So, you’re writing a story. Maybe you have a world set. Maybe you have some form of an elusive plot. Maybe you’ve started to write things out, and your prose is looking pretty sharp.

That’s all super great, so pat yourself on the back.

But a story is not a story without a character.

Characters are the lifeblood of every novel. Narnia’s just a pretty landscape without the wonder and explorative spirit of the Pevensies. The world of Harry Potter is simply a fantastical school in the distance without the Golden Trio gripping us into the story. Without Sherlock Holmes and his trusty Dr. Watson, their universe would simply be another shadowy city street.

Characters let us dive into the story and see the world with a new point of view. Characters can show us new thoughts; they can pull up deep emotions that we relate and return to, over and over again. Characters are arguably half the reason we read–we read to find ourselves and our stories within the pages, and characters allow us to do that.

You can’t create a novel people adore and return to, without having a real, strong character.

How to Create A Strong Character

First off, take a deep breath, and realize while this is important, this is not an instantaneous process. Creating a strong character can take a lot of time. I’m still discovering new bits and pieces of my main character, Katrina, and it’s been nearly two years since I found her.

Creating characters is my favorite part of the writing process, though. You get to create whole lifetimes and backstories. You can find their voice, hear their stories, figure out how they tick. You can make them playlists, endless Pinterest boards, notebooks and notebooks full of doodles. You’re free to do whatever you want, with whoever you want.

But first we shall figure out how to start.

I usually find my characters from various things on Pinterest. For example, as I mentioned in a previous blog post, my main character (MC) Katrina originated from a pin I found on Pinterest about two years ago.

When I first realized this prompt was going to turn into a character…. it’s honestly amazing. Katrina has always been my snarky girl, full of wit, a bit calloused. As I grew to know her, she started showing her softer side, and I found that hard calloused side isn’t as prominent as I used to think. But this was her origin. A simple dialogue prompt.

You can start from a prompt. You can start from a picture–that’s how I created one of my side characters, Agent 14. You can start from a song. You can start from a person you found on the street and somehow created a whole story for them on your way to work. You can create a character based off your pet. Or your blender. Or–a lamp.

My point here is that you can create a character off anything that inspires you. Hold onto whatever you find, and let it simmer in the back of your mind. Let it develop. Add some new thoughts. Shuffle through your playlist, and see, as you create, if you can’t find some songs that kinda fit their vibes. Nothing has to be set in stone–this is simply creation. Things can be messy. Just let them flow. Scroll through Pinterest for a little while. Give them a board. Find quotes or pictures or videos that fit their vibes. Find clothing aesthetics. Dress up as them for a day. Make doodles for them. Give them a journal. Talk like you think they might talk. Write out a short story of just them rambling. Or maybe it’s a mix if you and them talking. That’s how it usually starts.

The more you let yourself explore your character, the brighter they’ll shine. The more you pour into them, the stronger they’ll become. They’ll find their own voice, and it’ll be easier and easier to find pictures, quotes, songs for them. Because you start to know them.

It’s like meeting a new friend, and discovering all their backstory and the things they love and how their room looks and what food they hate. It’s not instantaneous. It’s an adventure. And it can be beautiful and glorious, if you let it.

I tend to discover my character through this pantsing, discovery writer fashion, because I’m a pantser/discovery writer. But I will also supply a more concrete list for all my plotters out there, or anyone who needs some solid info to really delve into discovering a character.

• Need, Goal, Weakness

These are basically the big three for creating a real character. What does your character need (or believe they need) to be happy? For my character Kat, she believes she needs safety and chocolate.

What is their personal goal? Often, this connects to their need, and can play into the story goal. (Not to mention, it can make for some really good story conflict.) For Kat, she has a goal to bring her found family to safety.

Finally, what is their weakness? This can be an element of their past that cripples them (Kat’s trauma from torture at a government facility) a physical disability, or even a character trait that holds them back.

Figuring these out, through trial and error, can help create strong conflict, both internally for your character and how they respond to the world, and externally in the plot of your novel.

• Character Questions

Honestly, this is how I used to develop all my characters. Find a list on the internet, Pinterest, Tumblr, etc, of character questions. The Novel Factory has a really comprehensive list here. Just take it one step at a time, and let yourself explore. You might be surprised at what turns up.

• Base Elements of Your Character Off Someone You Know

It’s a well known idea to take elements of the people you know and put them into your characters. Maybe your mother has a strange speech pattern. Maybe your grandfather has to put BBQ sauce on absolutely everything he eats. Maybe your coworker Anne grew up camping around national parks and one time fought off a grizzly bear and has a scar up her left arm to prove it.

These are very interesting character traits, and you can totally use them in your story. Just be sure to change at least the name of your character–your coworker Anne shouldn’t be in your story. But your character Bob with that amazing scar can be.

• Give Your Character Flaws, Likes, and Dislikes

Your characters cannot be perfect, or they will be boring. Make them multifaceted. This list from Dabble Writer can be helpful. Give them a bad habit of playing with their food. Have them crack jokes at the wrong times–i.e. a funeral. Make them hasty, mean, snappish, childish. Give them your flaws, even. This will build their character.

As for character likes and dislikes, this is something I tend to just discover. WRiting out bits of their backstory can be really helpful, or using elements from yourself or people you know. And if you figure these out, sometimes, you’ll find it builds into their very being. For example, my character Katrina. She loves chocolate, because she used to eat chocolate with her ex-best friend/lover. It’s a comfort safety, to calm her anxiety. A symbol of better days. On the contrary, she’s always hated cats. It’s really ironic. And I’m not completely sure why. Maybe it’s because people always joked about her name being like a cat when she was younger. Maybe something else in her past. Maybe it’s because there’s a ton of strays around her world, and she doesn’t like to associate herself with the image of being that scrawny and hopeless (even though she is.)

All these little elements can build on who your character is, and who they decide to be in your novel.

• Associate Your Character With Something

Connect your character with something. I.e. your MC is associated with the sun and your villain is the moon. Using that connection, all the stories and parodies and images we have with the sun and the moon can spill into your story and give your characters more depth.

For example, my side character Victor. He’s an assassin, who I associate with knives. one, he loves knives, and two, it works with his personality. When I’m struggling to find his voice, I’ll just lean into the knife image–make him speak sharper, with quick movements and careful words. It helps to solidify him in my mind, and helps with not mixing up his voice with my other character’s.

• Journal For Your Characters

This is an invaluable tip I just stared doing last year, but it’s made my character voices–especially for my side characters–so much stronger. Grab a notebook and a pen, and sit down with one of your characters, and just let them talk. Ask them questions. How was their relationship with their parents? Do they have siblings? What do they love about themselves? What would they change in their life?

Let them rant and let them ramble. Don’t edit, don’t overthink it. Just let it happen and see what you discover.

Conclusion

Overall, character creation is both a huge project and an endless adventure. But you don’t have to stress about it. That’s the biggest takeaway. Explore. Have fun with the process (that’s the first rule of creativity–have fun with it!). And the more you let yourself explore, the more your character will bloom.

And one day, they’ll run away from you completely and making their own decisions and stories and problems in your novel all by themselves. But that’s a “problem” for another day.

Until then–I did plan to make this post about the different types of characters and how to go about writing each kind, but this got a little long… let me know in the comments.

Would you be interested in seeing more about characters? Or would you rather move onto story and plot? (Or voice and narration, if I ever get around to figure out how that…. really works. We shall see.)

Happy character creating,

~ Z.Rise