Creating Compelling Characters

Creating Compelling Characters Creating Compelling Characters Creating Compelling Characters By Guest Author This is a guest post by Ali Hale. If you want to write for Daily Writing Tips check the guidelines here. The success of a story rests on its characters. We remember truly compelling, vivid characters long after weve finished reading a novel or watching a movie: Im sure you can recall characters from books you read in childhood. Great characters can compensate for a weak plot or a so-so writing style – but if readers dont care about your characters, theyll put your story down. That clever plot twist or beautiful passage of writing might hook them briefly, but without characters that leap off the page, readers wont stay engaged. If you need more evidence that characters are crucially important, search Google for fan fiction. Many, many books, TV series and movies have spawned a huge amount of creative writing by fans – and this writing is all about the characters. The plots and sometimes even the settings are different from those in the original, but the characters remain the same. Simply knowing how important characters are doesnt help you much, though. You need to figure out how to create truly compelling characters who readers care about, laugh about, even cry about. Heres how: What Does Your Character Need? All compelling characters have a strong need, longing or desire. They should have a problem to overcome. They may not recognise this need (and indeed, many stories are about person coming to understand themselves better – for example, learning that they need companionship). I picked up a great tip on figuring out what characters need from Holly Lisles Create a Character Clinic. Use Maslows hierarchy of needs. Pick a level on the pyramid (you can find all you need to know on Wikipedias page) and then figure out what your character is seeking. At the most basic, physical level, your character might be in a survival situation and need food and water. Going up a level, you might have a character whose security is threatened: perhaps shes lost her job, or hes facing a health crisis. Quirks Dont Equal Character Many beginning writers make the mistake of thinking that giving a character a set of mannerisms or physical quirks is characterisation. It can be amusing and diverting, certainly. Sure, you can give your character a habit of whistling a particular tune, or jangling his keys, or peering over her glasses. But these alone dont make your characters compelling. When your characters do have unusual quirks, these need to be relevant to their back story – the things which happened to them before they appeared in your book. (Compelling characters need to be like icebergs: the reader has to have the sense that theres a lot more under the surface: characters shouldnt feel like they didnt exist before page one.) For example, Harry Potters scar is an important feature because it relates to his history and to the broader plot of the stories. Giving your character a mysterious scar which has no relevance to your story, however, isnt a shortcut to becoming as popular as J.K. Rowling In general, focus on who your character is rather than what they look like. Draw From Life – But Not Too Much So where do powerful, vivid characters come from? Often, the best place to start is yourself. What do you dream about, fear, desire? What secrets do you have? What are you most ashamed of – and most proud of? If youre trying to convey a characters internal thoughts, then you must be willing to draw on your only source of direct experience: the inside of your own mind. Dont go too far in drawing on real life, though. Beginning writers sometimes make the mistake of writing a version of themselves into their stories – often a perfect, flawless character who theyd quite like to be! While this might be emotionally satisfying to the writer, its either very irritating or very boring for readers. Some other tips when drawing on your life are: Were all complex people who may, at times, behave in contradictory ways. Dont make your characters too one-dimensional Most of us have quiet, even boring, lives. Your characters need to do more exciting things in order to engage the reader. Dont worry about describing your characters physically. Mention anything thats important (eg. a characters physical size may have a bearing on the plot and on their self-confidence) but dont burden the reader with details. Watch people when youre out and about, and make up stories about them. Let the Reader Empathise Your reader doesnt necessarily have to like your characters, but they should be able to feel a sense of empathy for them. Even your villains shouldnt be purely evil: there needs to be some explanation for why theyre such awful people – this often forms part of their back story. On the flip side, your heroes shouldnt be too perfect. We like to read about people with flaws, doubts and struggles – because when we read, were imagining ourselves in their place. Characters are compelling when we can share their struggles and cheer on their victories. Some quick ways to build empathy are: Show a character suffering (either mentally or physically) Include a brief flashback to an unhappy childhood or traumatic incident Write about your characters thoughts – especially if their actions might be hard for us to understand or treat sympathetically Use the first-person or third-person limited (deep) point of view Show a character being misunderstood by others Frustrate a characters attempts to meet their need Finally, have fun with creating your characters! If you find yourself writing about a character who bores you, then rewrite them – or recast them as a new character entirely. When you write characters that are truly compelling to you, theyll be compelling to the reader. Ali Hale is a writer whose posts getting more from life at Aliventures have been called so true, exactly what I need and exactly at the right time for me (click to grab the RSS feed here). When shes not blogging, shes working on her novel and other projects, including an MA in Creative Writing. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:30 Synonyms for â€Å"Meeting†The Possessive Apostrophe5 Examples of Misplaced Modifiers