How to Create Believable, Memorable Characters for Your Book
J.K. Rowling once said:
“You can have a very intense relationship with fictional characters because they are in your own head.”
A writer, when writing a book, usually builds up a relationship with the characters in their book. But how do they draw a reader into their world and make their characters not only believable but also have an ever-lasting effect on them? Because, let's face it, if the character isn't convincing or appealing, whether it be a love or hate relationship with them, the reader will soon lose interest in your book, even if you have the best plotline of all time. If your characters are dead, the reader will be soon snapping your book shut and it may well be thrown in the next charity bag.
The answer is of course: Know your main characters inside and out.
This is the hand-out I take into schools when I go for book talks:
How
to Create a Fictional Character from Scratch
The one thing that virtually every single book,
play, movie, novel, and game has in common is that they all have at least one character.
Most have 2 or more, and some—a cast of thousands! Sometimes the
"character" is you.
If you're creating a story such as Harry Potter,
for example, you will need an entire world of characters—some good, some evil,
some male, some female... even some that are not good or evil or male or
female.
If you're creating an intimate story, you may only
need one character.
Regardless of who the characters are books and
movies, and all the rest, would be lifeless and boring without them. So where
do they come from, you may well wonder? Here I will show you how you can bring
out the best in your characters, and how to make the characters your own!
Creating Your Own Fictional
Character
Steps:
1.
Define
the setting, or initial Scene:
Whether
you are ‘raising the curtain’ on paper or on the computer screen, your
character must exist somewhere. It may be in a school playground or in a vast
lake in an ancient world. This sets the stage for your character. It will help
to define him or her, as well.
2. Define your character’s Identity:
Who,
what, where, when, why and how . . .
What is
their name? Description, mannerisms etc.
Are
they human, animal or even an alien being from another planet? Are they male or
female?
Where
do they live, work, play or go exploring? Education, school, occupation.
What
age are they and what era do they live in? Young, old, live in the present or a
different time?
Why do
they draw the reader in? Are they villain or hero?
How do
they become the characters they are? Have they had a hard life with no love and
many grievances? Are they jealous of other people and crave power? Or do they
have a deep desire to help and save other people?
All
of these traits help develop the character and give them the bare-bones in the
process of becoming more real to the reader.
3. Take mannerisms
and Features
from
people around you:
Look at people around you, at school, home or even
out playing.
Note physical features – the shape of nose, jaw,
ears, body shapes, how their clothes fit, or how they carry themselves.
If you like their look, describe to yourself the
details you find attractive, and translate that to your characters. If you see
somebody that looks scary, honestly tell yourself why that person scares you,
even if the reason is totally irrational. Use this information to inform your
character.
4. Define your character’s purpose
or Goal:
How your characters deal with the inevitable
obstacles that stand between them and their aims will most clearly define them.
In complex stories these might cross repeatedly, with the motivations and
accomplishments of some characters getting in the way of others, generating
further action and twists, and even raising the stakes.
5. Give them Attitude:
To really flesh out a character, give them a
personality that goes beyond the story itself. Some parts of their personality
may never make it into your story, directly, but will help inform the decisions
your character may have to make.
Make a list of all their likes and dislikes and
make sure the list is balanced. In other words, don’t have 10 dislikes to 1
like or visa-versa. Even the crankiest character likes something, even if it’s
just their mirror.
6. Give your
character Quirks:
Good habits, bad habits, or just things the
character can’t stop doing like: biting fingernails – which would indicate a
worrier, or obsessive hair-combing – vanity or insecurity.
The more of these tics and traits you give your
character, the more they will ‘come alive’ in the audience’s mind.
7. Work out their
fears, weaknesses, motivations and biggest Secrets:
It creates a much more realistic character and
helps to develop their originality. A popular hero strength/weakness has to do
with loyalty/disloyalty.
I also have some fun visuals for the kids to identify with.
I start off by pinning my skeleton to the board. I tell the children that this is Herman in my books. Of course some of the kids look quite excited about a skeleton being one of my characters, but most look at me as if I've totally lost the plot. This is quite intentional.
I then ask them, what does he need to build up his character? They all know the answer. He needs skin. I call this layer 'Identity' (His name, main description etc.)
I go on then to ask what else he needs. They tell me top and trousers. I've called these layers: Features and Goals.
The children have soon cottoned on that we are building up the character and each layer we put on next: shoes = attitude, hat = quirks and scarf = secrets, are identified with building up the characters features in a book.
It's a really fun way to visualise the technique I use, and why it is so important to do so.
Here is one of the characters in my books with my layer-building technique.
Herman
Appearance: Dark-brown, neck-length hair. Blue eyes. Square, stubbly jaw. Crooked nose. His stature is tall with broad
shoulders. He is extremely strong.
Herman is Gran’s gardener/grounds keeper at Fowesby Hall. He
oversees and maintains the surrounding gardens and land of the estate.
Formerly known as Hercules as he was once from the ancient
world of Crete.
He came to live at Fowesby Hall, when he was a young man,
after meeting Pearl and Bill (Gran and Grandad) on one of their travels.
He soon fell in love and married their young house-keeper,
Olga. They live in the small cottage on the Fowesby estate.
Over the years of living in the North-East of England he
developed a strong Middlesbrough accent. This was exaggerated quite
considerably to cover up his true identity. He was always worried that someone
would find out where he really came from. He feared not for himself but for his
friends, Pearl and Bill. If ever the secret of Fowesby Hall was ever discovered,
he knew all would be lost for his dear friends.
Herman is hard-working, determined and very down-to-earth. He also
strives for perfection in everything you do. He is a loyal friend and a
protector.
He once rescued a huge
purple dog, called Ceber, on one of his visits back to ancient Crete from
Ceber’s three-headed mother. Poor Ceber had been born with only one head and
his mother had rejected him. Ceber was brought back to Fowesby Hall to live and
he and Herman have been inseparable ever since.
Layers:
Scene: Herman lives in a
cottage, with his wife Olga and purple dog Ceber, on the Fowesby Hall estate.
Formerly lived in the Bronze-age of ancient Crete.
Identity: Name - Herman, male, mid-fifties,
brown, hair, blue eyes, tall, broad shoulders, extremely strong.
Features: With his crooked nose,
(having been broken several times) square-jawline and stubble, his appearance
looks rather rough at times. This is a mask of deception in many ways. Only in
his work and the care for his friends do we see the true perfectionist he
really is.
Goal/ Purpose: Herman is the
protector. He acts as a bodyguard whenever they go on their travels. Herman is
a very strong man but in the ancient world his powers are exceptionally potent.
An extremely good ally to have on your side.
Attitude: Herman’s personality is
kind, caring and extremely loyal to the ones he loves. He also sometimes has a
short fuse but doesn’t stay angry for very long.
Quirks: Herman’s quirk is his
accent. His h-dropping and word-merges makes him quickly identified in
dialogue.
Secrets: Herman's secret;
formerly known as Hercules from the ancient world of Crete. He changed his name
when he came to live in Middlesbrough. In his own words: ‘Ow many people in Middlesbrough are called ’Ercules? Think it might be
a bit o’ a giveaway. Besides, I alwayz liked the name ’Erman.’ Herman lives
in fear that his true identity will be discovered.
By layering up my characters I'm making them more rounded, believable and memorable. I do this with all my main characters.
Just remember identifiable characters connects readers to the people in your book and if the reader is attached they will go on reading until the very end. And that's what it truly is all about :)
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