| Great fiction depends on great characters. | | | | How has your character's physical appearance |
| That epic fantasy you're writing might have the | | | | affected his personality, and vice versa? How |
| world's most brilliant plot, setting, and writing... but | | | | does it affect the way others treat her? |
| if your characters are dull, your story won't soar. | | | | Lots of questions. But they're worth answering. If |
| The reason is simple. Readers need to care about | | | | nothing else, answering these questions will let you |
| the story. They want to invest their emotions in | | | | brainstorm about your character. Maybe you'll |
| your work. | | | | learn new things about him. |
| Readers will care about a story if they care about | | | | When I create characters, I like to carry an |
| the characters. | | | | image of them in my mind. I might not include all |
| You might think your story is the most exciting | | | | this information in the story, but it helps me to |
| story in the world. "My epic fantasy has chases, | | | | know the character. And when I know the |
| battles, wars, torture, and action that never | | | | characters, I know how to write them. |
| stops," you say. Shouldn't that be enough to keep | | | | Let's ask some more questions. |
| readers turning the pages? | | | | Think about how your character expresses |
| Well then. Why did we care about the battles in | | | | himself. Is his voice loud and confident, or shy and |
| Lord of the Rings? (I know you're surprised I | | | | quiet? Does he have any catch phrases? What is |
| chose such an obscure book as an example, but | | | | his body language like? |
| bear with me.) Sure, all the orcs, knights, swords, | | | | Do your characters have any physical habits? One |
| and monsters were exciting, but we only truly | | | | of my own characters bites her lip when nervous. |
| cared about the battles because they were about | | | | She also shrugs only one shoulder. Does your |
| the characters. We wouldn't care if a million orcs | | | | character bite his nails, tap his finger, or scratch |
| and knights battled it out, unless we cared about | | | | his chin often? |
| those little hobbits caught in the middle. | | | | Describe your characters' background. Where do |
| Why was Dragonlance so popular when I was a | | | | they come from and what have they done in life? |
| kid? Those novels were full of action, battles, | | | | How does this affect the way they'll act in the |
| dragons, and armies, but all the action centered | | | | future? What are their goals? |
| around the characters, their stake in the | | | | What do they like and dislike? When I create |
| outcome, and their emotions during the wars. | | | | characters, I write about how they think, what |
| Sure, the dragons were exciting, but the main | | | | they want, what they fear. Does the character |
| reason we kept reading was because we loved | | | | have any quirks? What is the character's |
| (and hated) Raistlin. | | | | favourite food? Favourite music? |
| Even if you're writing grand scenes of epic battle, | | | | Write about how they think about the other |
| they should focus on the characters involved in | | | | characters in the story. If they love another |
| the conflict. Make those characters so real and | | | | character--why? If they hate another |
| important to the readers, that they'll keep turning | | | | character--why? How will this affect the |
| the pages to see what happens to them. | | | | relationships between them? How will they reveal |
| So, how do we create these characters that | | | | their feelings? Will they act upon them or hide |
| readers will love? | | | | them? |
| The art of characterization is complex, with infinite | | | | By now, we've collected an impressive list of |
| levels to explore and develop. I myself am still | | | | questions about our character. Maybe you'll have |
| learning how to create them. I'll share what I've | | | | questions of your own. By answering them, we'll |
| learned so far. | | | | slowly come to understand this person we're |
| Great characters are larger than life | | | | creating. |
| Great characters are exaggerated. They do | | | | Heroes and villains |
| things we never would in the real world. They are | | | | Let's face it, perfect heroes are boring. If a |
| over the top. By exaggerating their traits, you'll let | | | | character is always altruistic, righteous, and |
| them leap from the pages and become real. | | | | infallible, we lose interest (or worse, get annoyed |
| Is your character tall? Don't just make him stand | | | | with him). We might admire the character, but he'll |
| 6'1". Turn him into a 7 footer. Wow, now that is | | | | make us yawn. Enter the flawed hero, and he'll |
| interesting. How did he deal with life, being a giant? | | | | steal our interest right away. |
| When did he begin growing so tall? We all loved | | | | Flawed heroes, even outright anti-heroes, are |
| Andre the Giant in The Princess Bride, after all. | | | | more interesting. On the TV show House, we |
