What are some tips to use for character building?

[ModernDayBelle624]

All writers know what I'm talking about here. You have a character, and they're great, as far as you can tell while writing your story, but they don't seem motivated or "alive" compared to other characters you've written?

How do you solve this problem?

[Richard Falken]

As long as the character has a clear motivation, and has chances to pursue his goals in the story, it should all be alright. Seriously.

I write down a little chart for each main character in my books. It includes the classic physical description, name and mini-biography, but the most important information is the one about their motivations and psychology.

Have your character have objectives. Have your character do meaningful work to achieve his goals. The character defines himself better by his actual actions. When writing, always remember what his motivations are and what his personality would and would not allow. Most often, it is as simple as that.

Keep it simple. A character can be defined by lots of pages of information, but no reader is going to appreciate or remember it. It is better to highlight some outstanding attributes of the character that makes it easy to be remembered. "Relentless one-eyed veteran from the Bletán War" is a concept powerful enough to build around it, but two months after having read the book, the readers won't remember the name of the character, or his background... but will remember there was a relentless one-eyed veteran from a bloody war who was AWESOME.

[Zain]

I agree with Richard. Motivation. Characters that seem to be drifting aimlessly just don't captivate as much as those full of determination/channeled emotions.
Personally though, I don't think a character can be great. It's flaws and sins that make characters seem interesting and allow the reader to empathise. Perfection is kind of bland. It leaves no taste, neither sour nor bittersweet. To me, characters full of flaws are the most alive. It's when they trip and land on their face, hit their knees bloody and have to stand up (metaphorically) that I truly see them for what they are. The fight against oneself is one of the most powerful tools a character wields to endear him to the audience, to make them respect him.

[KattPascale]

Wow great insight!
Thanks

[srivolco]

I have just started building my fictional world and i couldn't help but base all my characters of real people i have interacted with in my life. I guess when you can relate the characters you write about with people you actually know , you will always know or at least based on your perception of them know how they may react , what they would do , what makes them tick !

[scuba_steves]

As nerdy as this sounds, I got my best character building advice from a PBeM group back in the day. I actually just redid the exercise because my characters were having the same symptoms as your: drifting, flat, and a little hazy in my mind. I've found that the trick is two parts.

First, set aside a good chunk of time and do a thorough analysis of your character physically, emotionally, and historically. Think about exactly what he or she looks like, down to scars across knuckles, streaks of grey, or toes that are weirdly hairy. Include anything emotional or personal about them, like whether they're gamblers or scholars, introverts or extroverts, hyena laughers or silent sulkers. Then, do a detailed background on them. I find this part to be most enlightening, since it really is our past that shapes us.

Once you have a clear image in your head, complete with nuances no one but you will ever know, try a character interview. Ask them questions like you'd ask a new friend: what's your name? how old are you? what do you like and dislike? etc. This, I find, helps me discover my character's unique voice. If I take it seriously enough, they usually come to life, especially if my analysis is fresh in my mind.

Hope this helps! It has yet to fail me.

-- 31 Aug 2013, 11:59 --

I have just started building my fictional world and i couldn't help but base all my characters of real people i have interacted with in my life. I guess when you can relate the characters you write about with people you actually know , you will always know or at least based on your perception of them know how they may react , what they would do , what makes them tick !

I used to do the same thing. It gives a ready-made template, which is SO helpful when starting out. I had to start being careful, though, when my romantic interests in my book were based on my romantic interests. Their fates tended to fare based on reality. More than a few poor lads were spends in my writing just because their real-life counter copy got a girlfriend.

[Zain]

I've heard of that method, too. Some also like to draw their characters or fill out detailed character sheets with questions like "eating habits", "worst childhood memory" etc. I tried that once but didn't work too well for me. Mostly, because these didn't help me to get into the character's mindset. It's very analytical and I do better with thinking of characters as personas to "get into". But maybe this works for other people. Your post reminded me of that. There are even some ready-made character sheets to be found on the internet.

[Richard Falken]

The problem with detailed analytical character creation is that most information is lost in the reader, or does not come to play in the book or series. Simple put: readers do not care how many hairs does the beard of the character have. They are likely to forget it if you tell them. It is better to focus on few traits and ensure those traits are defining enough. If you need 100 lines of information to define a character and make it unique, you have failed.

Compare with an example chart:

Character: Járzarem.
Age: 43.
Eating habits: Eats what he hunts or collects, usually.
Worst childhood memory: The defeat of the silver legion under the Black Dragon Knights.
Bio: Gárzarem was the seventh child of Ursul and Hema Wolfbringer, province rulers of the easter province of Martako's White mountains. His life was easy until the neightbour kingdom of Flashia declared war against Martako, and his castle was taken by the Black Dragon Knights in a surprise attack. Is home was destroyed, but the family escaped. He joined the Bright Order ten years later, after realizing that only by taking the axe could evil be defeated.
Physical description: Tall, bald, brown bear, he has a scar in his right leg caused by an accident in a barn and another scar above his right eyebow, which he got while training with the Bright order.
Motivations: Opposing the Black Dragon Order and its masters whenever possible.
Magic powers: None.
Allies: The Bright Order, Ursul, Hema, Agent 32, Málaforn.
Deities worshiped: The Thunder Lord.
Preferred weapon: The family axe.
Preferred armour: A chainmail, used but well maintained.
...

