You're on a plane to a distant country to visit some strange old relative you're somehow related to. In your hands, a book that a friend of yours has recommended to you. But wait… as soon as you start reading you realize the characters are very boring. This is a typical scenario, probably familiar to many readers out there. You, a writer, can help those readers by creating a story with characters that are realistic and they like. This step-by-step guide will give you tips on how to develop great personalities for your characters.
Steps
Method 1 of 1: Create Personality for Your Own Characters
Step 1. Start with a simple profile that includes these categories:
Name, Age, Gender and Job. All of these categories will affect your character's choices. Fill them out, starting with the protagonist of your story. For example, we will use: Jack, 15, male, gang member. Jack's age, gender and occupation affect his personality. Notice how quickly you assume he's a troublemaker who drinks, peddles and does stuff like that.
Step 2. Choose a good name
Names can affect a character's personality and Jack will likely have a nickname. Let's try with Tweezer. How does the Tweezer gang member look compared to the Jack gang member? For example, a fantasy story will have characters with names taken from Greek mythology, such as Demetrius. Science fiction stories will have characters with technological names, such as the word Techno itself. Either way, be creative and don't just copy the norm of the genre you're writing about.
Step 3. Create a longer profile
Create a past for Tweezer. How long have you been in a gang? Why did he join a gang? What do you want? What are you afraid of? What are its goals? The surrounding environment and events shape our personality. Using these tools you will be able to shape the character's personality.
Step 4. Develop the personality
How did his past affect his personality? Did he lose a loved one, resulting in joining a gang? He probably joined the gang to get stronger and protect the ones he loves. Think of some flaws that might come out of his past. Use those flaws as you write. Memorable, unique and credible to tell. These are the key characteristics of a character. This can be developed at the same time as his personal history.
Step 5. Insert Tweezer into a texture
Think of a beginning and an end. Think of a Tweezer antagonist and make it as similar as possible, with a few key differences. They might even be so similar that they were friends, if they were in the same gang. Develop more characters as you go. Make them as human as possible. Here it is all about telling a credible story.
Step 6. Keep developing your characters until the story is over
Keep going until you've created, for example, Tweezer's leader, his best friend, a possible love interest, and other important gang members. It does the same for any rival gang and other important characters such as Tweezer's parents. Be less specific if the characters are less important.
Remember that the balance between the characters is important. Creating specific types of characters will show how Tweezer would interact with them and thus change the overall tone of the story itself. The balance between the characters also means not having specific characters in specific places and situations. It also means taking one type of character and putting them in different situations. For example, a cheerful and lively girl from a rich family as opposed to a girl of the same personality but from a poor family. Things like these will help contribute to the creation of the characters and thus of the story. Feel free to experiment with the balance between the characters and see what comes out
Advice
- Make sure that the characters are consistent. Make sure that whatever they do brings both the plot and their personal story forward. The plot should be a result of the actions of the characters rather than the characters a result of the plot. They must go hand in hand.
- Remember to insert something negative into what the character did: for example, Tweezer could have killed someone and got away with it, sending an innocent person to prison. No one is entirely good and no one is entirely bad, even the antagonists.
- If you have problems creating personalities, the astrological signs are very helpful. There are many books and websites on astrology. In addition, the Jung personality test (ENFJ types and those not) can be a source of inspiration. For the core characters, find a way to make them stand out. For example, someone who always ends a sentence with "You know, yeah?" or a habit of coughing and clearing your throat before speaking.
- Names are extremely important so try to make the name reflect something of the characters. Jot down dozens of names, tell them out loud, ask your friends what makes them think about their favorite names, ask them what their favorite names are on your list.
- Ask yourself questions about your characters and their actions to help the story move forward.
- Pretend that you are the character who faces a conflict in your story. How would you react? For example, if a rival gang member insults Tweezer, Tweezer will want to look good in the eyes of his so-called friends and rival.
Warnings
- Do not copy other characters from already famous books, such as Harry Potter. Otherwise, you may find yourself in a lot of trouble.
- Don't steal names, even if your character is completely different from the one you are stealing the name from. If people know the name, they will accuse you of copying and you can get in trouble, not only with your readers, but also with the law.
