Need help creating/developing my own characters

Post Reply New Topic

For the majority of my life, I have been a fanfiction/fanart creator. Or at least I would be, if I were bold enough to actually turn my ideas into stories and post the drawings I create online. But that's not the point. The point is, is my fantasy life is filled with other people's characters.

After a very long period of time of looking at people's original characters, earlier this year I decided to try my hand at creating my own. I actually managed to design a fairly decent-looking character, but developing his personality was another story entirely. I sort of had his basics down - that is, a couple of basic personality traits and most of his backstory explaining what had happened to him in the past to cause him to behave that way.

But then, when I tried an exercise of keeping a journal/diary from his perspective in order to develop him further, it was a total disaster. I found myself very frustrated because I couldn't decide the finer details of his personality, or the way he talked, or how he treated those around him, or even what his alignment in the story was (hero, anti-hero or outright villain?) The exercise frustrated me so much that I put my character aside and tried to forget about him.

But I can't really forget about him, because I care about him. I have heard of writers becoming so attached to their characters that it feels like their characters are a part of who they are, like another entity living in their minds. I really want to have that kind of connection with this character who I have created. In fact, hearing the stories of writers becoming attached to their own characters was one of my main motivations in trying to create my own. I wonder if I may even be starting to feel that kind of attachment with him because of the fact that I can't forget about him and I am determined not to give up on him.

I really like this character and want to have a deep connection with him, but I've never made a serious attempt at creating a character before (as I've said before, I normally just daydream about other people's characters instead) and the process of trying to create my own characters is so frustrating to me that my loved ones discourage me from doing it, because they don't like the fact that it puts me in such a bad mood.

Does anyone have some tips/tricks/advice to help me in developing my own characters? Has anyone else struggled with this?

I struggle with is type of thing as well, mostly from the point of actually getting my ideas from my head onto paper. I've plotted out over 100 stories within my own fantasy/sci-fi hybrid series yet can't even get the 2nd chapter of the first book finished after 14 years...some of the characters aren't even too fleshed out yet because I can't quite figure out how they should be....

A character's decisions and behaviours are based on the situations in which they've found themselves. What's your character's story?

Actually, this happens to be one of my own interests, too. So I can understand your frustration completely; you have no idea how much I struggle with some of my own characters. But, here are just a couple of tips that I picked up on:

1. Don't make the character similar to yourself: it keeps your characters/stories much more interesting, and it doesn't make them seem like a self-insert.

2. Use your memories/experiences as a guide: many writers don't know this, but if you really look deep down inside yourself and remember these things, you might just come up with some good ideas for your character.

3. Balance is key: this one's a no-brainer, but you should always be sure to balance out your character's good aspects with flaws. No real person is perfect, so your character shouldn't be.

4. Do something that no writer has ever done before: really create a character that's new and exciting, so you'll grab your readers' attention.

I hope this helps. ^^

If not, there are several books on the subject. The one I'd recommend is Breathing Life Into Your Characters; it's filled with tons of different exercises that can really make your character believable.

I've always thought that a lot of conventional character development processes were strange, but that might just be me. Often times when you follow the 'general guidelines' to character creation you wind up with a very set, static stereotype of sorts. It's a good idea to make a consistent character, but sometimes you have to keep in mind that everyone has moods and people can change a tiny bit from day to day, so I've always thought you should kind of be aware of how a character has a core personality and key characteristics, but they're more complex than just a few motives and quirks. Personally I find it helps to get a vague idea of the character while you develop a vague idea of the story you want to write. You might have a great story about a compelling romance, but if the character you thought up before a story idea struck you wouldn't fit in with the story itself you're back to developing one or the other. Most of the time I try to let a character flourish as I write, it's almost like getting to know someone better. I'll stick a character in a scene, and I'll start to realize that I'm writing with a certain dynamic between characters in mind, and it could significantly change a character by having a need for that developed dynamic to exist. In the novel I'm editing right now the main character started off as a kind of aggressive, confrontational character who took things very seriously and pessimistically; by his third appearance I realized that he was actually in possession of a sense of humor, and he had things to say beyond what a rather stoic character would say, and it fundamentally changed how I saw him in the story. Sometimes you have to find the character you want to write about, and it's like they're slowly going to let you know who they are, all on their own.

I would recommend you have a pretty good idea of what the story you want to write is, and develop from there. What kind of character fits into that situation and why? How are they going to contribute to the development of those events in the plot? They don't need to be a fully developed person that could walk off a page the first paragraph you feature them in, just be aware of how you perceive them as a character. Give them a few basic characteristics, and recognize that you do have a lot of influence in the creation of a character, and start writing about them in the context of the story. You don't have to actually start the story, but find a way to get a feel for them in the kind of situations you'll be writing about. You might just find that the character practically tells you how they're to be written.

I think you basically have to consider what qualities you appreciate in other characters: humor, wit, seriousness, basic disposition. Find what speaks to you in a character and breath some of those qualities into the life of your own creation. I mean, don't just give an established character a makeover, but you have to find something you find compelling in a character, because you have to have some reason you want to tell this character's story. You don't have to make a story before the characters, and you don't have to make the characters before a story, but you have to consider the reasons why you want to make both of them.

Also, don't be too frustrated by a journal/diary exercise like that. There are reasons why movies cut to different scenes and books don't detail every minute of every day. Some journals don't even represent the person writing in them very well, and unless you're writing a story in the form of a character's journal I don't think it's an exercise you really need to master. I wouldn't be surprised if the creators of the characters you already know and love would have a bit of a struggle keeping a diary for many of their characters. It just calls for things most fiction never really needs, and I totally think that would be frustrating for a great many people who could otherwise make their own developed characters.

Every character has hopes, fears, preferences and quirks.

Instead of a journal, make a timeline for him. From birth to present day, list every major event that he experienced. That will help you flesh out his backstory and discover where his personality comes from.

I'm not really crazy about fan fiction, but I struggle with characterization too. I believe part of the problem is that many of my characters start out as drawings (or concept art if you will) and I find myself having to assign a story and personality to them later. That probably wouldn't cause so much stress except that there are so many situations I could throw at these characters that I have a hard time singling out which ones really resonate with me.

Several responses offer pretty good advice.



I do a variation of this. I only have my life experiences to call upon and descriptions of others, and I'm not sure of the other experiences. But I will imagine what I would do if I were the character, then I would add in any char developement that's been made on the character in question and see if that changes the choice, or action.



This is what I do. I start with a story idea and usually a character that I label as Main Character. No fluff, no details, not even a proper name. I figure what the story will be, setting, limited plot goals, theme, etc... and then I develop the character to fit in. He or she gets a name that fits with the setting. They have learned skills and been places that fit in to story. Same goes for secondary and tertiary characters. As I go through a story and need a character of some sort, I don't have one pre-built, but build as I go, filling in details as needed. Usually by the end of figuring out the story, some characters are more driven and developed then others. Some are just there and one-sided because it's important that they've been there at that moment, but no further details are needed to tell the story.



This is a really good idea. I actually take it a step further and integrate the characters timelines in with the story event time line. This way, I can wrap my head around where they've been, and what they would do, and make sure I get the when right.

Overall I start with a story idea and build from there. If it's fanfic, you already have a setting and some pre-built NPCs to work with. A lot of work with world building is already taken care of. And with the world-building some of the details are taken out of your hands such as your characters, nationality, race, religion, age, social level and many more. The rest is just filling in the details.