Developing characters is a lengthy process. It involves creating names, body shapes, disabilities, quirks and oddities, character arc, and backstory. All of these elements help create a well-rounded character. The last thing you want to have is a flat character.
An author by the name of K.M. Weiland wrote several books to help authors craft strong characters. I recommend looking her up to see what her books have to offer. Her website is https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/
Once I have the basic idea carved in my head for the story, I like to get a picture of who I am working with. Who are the actors that will be playing center stage in my story? Who is my protagonist? Who, if any, is the antagonist? It’s important at this point for me to understand who I’m working with. Who is going to be taking up space in my head? I want a name, a shape, a person with deep emotions or maybe a person who lacks the ability to connect with others. It is here where those characters begin to take form.
The next question is how… How do I go about creating a character? Sometimes it takes time to come up with the right name and the right physique to match the character I have in my mind. To start with, I have a list of hundreds of names from a variety of demographics and nationalities. The names are separated into both male and female groups. I also have a long list of surnames. I work through my list of names mixing and matching options in my head until I craft a strong name for each major and minor character.
After lining up my new characters on the page, I have to create a sense of reality about them. Real people aren’t perfect. Sometimes they are sick or injured or have a disability. Other times a character may just have a muscle twitch, a tic, a speech impediment, a lisp, or an oddity that makes them a bit different in some way. Another important piece to creating individualized characters is their voice. This is how a character speaks and the words they use to convey their message.
Next it is important to create a relevant backstory. Much or even most of your character’s backstory will never make the pages of your book, but a strong backstory is important. Why? It enables you as an author to know who your character is and why they act the way they do. In a well-developed backstory, you create all the things that make your character who they are.
It is also important to understand how your character will develop throughout the story or series. This is called a character arc. There are three main types: positive, flat, and negative. While not self-explanatory, as there is a lot that goes into creating a successful arc, the main types are straightforward. A positive arc is one where a character starts out a some position, but they grow as a person and by the end have become better than who they started out being. A flat arc is just that. Flat. Unlike the positive arc that swings upward over time, a flat character arc doesn’t change throughout the story. A negative arc is the opposite of a positive one. The character spirals downward over time devolving emotionally and/or morally so that by the end they are a worse person than when they started.
These are some of the aspects in what creates a strong character. When crafting a character, look at the people around you. Study them for quirks and idiosyncrasies and the little things than make them human. Sprinkling a little bit of that in your characters can go a long way.
Thank you for joining me as I explored my writing journey. Continue reviewing my blogs and don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter where I share writing topics, behind-the-scene details, and members-only material. Remember to go over to my media page to watch my podcasts and learn additional content or view them on YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok. Like and subscribe for more content.