Character creation

[Panda Dragon]

I know it's a tired and old question, but I'm interested in finding out other peoples techniques for this. When creating characters for a novel, what sort of steps do you take? Do you base them on real people? Or a theme? Or do you just pluck ideas out of the air?

For example, in a fantasy story I'm writing, I have four females who are the central characters. I've based these females on (what I think are) different aspects of female personalities. One is brave and fiercely protective of her friends and family, another is gentle and loving, another is a pure man-hating person and the other is decietful and evil. In fact, most of my characters are often based on aspects of human kind rather than real people.

How else do people create their characters. I'd love to know.

[jvc]

There is of course always a problem if you do base a character on a real person, especially if it is a friend. If your book does get published and they read it, and don't like what you wrote about them or how you wrote them, they may not be your friend anymore.

[Panda Dragon]

True JVC, hence why I often base characters on themes rather than real people.

[IdiotsRUs]

I have a basic template of someone

Then I work out what happened in the past to make them who they are now.

Because your past = you

[Use Her Name]

I usually work from the stereotype because the stereotype is based in reality. For example people who become teachers generally were either influenced by a teacher or love helping people learn. Then I find out how my character is different and work on the differences. At the core though, the character is "similar" to other real people in that situation. To do this, I read as many articles and autobiographies and biographies of the "type" of person I want to write about. So My character would be first composited from real people who do the same thing. Each person, believe it or not, is not totally different from any other person, and if I find the core interest of the character, I can usually make a good character. Often it is an event hidden in childhood, often not even the main subject of the story, but it made the character what he/she is.

[Makai_Lightning]

When it comes to creating characters, I discover their existance knowing only a few basic things about them, generally their connection to other characters, the situation they are in/were in, and/or a personality trait. It's sometimes more a quirk than a trait, but that's generally what I have to start with, but all very bare bones.

To move off from there, I look at the world they're in and things I know about their current situation; their friends, goals, and obsticles. That will tell me the sort of person they could be to start with, or only the direction they'll end up going in the future. Then I will look back on what their past would be. Sometimes it makes more sense to define a character by their family, sometimes by an event, but usually that comes together--it all stems from something I started with though. Sometimes I'll get other random ideas that I may later realize fit with a character and work it out.

I do research too, for certain things, and sometimes it'll turn up something that will help me make sense of a character or point out that from their current situation, they got there by doing X. So that's always nice.

I also have a document filled with all sorts of odds and ends related to dialogue, plot, character traits, settings, or other such things that struck me, and I have that to pull from. Especially with the dialogue, I'll get lines that have such a clear voice, I can feel the character in them, but it's not one of the one's I'm currently working with so I write it down. Also pick up quirks that way, and occasionally gestures. So I have that to work with too, if it turns out that I now have the character that would have said those lines/had that quirk. Sometimes a collection of things in there will come together to form a coherent whole without much outside prodding necessary.

[Panda Dragon]

On a side note, also out of interest, I find that creating female characters is actually harder than creating male ones. At least, creating strong female characters. I'm not talking about females who can beat people up all the time and look sexy doing it, but I mean strong willed females that aren't just oversexed. Anyone else have this problem?

[Linda Adams]

A lot of my characters I come up with because I need that particular role in the story. Like if people got lost in an underground tunnel, who would show up to help? Police and fire. So a policeman and a fireman. Make the policeman young and a little reckless but very observant; make the fireman a fire captain in his forties and an experienced leader. Then they evolve as the story evolves.

[redpbass]

My character creation methods seem to be rather odd compared to most of you guys. I usually start out sketching out a character when I've got a few minutes of spare time. I'll write some basic information on the character (height, weight, hair/eye color, age) along with some background and a brief rundown of the character's attitude or personality. Often the character will remain nameless for months, or I might glance through my huge list of names and pick one that fits the character. The nameless ones usually end up in a folder which I go through when I need a character.

For side characters, I usually just figure out their place in the story, then find a name for them with that in mind. If it's an important side character, I'll then go on with all the background info and stuff I do for main characters.

Then again, sometimes I start with a name or an idea or description. One of my favorite characters has disfiguring scars from a mountain lion attack. She started out from an idea I had for a character with terrible scars on her face, and now she's got a book idea based around her :p

[Stunted]

Basically, if I ever need a character, then there's pretty much inevitably a feeling I want them to have/cause, so I start with that, bada bing bada boom, next thing I know, full on character.

