How do you create compelling characters?
Hi there! I know I’m a bit late, but I still want to say Happy New Year — and let’s hope it really will be!
I have plans to make this an incredible creative writing year, but I’m still working on it, so I won’t say anything just yet.
But in the meanwhile, I will be more consistent on Medium. I’m working hard at it. I really don’t want to ghost you again as I’ve done recently — for which I’m sincerely sorry.
So, here are my first articles of the year — both about creating characters.
Hope you’ll enjoy them!
Sarah
How to Create Characters That Are Your Readers’ Best Friends
How to create a character is maybe one of the most tricky aspects of the storytelling business. It’s so very personal. Here are some pointers to get you started.
When it comes to creating characters, I find it always so difficult to give advice. Creating characters is a highly personal endeavour, with roots in the author’s personality and life experience. Indeed, some characters may work only for their author because there’s a sparkle that no other person can give to them.
But there are certainly a few pointers that can start the brainstorming process to create compelling and relatable characters.
Let’s have a look at them.
Why a Character’s Blue Eyes Are Not Enough to Define Them
A character’s ‘organic’ characteristics aren’t everything there is to it. Narrative characteristics also define a character.
The main traits of a compelling character might seem to rest on physical looks, background and psychological and emotional states. I would define these ‘organic characteristics’, because they define the character as an ‘organism’.
But characters are more than that. They also are — or should I say, they are, above all — narrative devices. Characters, more than anything, are what makes a story tick and what makes the story move. They are the travellers allowing the narrative journey to exist.
