A while ago, I gave you all  on how to create believable characters. I promised to share some more of my thoughts on this topic and never did. So with nothing to do due to quarantine, I’m going to make good on my promise and write a little more on my character creation process.

For me, a character usually starts with a name. Sometimes there’s a fleeting image of a feature they possess – like long blonde hair, or steely blue eyes – but that’s just about it. I’ll sit on this very rudimentary character dreamt up in my head for a time as I wait for a story to start forming around them. This can be a matter of hours, or a matter of months. The process changes every time I start a new project.

Personally, I think I’m very unconventional when it comes to developing my characters. I really don’t do much work on making them real until I know where my story is going, or at least have some sort of a direction to spring off of. It’s at this point, when I’ve started to grasp how they react to things and situations as a person, where I’ll do a couple of different things to get further inside the head of my characters.

One option I’ve done in the past is create a character profile document. There’s plenty of them you can find online (literally just type character profile template into Google and you’ll have dozens to choose from).

 

[Want a second pair of eyes? Check out our proofreading service.]

 

Another trick I’ve used to help make more realistic characters is through using writing prompts to place your MCs (or any character you want to flesh out) in situations they aren’t used to being in. The point of this is to develop characteristics and traits that will inherently translate over into your actual story through the prompts.

And of course, you learn things about your characters as you’re crafting your story. Make sure to let these quirks and traits shine when you come across them. A believable character is a well-rounded character, with good and bad qualities. If you’ve done things right, a character should be exactly like a regular human being – imperfect. It’s the best way to get your readers to relate to them all.

Keep writing everyone, and stay safe during this crazy time in our lives.

Until next time.

 

 

Teagan Berry writes books, watches sports, and reads. She started her blog initially to beat writer’s block, but it’s turned into so much more.