[Cassiopeia]

There is of course always a problem if you do base a character on a real person, especially if it is a friend. If your book does get published and they read it, and don't like what you wrote about them or how you wrote them, they may not be your friend anymore.BUT, one can always claim plausible deniability as we all have common traits and many people act similar and have similar experiences. If a friend sees something of themselves in a character you wrote, well...welcome to the human condition. :D

[Mad Queen]

I usually go from actions and attitudes to beliefs and values, adding a few details about their past, cultural influences and physical appearance.

Let's say I want to write a story about a bank robber. First I think of his actions. What does he do? He robs banks. Then I consider his attitude. Is he violent? Is he careful or reckless? I will choose one or the other according to the story and what seems more interesting.

But this is a very shallow view of the character. No one just is a careful bank robber. He is a careful bank robber because of his beliefs and values. So I try to think of what I would have to believe and what I would have to value to do what my character does. If I believed that all bankers are white-collar thieves who produce nothing for the benefit of society, would I be okay with robbing a bank? No, it's too dangerous. What if i believed I had the perfect plan? No, because I don't need the money. I keep on thinking of beliefs and values until I can convince myself that robbing banks is a reasonable action.

In my opinion, if the only thing you know about your character is that she is 'reckless', for instance, you don't really know her. You've got to know what beliefs and values cause her to act recklessly. For instance, she believes everyone has got to take risks to succeed. She values courage and initiative above common sense.

[tehuti88]

I don't bother "creating" characters anymore (especially not ones based on real people). If I need somebody, they'll show up. I might not know much about them at first so my first writing about them might be kind of ignorant. But the more time I spend with them the more I'll get to know them. It falls into place. There's no need for me to do anything but record what they do and say.

In short, after the idea pops into my head or is plucked from thin air, I just work on developing it through the writing (or thinking) itself. That's the way that works for me. If I try to deliberately create a character from scratch then I'll end up with a piece of cardboard which doesn't fit anywhere. A mannequin, not a character.

That's just me though. Different things work for others.

[Sassee]

Mine start out as personality types, pluck a few quirks that I've seen or have myself, and then evolve as the writing goes along. It's a 50/50 chance they'll actually turn out how I first imagined. A lot of them start out as interesting stereotypes simply because if it's common enough to be called a stereotype there is some ring of truth to it.

I think the only things I've ever deliberately chosen for my characters are their appearance and whether or not they have a significant other. Everything else just kind of "appears out of thin air."

[lexxi]

Often I'll start with the question of what the character's function in the plot is. I usually don't have a lot of plot detail in mind from the beginning, but enough that I know in general terms what some of the character's chief actions will be, at least at the beginning of the story.

So then I go and imagine some backstory that would lead to the kind of person who would perform those actions; I try to get into their heads and figure out what motivates them to act that way.

Of course, there's a lot more detail for the more important characters and a lot less for the supporting characters. And sometimes less for those whose motivations are pretty obvious, whereas the more mysterious characters might require more backstory for me to understand them.

[euclid]

I'm having difficulties in this area. I have written the book, draft 3. All of the characters are pretty well drawn, I think, but I'm not sure that is true of my main character. The book is written in the first person. I feel that I have not yet demonstated the *soul* of my MC. So how do you depict the soul of a character?

Maybe it's something I shouldn't be worrying about. I'm not sure. The reader will learn a lot about the character: He lies easily, and without compunction, he writes everything important down in a notebook (pretty much like a diary), his (beloved) father died a violent death when he was 21, and this is on his mind quite a lot. He is an only child. He is not religious. He has a music collection (jazz and Wagner), and a book collection that includes Kafka and Hemmingway. He is quite promiscuous, although he grows out of this during the book...

I mean, what more can I say?

[ishtar'sgate]

Mostly I just start writing their life history. I give them a start - say a single parent child who is farmed out, either into the system or to an aging aunt, grandparent, whatever, when mom goes to jail. What happens to her? As I go along telling myself the story of her life, character traits emerge. When she enters my story I ask what motivates her within the parameters of my plot. I ask what her goals are and what will keep her from achieving those goals. I ask what she's afraid of, her deepest darkest secret that she hasn't told anyone else, things like that. I do the same thing for all main characters, showing when and why they intersect, how they'll chaff each other or encourage each other. Done thoroughly, I know who these people are and how they'll react when I throw them some curves.

[Nakhlasmoke]

I get a visual idea for a character, discover their name, and as the story progresses, more about them.

