Ideas come first, but what happens after that? Well, you need someone to act out the idea, of course! And the best way to do that is with characters (duh). This can be anyone from an animal, object, or human. Let's just say for now we're talking strictly humans.
Over the years, I've scoured the internet for tips on how to write characters. It can be challenging, especially when you want to make them believable. The best advice I've gotten was through an article titled "Top 10 Questions for Creating Believable Characters". I don't even want to attempt to outshine this article with my advice, so here are the questions you should always ask when attempting to make a believable character, male or female.
1. Where does your character live? What country, region? Do they live alone or with a family? Trailer park? Estate? How did they end up living there? How do they feel about it?
2. Where is your character from? Where did their life begin? Did they grow up running around the woods in a small town or learn to conjugate Latin verbs in a London boarding school?
3. How old is your character? Would they have a cell phone, land line, or both? Do they drink dry martinis or cheap beer? Still get money from their folks or worry about what will happen to their parents as they age?
4. What is your character called? The name provides background info like age and social class.
5. What does your character look like? Tall enough to see over heads in a crowd? Do they deal with body issues and avoid mirrors?
6. What kind of childhood did they have? Did their parents have a good marriage? Were they raised by a single parent? How your character interacts with people will be influenced by their past.
7. What does your character do for a living?
8. How does your character deal with conflict and change? Are they passive or active? Upon confrontation, do they change the subject, head for the minibar, stalk off, or do deep-breathing exercises?
9. Who else is in your character's life? Who do they interact with?
10. What is your character's goal or motivation in this story?
The most important thing when writing characters, at least in my opinion, is to remember that their gender does not determine their goals/character type. Men can be shy and tentative but still be strong. Women can be the same and be strong. Screw gender stereotypes! But, of course, there's nothing wrong with having a female character who is in a care-giving role and a male who happens to be the provider, if it fits your story. Just remember you're the writer and whatever you say goes!
Over the years, I've scoured the internet for tips on how to write characters. It can be challenging, especially when you want to make them believable. The best advice I've gotten was through an article titled "Top 10 Questions for Creating Believable Characters". I don't even want to attempt to outshine this article with my advice, so here are the questions you should always ask when attempting to make a believable character, male or female.
1. Where does your character live? What country, region? Do they live alone or with a family? Trailer park? Estate? How did they end up living there? How do they feel about it?
2. Where is your character from? Where did their life begin? Did they grow up running around the woods in a small town or learn to conjugate Latin verbs in a London boarding school?
3. How old is your character? Would they have a cell phone, land line, or both? Do they drink dry martinis or cheap beer? Still get money from their folks or worry about what will happen to their parents as they age?
4. What is your character called? The name provides background info like age and social class.
5. What does your character look like? Tall enough to see over heads in a crowd? Do they deal with body issues and avoid mirrors?
6. What kind of childhood did they have? Did their parents have a good marriage? Were they raised by a single parent? How your character interacts with people will be influenced by their past.
7. What does your character do for a living?
8. How does your character deal with conflict and change? Are they passive or active? Upon confrontation, do they change the subject, head for the minibar, stalk off, or do deep-breathing exercises?
9. Who else is in your character's life? Who do they interact with?
10. What is your character's goal or motivation in this story?
The most important thing when writing characters, at least in my opinion, is to remember that their gender does not determine their goals/character type. Men can be shy and tentative but still be strong. Women can be the same and be strong. Screw gender stereotypes! But, of course, there's nothing wrong with having a female character who is in a care-giving role and a male who happens to be the provider, if it fits your story. Just remember you're the writer and whatever you say goes!