How To Write A Novel Character | Writing Mini Course

In writing circles, you'll often hear the great debate: which is most important, plot or character?

It's a bit like which came first: the chicken or the egg?

Every good story depends on unique and interesting characters. Without them, you don't really have a story. However, the inverse is true as well. If you have a unique and interesting character who sits on the couch and watches television all day and does nothing else, then you don't really have a story.

So in truth, the two elements go hand in hand. One doesn't work without the other.

This time out, we're going to take a look at how to develop that character you have in mind for your story.

Often, my initial idea will be based on a character. In those cases, most of the work is already done for me. I have a relatively clear idea of who my character is physically and psychologically. If I want to flesh the character out a little more, I'll try one of these approaches:

Jump In

Write a few lines about your character and see what happens. This will often help me better define quirks that I can use in the story, or physical characteristics that reflect the psychology of the character. I may start out with something as simple such as: Emma Huntington was 67 years old. And end up with:

67-year-old Emma Huntington was a study in contrasts. Against the passive backdrop of her pale white skin and equally white hair, her icy blue eyes were sharp and hawklike, taking in everything that went on around her.

Develop A Biography

Some writers prefer to their characters inside out before they start writing. They list as many details about their characters as they can ... full name, age (time and date of birth), height, weight, skin, hair and eye color, hair style, parents, spouse, children and siblings, address, phone number, educational background, job, good and bad habits, favorite foods, favorite books, favorite movies and favorite music. For those writers who prefer this method, it can not only help them to thoroughly understand their characters, but also as a starting point for building their story.

Steal From What You Know

There is also a quick and dirty way to build a character: base the character on someone you know. Obviously, this isn't quite as creative as other approaches, but it is a great way to start off with a character you truly understand. You simply borrow all the basic information you already know ... appearance, employment, personality, family, etc. You might want to change some of the basic information or risk someone recognizing your character for the person you modeled your character after ... which could potentially lead to bad feelings or even worse - a lawsuit.

As with most fiction, there is no single way to do things. When building your own novel characters find what works best for you and use it as long as it continues to work for you. Just remember this: keep it simple. Don't make writing your novel harder than it is.

We hate spam perhaps even more than you, so you know without a doubt
that we will absolutely never sell, trade or give out in any way your
name and email address to anyone - plus, you can opt-out from
receiving anything from us at anytime ever!