Characters are a central part of our novel. Basically, readers get interested in what we write because they care about our characters and what happens to them. So, it’s crucial that we know how to craft strong, compelling, active characters that drive the plot forward and trap readers’ attention. But, how to do that?
In previous articles, we have discussed the first steps to write a novel. If you are new to our site and have no idea where to start and for some strange reason ended up here. Then, start here, and then come back, we’ll be waiting for you.
If you have a general idea of a plot, but don’t know who is going to champion it, then this article is for you. It’s time to create strong characters!! They will carry the voice and command of your story.
Take a look at this article for a quick guide on some popular literary genres.
Physical Descriptions
Before you start writing, make sure you have a clear image of what your character looks like. You want to establish this as soon as possible n the book, so your readers can create that mental picture in their heads as soon as possible. No one wants to read thirty pages to then realize that that character they thought was tall with dark hair, is actually chunky and a redhead.
Plus, establishing this from the very beginning, will help you to avoid mistakes and inconsistencies in the descriptions. You don’t want to change the eye color of someone every twenty pages. Believe me, it happens, so it’s all for the better to have everything written down from the get-go.
Prepare a character profile (template attached below) and include all the relevant physical aspects, if they are tall or short, the color of the hair, some peculiarity, for example, when walking, eating or sleeping, features that attract attention, a mole, a scar, a wart. You already have an idea.
You can cast your protagonist and other relevat characters. Find pictures of actors that you think could play your character in a movie, and place it in the profiles. This way, you can have a clear idea of the people you are dealing with.
Let’s imagine you cast Angelina Jolie as the protagonist of your novel, now you have a perfect reference for the descriptions you’ll use in your book: thick lips and light eyes, slim, long hair, and so on. This way, you’ll have it much easier, using a resource from the outside.
Something that a great friend recommended to me is to draw your character. Of course, this will only work if you are the artistic type: good at drawing and sketching and can have your own original picture. In my friend’s case, when he filled out his character template, he draw how it would look, he tells me that this helped a lot later when it came to visualizing it, which even gave him much more specific facial features, such as wrinkles, dark circles, pimples, etc.
If in your case, the most you can draw are deformed clouds, and flat houses, then I recommend you pick up your camera and go out to see what you find. Taking a walk around our environment is always inspiring, in your neighborhood, in your circle of friends or family, perhaps there are people you can use as characters, in addition, surely many will want to be part of your story and will be very happy to help you. Just don’t be creepy about it.
Personality
The personality of a character is also a major think to take into account before starting your book. You don’t want everyone to be the same. Check some personality tests websites and find the perfect one that fits your main character and maybe the ones that are right for some of your side characters.
Knowing your character before-hand will give you a great advantage. It’ll make it easier for you to how someone is going to react to something, their agency, etc. Research some personality tests online, so you can get to know that character better. Just remember, by rule of thumb, your main character has to be likable, somehow, so make sure you include some characteristics that will ensure that your readers fall for them.
In your character profile, include if he is pessimistic or optimistic, some mental disorder, some mania, oddities, fears, insecurities, grudges. Anyway, everything that you think is interesting and that can help you with the rest of the story.
A little disclaimer: when creating the profile for your characters, don’t go crazy, there are characteristics that don’t necessarily have to be there, for example, if you put in the template that your character likes the “Star Wars” saga, and this has no relevance in the story, just don’t put it, so focus on the relevant details.
Something of paramout importance when creating a character is their flaw.
Heads up! character flaws are coming.
Character flaws are a major aspect to consider when creating rounded, strong characters. These are the deficiencies of our characters, their imperfections, their manias, fears, limitations, their psychological problems, the hidden face of the moon, got it? These greatly affect the way others perceive us. Everyone, absolutely everyone has some flaw, even you buddy. So, guess what? your characters need one too.
These establish conflicts, unleash violent events. They can be seen in the conflicts of the characters, family problems, enmities, obsessions, murders, among others. They also determine your character arc.
Basically, at the beginning of your story, your character has some flaw (negative trait, belief) something that holds them back from achieving their internal goal. Throughout the story, he will have to overcome this, so he can achieve his external goal. This is what determines if a character is dynamic or flat… you don’t want a flat main character. You just don’t.
Character flaws are divided into three types: minor, major and tragic.
The minor flaw does not affect the story in any way, it is rather used to distinguish one character from another, give it a certain relevance and make it memorable due to some smaller characteristic such as bad breath or a strange mole, just that.
