Hey-o, Wordplayers,
Have you ever read a book with a character so distinct and real it seemed like they were alive? On the flip side, have you ever found a story with a fascinating plot, great setting, but characters that just made you cringe? Character is a major part of stories, one that can be vastly improved through careful planning and crafting. And today, I’m going to be sharing tips on how to do just that.
1. The Character Sketch.
My favorite way to get the facts in for character building is the Character sketch. No, this isn’t drawing, but rather a series of questions that you answer. Below is an example based off my sketch of Tobias, a major character in my WIP, My Only Name is Honor.
Name: Tobias Ae’Ruskin (He still needs a middle name)
Place of birth: Feralee, a town in Siana Kingdom
Parents: Ruskin and Isla Goldsmith (both deceased)
And then you can ask deeper questions, such as. . .
Fears: Amaury (the prince whom Tobias is advisor to) making bad decisions. Not being perfect.
Things that make him angry: Immaturity, people not taking him or other things seriously.
This is the method that I use. I started out pretty short, my Q&As taking up less than two pages. As I found books that showed me longer question lists and thought of my own, my character building got longer and longer. Most of the questions I now use for my characters can be found in the free eBook Crafting Unforgettable Characters by K. M. Weiland. It’s an extensive list, but it fleshes out those characters in ways you may not have thought of otherwise.
Finding your character’s voice (and perhaps other things).
Voice is an important part of making your characters unique and real. A good way to figure what your character sounds like is to simply sit down with your paper or your computer and interview them. You may even pull other things out of your character you hadn't thought of before. Here's an example below.
Me: Hi, Lighton. How are you feeling today?
Lighton: Fine, but good grief, why did you want to interview me? Are you planning to make me queen or something?
Me: Nope, but would you like to be queen?
Lighton: No way! Imagine all that prim and proper junk. I’d rather tear around Sheridyn on my horse any day.
Me: What’s your horse’s name?
Lighton: Spark. He’s pretty wild, except with me. That’s why Giff let me have him.
And so on. . .
3. The Literal Character Sketch.
In order to get a concrete image of your character in your head, it may be useful to have an actual picture of your character. You could find a picture, draw one yourself (or get a madly talented friend to do it for you) or use Ai image generators to have an actual picture of your character.
That's three things. What methods do you use to create your characters?
May you live for the Lord and give Him praise
~Claira
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