Where do I Start Writing a Character?
Creating a compelling character is essential for any story, whether it’s a novel, short story, or screenplay. Writing a character that readers can connect with and root for is no easy task. But with the right tips and techniques, you can craft characters that come alive on the page. Follow these character development tips when you sit down to write:
Establish a Character’s Motivations and Goals
When writing a character, it’s important to establish their motivations and goals. What drives them? What do they want to achieve? What are their dreams and ambitions? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you craft a character that is believable and relatable.
Choose a Voice
Voice is an important part of character development. It’s the way your character speaks and interacts with others. It can be funny, sarcastic, serious, or any other tone you want to create. Take the time to think about how your character would talk and act in different situations.
Do a Slow Reveal
When writing a character, it’s important to do a slow reveal. Don’t give away too much information about them right away. Let readers discover their personality and backstory as the story progresses. This will help create suspense and keep readers engaged.
Create Conflict
Conflict is essential for any story. It helps create tension and suspense, and it’s a great way to reveal a character’s true nature. Think about how your character would react in different situations and how they would handle conflict.
Give Important Characters a Backstory
Giving your characters a backstory will help make them more believable and relatable. Think about their childhood, family, and past experiences. How have these experiences shaped them into the person they are today?
Describe a Character’s Personality in Familiar Terms
When describing a character’s personality, try to use familiar terms. This will help readers relate to the character and understand them better. For example, instead of saying a character is “aloof”, you could say they are “standoffish” or “distant”.
Paint a Physical Picture of Your Characters
It’s important to create a physical picture of your characters. What do they look like? What kind of clothes do they wear? How do they carry themselves? These details will help readers visualize the character and make them more real.
Creating a compelling character is essential for any story. With the right tips and techniques, you can craft characters that come alive on the page. Establish their motivations and goals, choose a voice, do a slow reveal, create conflict, give them a backstory, describe their personality in familiar terms, and paint a physical picture of them. With these tips, you’ll be well on your way to writing a character that readers will love.
