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Get Into Character!
Characters are the heart of your story. You can
have an ingenious plot, but if the characters are less interesting than celery,
readers are likely to slam it shut with a frustrated groan. I've come across
this a few times: the plot was intriguing enough, but when it came to the
protagonist, I just didn't care. Of course, the opposite can also be true--you
can love the characters while the plot leaves you wanting. However, that sounds
like a topic for another time. Now it's time to push our characters into the
spotlight.
Creating lovable characters is tricky business.
Your favorite character in a novel may be your best friend's least favorite,
but as authors we have to do our best to appeal to everyone in our readership. So
how is it done? How do we create a character?
Look around at your friends and family. Everyone
is full of unique opinions and personalities. Just borrowing a couple
personality traits here and there is a good start. Then look at your
acquaintances--that's another pool of personalities.
You could also turn to your favorite fictional
characters for inspiration, though I would avoid doing too much of this. If you
are inspired by one of a character's personality traits, say their unshakeable
sense of integrity, make sure that that is the only thing you borrow from that
character.
For example, say the source of your inspiration
is a bubbly girl who always stands up for what she believes in. You might want
to make your character a shy boy who always stands up for what he believes in.
Perhaps he rarely gets recognized for his good deeds, but he prefers it that
way. You don't want your readers to be able to tell that a popular fictional
character inspired you to create your character.
It's easy enough to invent a character, but what
you want is a character your readers can't wait to read about. And characters
are first and foremost defined by their actions. Make a list of character
traits you want for your character.
Then, invent situations that show these traits
in different scenes in your novel or story. Show your character making the
noble choice in a given situation, or, making the selfish choice and feeling
guilty later.
Make sure your readers understand how your
character feels in any given situation.
You don't need a rambling soliloquy of inner dialogue, usually a couple
sentences will suffice. Though, if you are ever not sure that your readers
understand why your character is doing what he is doing, take as long as you
need to explain. You can always come back later to revise. The more your
readers understand your character, the more attached they'll become.
I hope this was helpful to anyone who doesn’t know
where to start when it comes to creating characters. Let me know what you
thought of this article in the comments below, and if you have any tips for
creating characters, please share!
Have fun and stay creative,
-Vanessa
Friday, February 26, 2016
Don't just write because you want to, write because you need to.
https://twitter.com/vanessa_drain/status/701534411037261829
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