10 Basic Traits to build an Authentic Character
Hi pretty people!
Today we're going to talk about what exactly makes a Character - not just any character, but an authentic Human Being. How many of you (like me) have read books with one-dimensional characters, cliché characters, or just irrealist characters? I'm pretty sure all of us have read about 1 of these types of characters, at least one time up until now.
(I also believe, as a writer, I've build one-dimensional characters or simple chichés... which is sad, but true)
Now, to the helping part - how can we, as writers (amateur or professional) can build authentic and close-to-human characters for our stories?
1. Visualise your Character
When you have an idea for a story, you will imagine
the people in it, for sure - because your story will revolve around the people
you imagined in your head, for starters, right? Now, how is this character,
what are her/his basic traits? What's her/his age, what's her/his job, is
he/she married, single, widowed, recently divorced?
Everything basic - think dating site/ social media
profile. We, as readers, need to know something basic about this person during
the first pages of the story. Granted, the "I'm looking myself in the
mirror" character introduction is so cliché it honestly makes me gag when
I read it.
You don't have to say the girl has green eyes on the
first page. It's more important that she is getting fired, than the fact that
her blonde hair is so shinning it looks like a cascade of gold... Timing, people, learn
it.
2. Build a past
We are the result of our
experiences, of everything that happened to us before this exact moment. If you
have a character who is ruthless, cold and emotionless, we need to know why. Nobody
is the way they are just because. If your character got divorced, let us know
why - was he/she betrayed; was he/she the one doing the bad deed? We have to
know everything at some point, but you can unveil bits of the character's past
- don't give us everything all at once, because mystery is good!
3. Build the relationships
The people around your character
are important - even if you don't want the friends of your character to have a
big spot in your story. The people your main character surrounds him/herself
with will dictate most of your character's behaviour. Think how your own
friends and family influence you in your daily life - maybe if your best friend
is constantly criticizing you about your thighs, you'll definitely be very
self-conscious about that exact part of your body (even though you're beautiful
and you're fine!)
4. Build the environment
Where do you like to go after work,
after your classes? Do you go straight home or do you go to the pub and have a
drink before heading to the sofa? Think what makes sense for your character. If
you're making your girl fall in love with a guy at the bar, maybe she should
usually visit a local bar/pub, and meet the guy of her dreams there - they
could even meet there almost every night, and build a nice friendship that
later evolves into something more.
If your character
is more of a bookworm, maybe she/he will go to the local library, or a café and
use his/her free time to read and/or work after hours.
Carl is definitely going to try and ask Julia out today!
5. Values
We all have our own values, and your character's values will make him/her more relatable with the readers. It's fine if you have a woman fully dedicated to her career, who's not a big fan of social time, as long as you don't make her a tyrant or a full blooded b*tch. Same goes to the boys; if your main guy is a ladies' man, he will definitely have to tone it down A LOT to get your main girl.
Most importantly, make your characters grow along the way, with each other. We, as people, learn and change constantly, during the course of our lifetime. Our values should accompany us along the way, but sometimes things are not as obvious as an adult as they looked when we were kids.
Most importantly, make your characters grow along the way, with each other. We, as people, learn and change constantly, during the course of our lifetime. Our values should accompany us along the way, but sometimes things are not as obvious as an adult as they looked when we were kids.
Don't give him/her all these values; it makes the character look like a complete a**hole
6. Likes/ Dislikes
Pretty basic, right? What you like and don't like make you who you are, at a first glance. Does your character love to jog every morning? Does he/she like to go out for a meal every weekend with a friend? Give your character a personality, a heavy personality; don't just breeze through it, it's a person you're making up, you can do whatever you want, and it's fun!
7. Goals/ Ambitions
If you're reading this, there's a
very good chance your ultimate goal in life is to be a writer. Well, think of
how hard you want that to happen to you, and then transfer those feelings to
your character. How much we want and how much we fight for our dreams and goals
makes us more interesting to other people. Also, I'm sure you relate to the
feeling of having achieved a goal - as petty as that goal may be. Make your
character fight, lose, struggle and win. Don't hand him/her everything on a
silver platter - that's very un-sympathetic; also, who doesn't love the
underdog trying to succeed?
8. Quirks
We all have our quirks - I bite my nails, I hate when my boyfriend leaves his shirts on the floor, and I never finish my tea. Quirks make us unique, distinct from every other person. No person is alike, even twins. Make your character with distinct quirks, but don't exaggerate. A person with too many quirks - unless they have some kind of OCD or other disorder similar - is not attractive, it makes him/her annoying, believe me.
Yep, Lizzy said it
9. Thinking process
Not yours, but your character's.
The way they interpret the world around them is key, it will either show us,
the readers, if your character is open minded or more of a closed minded kind
of guy/gal. If you're writing in 1st person, I think it's easier to show this
process to the reader, because you eventually start becoming that character
while writing, you try to assimilate their problems, their concerns, and so on.
Now, in 3rd person POV, it's complicated to do it. Some writers prefer to show
their readers how their characters think by the way they react to the
environment and other characters, instead of losing themselves in long
paragraphs about the character's thinking.
You should choose
whatever method suits you best. I, personally, like to use interaction with
other characters to show my readers what they are thinking. Sometimes, what I
end up doing (and you probably have done it one or another time, as well), is
to use bits of the past, of scenes I've written before, to make my character
play them again in their head and analyse them thoroughly - because, let's face
it, sometimes we do over analyse.
10. Heart
It's true what you've been told: it's the insde that counts, and that inside is your 'heart'. A character that does bad things, from time to time, is completely believable, as long as you show us he/she have a consciense and feel conflicted like we all do, sometimes. It's really off putting when a character is too good - like a Labrador Retriever, which I persoanlly love and I don't care they are so good it makes you sick.
Good people do bad things, and those who have done many bad things are not necessarily bad. Good vs Evil is a very complicated thing, it's a huge grey area - soldiers during war do despicable acts to defend their nation, and many of them receive medals for their courage. Now, we all have our own views of Good and Evil, so use your own vision, open your mind to other POV, and do what sounds right for your own character - even if you don't agree, personally, with their view of the world.
This is my own Labrador, and she has the biggest heart in the world - pause for gags =)
Keep in mind that making up people is fun, it's not easy, and it takes time to perfect. Don't feel down if your 1st novel gets rough critics, read all of them, the good and the bad ones. Sometimes, in a less favourable critic, is a point well made that will open your eyes.
Happy Readings,
Sophie
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