Writing Your Characters
By: Romilly De Silva
Tags: Writers On Writing, Character Design, Fiction Writing, Fiction, Writing

Alternatively called ‘How to develop the ever-loving shit out of those babies’.

Your characters are what your readers will most likely fall in love with. But it takes a certain amount of skill (which I definitely do not possess yet) to be able to form that connection between a fictional character and someone very real.

Think about your favourite character from your favourite book. Think about their physical appearance, mannerisms and general aesthetic. Pretty easy right? Because the author has managed to paint an image of a person so vividly, that they seem almost real.

My favourite example of this has to be The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater. Her character analysis from the perspective of other characters is breathtakingly done. I fell in love with each character. a little more with every line. (Can you tell it’s my favourite book ever?)

So here I present to you, 9 hacks for characters that people will fall in love with.

1. Names.

Please, please, in the name of all things holy, don’t start with a name unless it’s the first thing that comes to mind. Your characters don’t need to have names at first. I find it to be quite a constricting box. Once you’ve named a character, you’ll subconsciously pick traits that go with that name, potentially ruling out hundreds of ideas. For example, say you’ve had this idea for a quiet, thoughtful guy, who’s actually quite cool once you get to know him. You name him Chad. Can you imagine Chad writing poetry? Probably not. But you can imagine him playing basketball. Congratulations! You’ve just murdered your initial idea.

2. Motivation.

Have you ever heard of someone embarking on an awesome quest because they felt like it? No, me neither. Motivate your character, have them want what they want so badly that they feel they’ll die without it. (I mean, that’s a bit extreme, but you get my point). A character doing something for no reason is not only boring and pointless, but it creates plot holes almost instantly.

3. Make Them Quirky.

Giving your characters quirks automatically makes them more realistic and unique. All of your characters should probably have at least one of these, maybe a habit, a physical trait or even a catchphrase. The more obscure the quirk, the more 3 dimensional and interesting the character. Obviously I have to had that compiling your character entirely from these traits may make them a little…odd. Use these features like sprinkles.

4. Show Don’t Tell.

Don’t tell me he’s scary, show me that in the way people take a step back when he snarls. I don’t care if she’s a talented cellist. I care if people can’t help but be drawn to the music that filters into the kitchen through her closed bedroom door. You get the idea. This trick can not only enhance your writing, but up your word count, and if you’re like me and struggle with writing enough, that’s a huge help.

5. One In a Million.

Even books with fairly ordinary protagonists have something that sets them apart for the rest. For example, in The Hunger Games, Katniss is a fairly ordinary girl, but she volunteers as a Tribute which immediately makes her different from the vast majority of people. Your character needs to do or be something that makes their story worth reading. Once again I have to add that a character that is impossibly special to the point of ridiculousness will seem unrealistic. Yes, I know it’s a fictional character, but even the most avid fiction readers have a limit.

6. Stay True to Your Character.

You’re probably mentally rolling your eyes at me. How could I possibly forget things about my character? It’s the little details. If one of your characters is from a poor upbringing or little to no education, he’s not going to use words like ‘Anachronistic’ or ‘Rancorous’. Neither is a middle-aged British Professor of Quantum Physics going to say “yeah, totally dude!” It’s unrealistic. Of course, this is an exaggeration, but make sure your character behaves the way they would in real life. A way to practise this is writing your characters in random situations, specifically to explore how your character would act in those circumstances.

7. FLAWS.

Your characters need them, and I, personally, hate writing them. My issue is that my characters are like kids to me, I adore them. Subsequently, I don’t want them to be flawed. However, flawed characters add a whole new level of depth to your writing. Not only does it make them more realistic, but opens a lot more doors in terms of plot. Morally grey characters are unpredictable and exciting, while characters suffering from mental issues may prove to be unreliable narrators. The possibilities are endless!

8. Character Arcs.

Character arcs are the changes or journeys characters goes through during the story. Your characters should not be the same at the end of the book as they were at the start. At the very least they should have learned or experienced something. This also creates tiny little character-centric subplots.

9. A Fair Fight

Remember to develop both your protagonists and your antagonists equally. No one wants to read a story about a strong hero and a weak villain or vice versa. If you know who’s going to win, it’s no fun. If you’re going to give your hero kickass superpowers, make sure to give your villain equally amazing abilities.

There you have it! The recipe for a perfect character (with flaws of course). Did I miss anything?