My kids and I had a lot of fun with a test of characterization this week. It's a simple test to see whether or not you have a real sense of your characters or not. Take characters from any story and ask, "What would [insert character name here] order at McDonald's?" You say your character is a fantasy/horror/science fiction/whatever character who has never and will never even SEE a McDonald's? That's not the point. The point is do you understand your characters enough to see through his/her eyes? Do you know what they would do in any given situation? My kids and I played a game in which we named kids' show after kids' show or kids' book after kids' book. Some of them, such as the novel version of Percy Jackson or Harry Potter, we understood enough to say what they would do at McDonald's. Some of them were such bland, indistinct/interchangeable characters that the question was impossible to answer.
As an example, we went through the list of "mane" characters of the popular kids' show "My Little Pony," using the McDonald's Test. Pinkie Pie is the nutty one who loves parties. She'd bound in and order some cake. She loves cake. They'd tell her they didn't have cake. So she'd ask for cake. And maybe some balloons. Fluttershy is the sweet one who loves animals. She'd order a large salad, so she could share it with her animal friends. Rarity is vain and finery-obsessed. She wouldn't want to step hoof in a McDonald's. If she did, she'd do it to support her friends. She'd order a cup of water and find the flavor off. Then she'd wash up and go to a nice restaurant. Twilight Sparkle is the practical, studious one. She'd order grilled chicken on whole wheat but not eat it because she'd be too busy studying a scroll to notice or care. Her assistant, Spike the dragon, is the child-like one. He'd order a kids' meal with nuggets and fries then start a food fight with it. Apple Jack, the country girl, would order the apple pie. Rainbow Dash would order everything on the menu and challenge everyone to an eating contest.
The modern "My Little Pony" is a great example of clear characterization that leads to understandable motivation in episodes with enjoyable storytelling, hence its popularity among boys, girls, teenagers, younger kids, and even adults. However, if you look back at episodes of "My Little Pony" from the some of the earlier generations, you may have a harder time figuring out what they would order because most characters were interchangeable. They were all sweet and playful but not necessarily distinct. It was very much a young girls' show. I liked it when I was a kid, but I wouldn't waste my time on it now because it didn't have strong characterization like the newest generation does. This is what makes the difference between a compelling story and one that is much less so.
You can take this game and play it with your characters. What would your characters do? Something above? Protest the restaurant? Buy it? Take charge of it and change it into something else? Conquer the city and knock all McDonald's to the ground? How would your character respond to a McDonald's? What other questions can you think of that would be telling of your characters? You may learn something you didn't know before.
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