How Your Character’s Job Affects The Story

Do you know Kathy Reichs?

She wrote the detective novels that were turned into the popular series Bones. For this analysis, it’s not necessary to differentiate the books from the TV show, so I won’t. Instead, I’m going to show you how she was able to bring elements of Anthropology to all her stories.

You, see, there was a secret in Bones, that most people didn’t get. Want to know what it is?

Ok, so Kathy’s stories center around Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist. It’s important to note that Kathy herself was a forensic Anthropologist, one of only 100 in the world. She’s able to bring her love and knowledge of anthropology into her books, not just because her main character is one too, but because that is exactly what her stories focus around.

Anthropology is the study of cultures. In academic circles, it’s the study of tribal cultures, but in practice, it goes way beyond that. Every country, every town, every family has its own culture and this culture defines everything a person does or thinks in their lifetime.

In Kathy’s books and Bones, we get a look at some truly fascinating cultures inside our own, larger cultural experience. There are prep schools, sadomasochists, soldiers, superhero fanatics and many more. Each story shows us a new culture that we either didn’t’ know existed or barely acknowledged.

This is powerful storytelling because she brings her anthropology background into the foreground. She never comes right an says that’s what she’s doing, but after a few books or episodes, you notice.

Through her stories, she shows us the cultures that are right under our nose but largely ignored.

This is something that few writers can pull off well, but when you do, it’s magical. It’s when you let your character influence not only how the story is told, but how the world is shown. Someone without Kathy’s background might show us the same worlds but in the same way.

It doesn’t only work for anthropology. An artist would notice colors, forms and structures; details others might miss. Someone who writes will add more and deeper meaning to words while an actor might notice gestures and tonal inflections more.

So is there a way your story can resonate with a deeper richer world by using your characters, natural attributes and developed skills?