We all know about backhistory, and world building.  There are various views on how much should be written, but kept in the writer’s file, and how much should be shared in the book.  Some also advocate the camera approach to world-building.  That is, create only what’s necessary to build a believable world, just as a tv set is only authentic where the camera’s film will catch it.  But even when this approach is taken, writers agree that good details in history and setting add believability to a book and increase the reader engagement.

So what about the characters’ future?

Rarely does a book go precisely as planned–pov characters take on a mind of their own, the plot dives down a path that was unforeseen, and supporting characters step up to steal the show.  But with all these future paths, I think we as the writer should always know what we want for the character’s future.  Our scope need not be limited to the length of the book or series, but can encompass the entire life of the character.

This is similar to our focus with our children.  You’d be hard pressed to find a parent who doesn’t have some hope for their child’s future.  Whether it be college and perhaps an upper-graduate degree, a strong marriage with a loving companion, or just economic freedom from want, all parents dream.  They might not force those plans down their child’s throat, but in the back of their mind and as they urge their child in one direction or another, they’re still dreaming.  Even those parents who profess to have no preference as to their child’s lifestyle or means of supporting themselves are probably confessing in that very statement that they wish their child to be independent, free-thinking, and self-aware upon arriving at adulthood’s door.

So why would we not feel this toward our characters?  While we concede that they have a mind of their own, and the future is always an unknown commodity, if we know where we’d like them to wind up one day, that will give us a guiding star by which to steer their passage on their immediate voyage.

This hope of the writer’s need not be shared, and may never be actualized in any book, but just as solid backstory and depth in worldbuilding add to and enrich the story, so does a future which is dreamed of and planned toward.