The major flaw, on the other hand, makes a character much more important and popular, it does not always tend to be negative, it manifests with some moral or mental disagreement, which restricts it in some way. This can be a disease such as amnesia, or a disability.
Finally, the tragic flaw leads our protagonist to the maximum lack of mental control, and his emotions, actions, bad habits, convictions, obsessions, which can even cause death. Usually, this is the center of the story and the main misbelief characters need to fight against in order to evolve throughout the story.
Some examples:
Abusive: Considered by the improper infliction of physical or psychological abuse.
Alcoholic: A person who drinks alcohol habitually and to excess
Arrogant: Having a sense of pompous self-worth or self-importance. Inclined to social superiority, rebuffs the advances of people considered inferior. Snobbish.
Cold-hearted: Cynical to emotions, rarely showing any form of it in manifestation. Unfeeling.
Cursed: A person who has befallen a prayer for evil or misfortune, retained under a spell, or borne into an evil condition, and agonizes for it.
Instable: Mentally decayed. Insane. Crazy. Mad. Psychotic.
Fanatical: Outlook or behavior especially as showed by excessive enthusiasm, unreasoning fervor and extravagant philosophies on some subject.
Flirty: To make playfully romantic or sexual overtures; behavior proposed to provoke sexual interest.
Ignorant: Absent knowledge or information as to a particular subject or fact. Showing or arising from a lack of education or information.
Indecisive: Characterized by lack of decision and determination, especially under pressure.
Paranoid: Showing by extreme and irrational fear or distrust of others.
Pacifist: Opposition to war or violence as a means of resolving disputes.
Selfish: Concerned principally or only with oneself.
Smart Ass: Think they know it all, and in some ways they may, but they can be significantly exasperating and hard to deal with at times, particularly in arguments.
Unlucky: Marked by or causing misfortune. Destined for misfortune; doomed.
So, what makes a strong character?
Now, that we’ve covered physical descriptions and personality types, let’s go a little deeper. Creating a strong character is sometimes even more relevant than the plot itself, because for the reader, no matter how interesting the outcome of the story is, if your characters are not as interesting, you will end up ruining it. So there are certain things you should know before creating your character:
Conflicts
A character who has everything he needs and achieves everything he wants will never ever be interesting. Ever. This is boring, your readers need someone to root for, not someone who has everything they want in life.
Try to answer these questions. What is the major, overarching conflict in your story? What is it that your protagonist wants and can’t have unless they take action? This will give your character an objective. Make them suffer a little, or maybe more than a little. Test them. Play with their destiny. Make them fight for what they want.
Conflict is story. Story is conflict. It is as simple as: Someone wants something they can’t have unless they take action and fight for it.
This is also known as External Conflict.
Every strong character needs a Goal
This is closely related to the previous point. Strong characters need strong goals. Make sure your protagonist has a powerful one. The process of trying to achieve the goal is what will drive your character, is what will create the plot.
Defeat the Dark Lord? Destroy a powerful ring? Somehow survive a deadly competition? Save her father from the war? Give them a goal. Make it big.
Back Story
Everybody has a past and while it’s not always necessary that our character has a traumatic backstory, the past is what made your character what it is today or at the moment that you picked for your story. It is their past what makes them take all the decisions they make today.
Make them fail
Failure is necessary from time to time. Life is not perfect, and for a reader, it is more interesting to see a character failing and trying again than to see him succeed since we learn more from failures than from successes.
Do not judge!
Neutrality as a writer is essential. Do not judge the attitudes of the characters, even if they are evil beings, you should never judge them in their creation and development, the reader is the one who must decide, just limit yourself to giving reasons why they did what they did.
Look at your surroundings
When it is difficult to achieve the necessary inspiration, it is good to look around you. Surely you know someone who seems extremely interesting, there you have a good start for a character, you can even look at a famous actor that you like, such as physical characteristics and even his personality.
1+1
The plot and the characters must be directly related to each other. You now may say, well, duh… but! if you create the most epic plot possible and your character stays flat all through the story, without convictions, or risks, then forget it, you have ruined your novel. Therefore, you have to first create your characters, then, based on their personality and history, you will see how the plot takes color.
If you want some tips on how to create a writing habit, check this article!!
Summing up…
In this process of creating characters you can get lost in a great maze of names, personalities and stories, therefore, I made a template for you, print the ones you can, you’ll never know how many characters will appear.
Make sure you treat your characters as real people, give them hopes and dreams, goals to achieve, flaws that separate them from the rest. Make them tridimensional.
Make sure you have the profiles ready before you start so you don’t change the color of their eyes in the second half of the book. Been there. Done that.
Good luck!