writer, should know the intimate past of your characters.
Sensual Details Without Judgment
When writing about bodies, avoid value judgments. Describe precisely how skin looks, how lips move, how pubic hair ends along the thigh. No character needs the labels “beautiful” or “ugly.” What matters is how they perceive their body, and why. A protagonist might study her vulva in the mirror and notice that one labium is longer than the other. She remembers her mother’s careless comment that unsettled her, and also the lover who kissed her there with warmth. That contrast is where literature lives.
Tips for Young Writers
Don’t just invent a character who functions in your plot. Invent a life that carries your plot. Ask yourself: What did she experience as a child? How did her father speak to her about her body? When did she first feel desired? The answers may remain unwritten, but they color every gesture. Write scenes in which characters reveal their hidden story in small movements – a hand pushed away, a blouse hastily closed, a zipper opened with confidence.
Writing Prompt
Write a scene in which your protagonist stands naked in front of a mirror for the first time. Describe how she observes each part of her body, what thoughts come, what memories surface – and how those memories echo into her later actions.