Maybe you have a great idea for the plot of the story, but you have no idea what kind of characters should belong in this plot. Maybe you’re just looking for ways to spruce up your character. Whatever the reason, when making a character, you need to consider your character's role in the story and what makes them human, unique. In this post, I give you lists on information to help you form your "children"! Characters need to appeal to your reader; they need to be human. Humans are unique, complicated, but also defined by purpose. They have a reason for their actions, usually anyway. And so, your character's reason is not just defined by their personality but also their role in your story. These are the two things you must consider when making characters: role and humanness. Making a very detailed character can take time, as there are many things to consider. Let's start with their role in your story: PART I. ROLE IN YOUR STORY: Before we make them their own people, let’s think about what this character IS in your story. Each character should fall under at least one of these categories. Knowing a character's role may help you develop their unique personalities, but if you need more help after this, see Part II! Your story should have most or all of these types of characters.
PROTAGONIST/ANTAGONIST: These characters are central to the plot of your work. They either cause the problem or are trying to conquer the problem. The protagonist often develops as they try to conquer or overcome their problems. You must think about why they're in conflict; it could be because of history, lore, or even just their malicious or hero-like personalities. SIDE CHARACTERS: Side characters give more meat to your story. Without them, the story would be very focused on the protagonist and can make longer works bland/without variety.
DYNAMIC/STATIC CHARACTERS: Whether your character changes or does not during your story determines whether they are dynamic or static character. A dynamic character experiences dramatic change in your story. This can be a change in personality, perspective, goals, etc. On the other hand, a static character does not or barely changes. Dynamic characters are often more intriguing to readers, but static characters are also important to a story. There are people who never change throughout their lifetime, and some static characters can add realism to your work. ROUND/FLAT CHARACTERS: Whether your character is round or flat depends on their personality. Round characters are very complex, while flat characters are straightforward and less complicated. Flat characters are more essential for the minor roles in your story, as it would be hard to have complex characters within a short span of words. FOIL CHARACTERS. Foil characters help accentuate the personality of their counterpart. Foil characters are opposites of each other, making their opposite characteristics more pronounced to your reader. For example, one character is quiet and shy, while the other is boisterous and bold. A DEATH WITH A MEANING: If you have a plot calling for death of a major character, you must make sure the death has meaning to the story and is not simply there to bring tears. The death should be essential to the progression of another main character, or the progression of the plot. PART II. INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE: Now that you know what the role of your character is, you have to make your character realistic. You need to give them individuality and personality. It is a fine way to develop your characters by basing them off people in your life. That’s as realistic as it gets! Take some traits from one person and mash it with others of another person and make a unique personality! But before we build personality, which is the most complex of a character, let's look at some other items of characterization. It's important to know that the level of detail will vary per character, and that not ALL details are necessary. Some details may never even come into your story and can be left to the reader, for example, skin color. PHYSIQUE: Your character's looks helps your readers picture your world. It can, in addition, be important to your story. If there are racial divides, for example, the look of your character is important. Here is a list of some physical traits to consider.
INTERESTS/HOBBIES: Consider what your character likes to do in their freetime. This can help you find some of their defining characteristics. Is it a normal hobby, or an odder one? Is it against stereotypes? How often of a hobby is it? Would it be something they'd consider professionalising? Is it a 'bad' hobby? SKILLS: A character's skills can branch from their hobbies, or they can be natural skills they have. It may be a hereditary trait, or something they accidentally gained from childhood. Maybe some of their skills influence their hobbies. RELATIONSHIPS: Relationships can influence a character's personality. These can be positive or negative influences. It may be family relationships, friend, or significant other. It could even be less apparent, but still influential relationships like coworkers or classmates. How does your character react with others and form these relationships? Do they have bad parental relationships? Are they sarcastic with their friends? Sincere? Is their relationship with their significant other healthy or unhealthy? DEFINING HISTORY: History can define a character's, well, character. Did they have a traumatic event in their past that forever changed them? What about a huge event that changed them for the better, like someone who showed them true love? Did they have a horrible childhood? FLAWS: Nobody is perfect, it's what makes us human. What are your character's flaws? Think about some of the things you dislike about people. Are they too loud? Maybe they don't know when they've said too much. Keep in mind that what seems like a flaw to one person may not be a flaw to another; this is why people get along better with certain others. WEAKNESSES: Not necessarily flaws, weaknesses are usually something that bring about another side of a character. Maybe they're cold characters, until they're with an orphan. It could be a more silly weakness, like a weakness for chocolate. It could be a negative weakness, like attraction to people with bad habits or personalities. Weaknesses can also be shaped by a person's history. IDEALS/GOALS. The ideals or goals of a character are often based upon or shape their personality. A friendlier person may have religious ideals, or, on the other hand, an exclusive person may have religious ideals. An adventurous character would have adventurous goals. A character's ideals and goals may even be shaped by a group of people they are often with; this further depends on if they want to fit in or stand out. PERSONALITY: The big-P. Personality covers so many things. It's how your character acts, interacts, reacts, and more. It's what makes them unique. Here's a list of defining personality traits. Think of this list as a spectrum: one can be more on the left or the right.
I plan on creating a "Writer's Character Sheet." It will be attached to this post when it is complete.
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More InfoErin blogs because she wants to help other young adult writers and new writers. It's aimed to educate others on the writing and self-publishing process. If there is anything you'd like to know that she hasn't covered yet, please contact her! |