| Does you other character suffer from anger? | | | | might hate the main character, but if he were |
| Don't just have him scowl all the time. Let him | | | | always perfectly moral and polite, we wouldn't |
| trash his room in rage. Consider the character of | | | | watch the show. Why would we? He wouldn't be |
| Esteban in House of Spirits, whose temper | | | | interesting. |
| became legendary. | | | | I try to give my own heroes flaws. Sometimes |
| Consider the TV show Lost. Audiences love | | | | their flaws get them in trouble. Sometimes their |
| Sawyer because he's not just a scoundrel... his | | | | flaws makes them less admirable. But it always |
| behavior is so scandalous, he draws our interest | | | | makes them more human and more interesting. |
| every episode. He acts in ways that most people, | | | | Even a minor flaw-a perchance for gambling, a |
| in the real world, would never dare. Hurley | | | | tendency to interrupt others, horrible taste in |
| became popular because, with his size, unlikely | | | | music-helps. |
| hair, and distinctive way of speaking, he was | | | | Think about the real world. How many people are |
| unlike anybody we've seen. On Lost, characters | | | | like Mother Theresa? Almost all people, even the |
| stood out. The characters who did not ended up | | | | best ones, are flawed. |
| being killed of. | | | | While you're creating flawed heroes, you needn't |
| You know what? This isn't true of fiction alone. | | | | make your villains evil incarnate. In the real world, |
| Think of characters in the real world. Richard | | | | the worst people still have people they love, and |
| Simmons, Michael Jackson, Howard Stern... | | | | people who love them. They still have a tender |
| celebrities know that to stand out, to grab our | | | | side they reveal to their closest companions. Your |
| attention, they must be outrageous. We might | | | | villain doesn't have to be a cackling maniac who |
| dislike them, but we notice them. They know | | | | kicks puppies every day after tea. He might be |
| what we writers should know when creating | | | | an evil overlord, but he can still love his shih-tzu. |
| characters. | | | | And guess what: Your villain probably doesn't even |
| Let characters in your stories get noticed. Make | | | | know he's the villain. He thinks he's the good guy. |
| them larger than life. | | | | Yeah, I know that Sauron was an evil overlord |
| Great characters are complex | | | | with no redeeming qualities whatsoever, but that |
| Don't think, based on the above, that characters | | | | was then, and this is now. Evil overlords have |
| can be one-note beings. It's not enough to have | | | | been done to death since Tolkien. Even Darth |
| "the giant", "the scoundrel", or "the funny one". | | | | Vader turned out to have a good side. When I |
| Your characters need to have the complexities of | | | | create villains, I don't want them to be completely |
| a real person. That means a history, motives, | | | | heartless. I try to humanize them by revealing |
| dreams, fears, loves, interests, and desires. | | | | their fears, haunting past, and even their tender |
| When creating characters, I like to brainstorm | | | | side. |
| with a big piece of paper (or Word document. | | | | Let your characters direct the plot |
| Both work). I often start with a physical | | | | We now come to what is, perhaps, the most |
| description. | | | | important point. |
| Eyes. What color are they, what shape? What | | | | Once you really know the characters, let them |
| emotion lives within these eyes, and what do | | | | write the story. Place the characters into the |
| they say about the soul that hides beneath them? | | | | setting of the story, and let them direct the flow. |
| Eyes are the windows to the soul. What do your | | | | Remember this: Great characters drive the plot. |
| character's eyes say about her? | | | | Not the other way around. |
| What color is your character's hair? What style is | | | | Creating a great plot, then forcing your characters |
| it, and why does your character wear his hair this | | | | into it, is the wrong approach. The characters |
| way? Is it long, matted, and dirty from tribulation? | | | | should be the true driving force behind the story. |
| Is it always neat, and never goes for three | | | | Base the plot on their motives, their emotions, |
| weeks without a haircut? If the hair is shaggy, | | | | their desires and hates and loves. The plot |
| why is it shaggy? If it's meticulous, why? | | | | happens because the heroes and villains direct it. It |
| How tall is the character? How much does he or | | | | is a poor plot which exists for its own sake, with |
| she weigh? Does this person carry any scars, | | | | the characters simply tagging along. |
| tattoos, piercings? What is the story behind | | | | When writing, it's good to know the general |
| them? How does your character dress? | | | | storyline. But let your characters direct the flow. |