Now, compare that description to the following:

Járzarem: "Axe wielding barbarian-like knight of the Bright Order, sworn to defeat the Black Dragon Knights".

Which description is most evocative?

[Zain]

Yep, I think you put that nicely. Most information is lost on the reader. It probably helps to thoroughly analyse your characters when you don't "know" them yet. Then it's a way to make them seem more real to yourself. But most information aren't mean for the reader - the audience doesn't experience anything but the events taking place while an author sees a character's past as well. It is essential for a character to have a past. It forms them (amnesia themes aside), defines them. But as long as the events are not related to a character's past, the readers won't see that side.
I suppose a character sheet only serves purpose as guidance. The right questions lead to a better understanding of the character's motivation, desires, and fears.

[scuba_steves]

True. And really, my character sheets are exactly for that: for me to use as I write. It helps me keep a mental picture of the character and flesh him out in my own mind, which really is the first place they come to life. I tend towards being a descriptive writer, too, which might be why Richard's longer description meant more to me. I suppose it's the difference between Hemingway and Lewis. To each their own, and the only true necessity is that the reader experiences a vivid character.

[Cody Mathews]

Read a good book that you feel brings a character to life....inspiration can be anywhere.

[SharisseEM]

I come with with a biography for my character and search the web for an image that fits my idea of my character just to give me a visual. I write as much as I know about my character and then I come up with the GMC (Goal, Motivation and Conflicts) for my main characters. Every character needs flaws and because I write romance, I have two mains and I try and create characters who are different and yet complement each other.

[moderntimes]

Good question! I create my characters with as much realism as I can muster. I'm writing a series of very realistic modern American private detective thrillers and so my characters are all "real" people in a modern big city (for the most part).

A couple of the characters are based on real people but not many. Most are from whole cloth, imagined totally. But I try to make them real. I try to provide a reasonable mix of ethnic, racial, and social backgrounds, so some of my characters are Hispanic, some African-American, some Asian, and so on. Also, some are homosexuals. I mix all types as realistically as I can.

My principal characters have a short bio but occasional characters do not. But I vary them a lot. For example, a police homicide detective is a tall handsome young Jewish guy, best pal to my private detective. His superior is an old school Irish cop, tough as nails. But smart. I've got a black forensic county coroner, an Asian EMT guy, a tall black female street cop, an Hispanic older female gang task force supervisor, and so on.
;
As for making the characters realistic, one caution... those of you who write fantasy often make the mistake of not making your fantasy heroes and villains believable as people. I don't give a darn if the character is "Duke of Zyygigy" or "Sorcerer from Nebulon" or whatever. But they must come across as REAL people (even if they have mystic powers) or your book will fall flat and seem silly. Honest.

How do I create realistic characters? I imagine them as REAL people -- someone I'd sit across from at a conference table and ask about, and someone I might consider a friend (or enemy) but because of the individual characteristics of that fictional person. Think of them as real -- they eat dinner and maybe smoke or drink too much. Some are highly educated, some are not. Some are street smart. Each is an individual with a real name and real parents and went to a real school or whatever.

Try to imagine them "away from the story" a bit -- not actually IN the story, but "taking a day off" (ha ha) from being a warrior prince or evil sorcerer or vicious bank robber or good cop or whatever. Peek into their "real" lives and construct that individual as a rounded, whole human being, with wants and dislikes and all the other aspects of real people.

Another trick: Don't try to put words into their mouths! When I first started writing fiction, I made my characters act like marionettes and dragged them about on strings and mouthed words for them. And it was terrible!

Then, after I got better skilled, I did this: I simply set the character into the scene, let the character speak for himself or herself, and I just stood back and took dictation!

Naturally it all comes from inside your brain, but to take the small effort of setting the character "loose" from your restraints or "coaching" and let the characters speak for themselves will greatly help you to not only build a character, but to let that character breathe!

[vadadagon]

I take the character and build the back story. Where did he grow up, how did he grow up his experiences, etc. This helps me understand the character and why he does what he does.

Let's say it's just a minor character (some small villain) but integral to the story because he attacks the hero in the story. So I look into the character and try to build his back story.

So let's call this guy Joe
Joe was the fourth kid born to a single mother who worked a lot. While she cared she had no family and no support so she was never there to help him or anyone out. As the youngest he was treated as the baby but he was also abused by his older siblings (his eldest being cruel because his father beat him before he went to jail for killing a man). The mother had men in and out of her life each seemed to be worse than the other and when the men were around the last thing they wanted were little boys.

So by building the story for each of your characters (no matter how small they are) you are creating and understanding the character at hand. Does it take time and can it be tedious? Sure but if you want to tell a story you have to know why characters behave that way and what makes them tick.

[moderntimes]

Your suggestions are excelllent, vada. I'd say that although some folks become a bit too immersed in their character constructs such that they will spend time actually writing full biographies of them, and maybe become fixated on this, rather than advancing the story line in the novel itself. For most characters, just a brief sketch, a sentence or two, like you provided, normally even much less, works fine.