Adventures in Writing

2) Creating characters

Creating Characters

Oddly enough, some authors don't even have a plot in mind before they start writing. Wouldn't you believe it? Some great authors out there actually start off with a character before the plot even comes to them! But how do they do that? How do you come up with a character?

A writer's greatest tool when it comes to character creation is people watching. It's totally not stalking because you do not interact with the people, not generally anyway. People watching is just listening, watching, people. Notice everything that makes people different, because your characters will be different from you.

You may protest the idea of smoking marijuana or not believing in a certain deity, but guess what? Your character probably doesn't agree with you. He or she might totally support the idea of smoking pot and might be a Satanist while you're a hardcore Christian. And sometimes, your character and you may share some similarities. You guys might both like brown sugar Poptarts.

Creating characters is like creating new people, and people come in so many varieties.

Notice people. Listen to them. How do they react to being mocked? How do they react to getting the wrong order at a restaurant? How do they make their coffee? Do they make good decisions or bad decisions? Is that based on YOUR personal feelings or theirs?

Generally, creating a character begins with someone or something that captures your attention. Let's use an example.

You're sitting at McDonalds, pretending to check your phone while you sip a latte and you notice a man come in with three small children, who are all laughing and chattering excitedly and daddy just smiles at them, but you notice something different about him compared to the other parents who've walked in.

Upon first glance, daddy is just a typical American father. Tall, a bit thin, his hair isn't peppery or gray, but rather a light shade of brown and thinning near the ears, eyes the color of your latte, and he's wearing a simple button up shirt and jeans.

Look closer.

Does his smile reach his eyes? Is that even a real smile? He seems rather young, but weary. His clothing is wrinkled and looks like he fished it out of the bottom of his drawer.

Notice the way he makes his order. Is he softspoken or does he just belt out his order loud and proud? Does he walk with his shoulders back or hunched?

Body language. There are tons of guides online, and things you can pick up from people watching that can explain a lot about a person just by looking at them. For example, downcast eyes can signify exhaustion or a rather submissive personality. Or if they're actively trying to avoid eye contact, they could be nervous or have a mental issue.

Which brings me to my next part about characters. Your character can be cool, badass, powerful, and basically the best swaggy character in the world. But what makes a character complete? Flaws.

Every. Character. Has. Flaws.

Yes, including your own. Does your character have a mental condition? Do they suffer from anxiety? Do they have one incident in the past that could effect their current state? Is their home life safe? Do they have low self-esteem?

I'm not saying pile a bunch of tragedies onto your character either. A character could not have suffered any trauma in the past and still have flaws. Self-esteem issues brought on by an innocent comment or a bad grade.

The possibilities are infinite, but it all comes right down to the simple fact that your character MUST have flaws. A "perfect" character is a boring character. A "perfect" character wouldn't even need a story since they're already "perfect". And if you shovel so much crap into the character that is just randomly tossed in, it will confuse both you and the readers.

Creating a character is like making a cake. It's fun to add a little extra something, like maybe some pudding, but if you start throwing in huge cups of sugar and dirt from the backyard and your dad's left shoe and packet of hot sauce from Taco Bell, you're gonna have a really wonky cake that no one will eat.

You have to add the right ingredients to a character to make them complimentary to a story. Flaws, perfections, physical appearance, personality, likes and dislikes, a history, etc. And while you may not have everything when you start the story, you will have enough by the end of the story and you'll realize the character has practically taken on a mind of its own.

Now that part is exciting. To watch something you made come to life and take adventures you provided. Dude, it's like having a kid without the whole screaming and giving birth part.

Scratch that, you might end up screaming at them at some point. I know I do.

Anyway, good luck with your new character and try not to tear him or her apart too bad.