Character

Characters are the core of a story and interact with and influence every other element of
fiction.
The writer must strive to create a sense that their characters are real people - physical,
emotional and thinking beings. They must be substantial, authentic and dimensional
enough to ‘come alive’ on the page.

Desire
Desire is a driving force of human nature and so should be integral to a fully formed
character. The greatness or simplicity of the desire is not important as long as the
character wants it.
A character with a strong desire helps create the momentum to drive a story forward.
Desire is also one way that the reader can identify and sympathize with a character.

Complexity
A character may be seen as a particular type of person, i.e. kindly grandmother, but a real
person is much more complex than this. Create multi-faceted characters that transcend the
simple character type.
Keep in mind that a character:
 should have a life history that influences their behaviour;
 with flaws is more interesting and authentic than one without;
 must be emotionally textured.

Contrasting Traits
An element of human nature is that people have contrasting traits; sometimes subtle, at
other times greatly conflicting. For example a teenager may act more juvenile when in the
company of his parents but more adult when in the company of his peers.
Ensure that any contrasts are woven so seamlessly in with the characterisation that they
are not too easy to spot. The reader should experience the tension without being distracted
by the contrasting trait.

Consistency
All actions and behaviours should seem authentic and true to the character. Although
contrasting qualities are important, all characterisations must be consistent.
Consistency does not mean completely straightforward and predictable; characters must
show some discrepancy or deviation. However, if a character is to act ‘out of character’,
then a hint of that tendency should be shown beforehand. Even if the reader is very
surprised at what the character does (which is a good thing), the characterisation should
still be consistent.

Ability to Change
Characters must posses the ability to change, and the reader should see this potential in
the characterisation. Change is particularly important for the story’s main character. Just
as the desire of the main character drives the story, the character’s change is often the
story’s culmination.
Although a change may not, or may only partially come about, it is important that the
reader comes to appreciate that the character is capable of undergoing such a change. If
the potential for change is not there, the character may feel predictable and uninteresting.

Where Characters Come From

Inspiration for characters can be found in the people you know, meet, or see.
Writers often construct their characters by beginning with interesting people or
characteristics of people they know. Some even start with their own personality and build
from there. However, with characters based on real-life people, it is important to
remember that the character is a fictional entity. Don’t consider what the person would do
in a particular situation when writing, rather think about how the character would act.
People watching is a great activity for creating and developing characters, particularly if
these people are not known to you. Observe people in action, then take it a step further by
imagining what kind of situation they are in.

Getting to Know Characters

Take the time to get to know your characters as if they were good friends. Investing time in
the developmental stages helps you understand your characters more intimately, which
allows you to put them on the page with more authenticity.
Put your characters into different scenarios and imagine how they would react there.
While fleshing out your characters you should consider the following categories:
appearance - clothing, poise, expression, etc. Think of the character in three
dimensions, taking up space. The style and presence with which characters inhabit the
fictional world reveal a great about their attitude and personality;
background - a character should be impacted by their previous experiences. How
they grew up, loved, lost, learned … all these things will help to shape them;
personality - what is the character really like? How does his mind work? What are
his inclinations, disposition, outlook, hopes, fears, etc? A characters personality
contains the larger truths of the person, which will indicate how he will act and react in
a story.
primary identity - how does the character define himself? With what part of his
identity does he indentify most strongly - ethnicity, occupation, gender, etc?

Kinds of Characters
Not all characters must be developed with the same depth.
The main or major characters should be developed most fully. This is particularly vital for
the main character, or protagonist. There may be more than one protagonist in a story, and
also an antagonist - a person who poses a formidable obstacle to one or more protagonists.
Secondary characters are the supporting cast. Some may go through a bit of development,
but not of the same intensity as the main characters. The trick is to find a few defining
details that really capture their essence.
Extras are characters who populate the fictional world but don’t have any significant
impact on the story. They appear but don’t achieve any dimension beyond their role.
Fleshing out secondary characters and extras too much gives them an emotional weight
that will mislead the readers or steal focus from the stars of the story, the main characters.

Showing and Telling

There are two basic methods of revealing a character in fiction: showing and telling.
Sometimes it is most efficient for the narrator just to tell the reader about a character. The
writer just tells the reader explicitly what he wants us to know about a character. The basic
facts are just written down.
With showing, the information is revealed more implicitly through the characters emotions
and actions.
Do not rely too much on telling; revealing information about a character through showing
is usually more interesting because it gives the reader more with which to engage actively.
Showing also allows you to slow down and reveal the character’s intricacies gradually.
There are four ways to show a character’s traits:
action - actions speak louder than words. A character’s personality comes through in
the way they act. Action is usually the strongest way of revealing a character,
particularly in the time of a crisis;
speech - if you want to get to know someone, then you go talk to them. Personality is
revealed through what characters say, how they say it, and even what they don’t say;
appearance - physical looks, clothing style, gait, facial expression, etc. The way a
character appears gives the reader information about how this person presents himself
and occupies space in the world;
thought - in fiction, a character’s thoughts can be revealed directly to the reader
allowing them a glimpse inside his mind.
Use these four methods - action, speech, appearance and thought - in concert to create a
sense of depth in the moment-to-moment experience of the story.

Only Relevant Details

Although there really is no limit to how much you can know about your characters, when
they are shaped into the context of a story, make sure to pick and choose carefully what
details you include. Provide relevant details only; resist the urge to stuff in everything.

What’s in a Name
The names you give your characters should feel right for the character. As an author, you
have the opportunity to let the name of a character play a part in the characterisation.
Avoid common names, such as Joe Smith, and giving all your characters similar names as
this will only confuse the reader.
Use nicknames, but make sure these are appropriate for the character.
If you want a character to have a certain anonymity, then let him remain un-named.