I'm a pantser though, so take it fwiw.

[CountessaLuna]

My character creation methods seem to be rather odd compared to most of you guys. I usually start out sketching out a character when I've got a few minutes of spare time. I'll write some basic information on the character (height, weight, hair/eye color, age) along with some background and a brief rundown of the character's attitude or personality. Often the character will remain nameless for months, or I might glance through my huge list of names and pick one that fits the character. The nameless ones usually end up in a folder which I go through when I need a character.

For side characters, I usually just figure out their place in the story, then find a name for them with that in mind. If it's an important side character, I'll then go on with all the background info and stuff I do for main characters.

Then again, sometimes I start with a name or an idea or description. One of my favorite characters has disfiguring scars from a mountain lion attack. She started out from an idea I had for a character with terrible scars on her face, and now she's got a book idea based around her :p

I was wondering if anyone was going to mention that after reading the topic =P I myself do that. I'll draw a character and start out giving them a basic description and expanding from there.

I started a vampire story about a girl that was locked into a coffin Right after being turned. Because she wasn't able to build up her health at All after being turned, when she was let out she was cursed with scars consuming well over half her body. Which of course led into the whole story of her finding the vampire that did this to her and murdering him but then finding out just exactly Why he did that to her and creating a real mind-twist. I love me some mind twists =^.^

[BfloGal]

For minor characters, I watch total strangers in places like the grocery store parking lot, jot down a description including any clues to their character that I see from their actions, and imagine circumstances in their lives that might have led to what I saw. I keep these descriptions in a notebook in my purse, and pull it out whenever I am waiting somewhere. Sometimes when I need a character, and one doesn't pop instantly into my head, I pull out the notebook and see if there's anyone there that can foot the bill.

My main character in my story has some different circumstances and personality quirks and flaws, but a good part of her and how she thinks is based after me. She's probably half me and half fictional. My greatest fear is that when people read the book (if I should be so blessed), they'll point out something about her that they insist means she's whacked. :D And if they do, I sure hope they pick from the part that's fictional.

Most of my major characters were sketched out based on a few main character traits that mark their personality, some of which I gleaned from real people, and I fill in the details as I write. I record anything I introduce about them into a spread sheet so I can ensure I'm consistent.

At least that's what I'm trying to do, but I'm almost a total newbie, so take it for what's it's worth.

[willietheshakes]

You know, I don't think I've ever quote unquote created a character, per se.

When I start writing, I have a general sense of who I'm going to have in the piece (ie, a mother, a father, a daughter in an accident, the guy who caused the accident), and that's generally all I know. I spend the first draft getting to know the characters by seeing how they respond to what's going on around them -- how they interact with other characters, how they respond to bad news, how they make decisions, etc. By the end of the book or story, I know who they are, and so does the reader. I might need to tweak a little in revision, but generally that's the process: character as revealed and developed through action, rather than predetermined.

Does that sound flaky? It does to me, a bit. And more so when I recall that my characters constantly take me by surprise. In Before I Wake, for example, I didn't know that Simon was having an affair until he left the hospital after the accident and went to his mistress' place. What happened there surprised me, but his actions (in leaving, and in collapsing there -- ie, not with his wife) were the cornerstones of his character, and I had no idea...

Okay, flaky.

[CaroGirl]

I usually start with a situation, like a horse farm full of rescued horses and foster children. And then I imagine what types of people might live in that circumstance, where they might have come from and what might happen to them. And then I write about what happens to them and their reactions to it. By the end, I have a whole story and, voila, characters.

I don't to character sketches nor do I formally "interview" my characters.

[euclid]

I get a visual idea for a character, discover their name, and as the story progresses, more about them.

I'm a pantser though, so take it fwiw.

What's a "pantser" ? Is this like a German WWII tank?

[sportacus]

I simply base them off of people I know, but (depending on the story) I usually throw in some ridiculous traits to make them more exciting.

[Sassee]

What's a "pantser" ? Is this like a German WWII tank?

Pantsers write by the seat of their pants... they don't plan ahead. I'm one of those and I can tell you it's amazing the characters that sometimes waltz on stage when you least expect it.

I simply base them off of people I know, but (depending on the story) I usually throw in some ridiculous traits to make them more exciting.

Yeah... my friends are usually a little *too* interesting. I think tacking on ridiculous traits would probably send them into the land of "wtf?" I mean, most of them, if written into a novel, would already make people go "okay, srsly, there is no way that could be a real person."

[Nakhlasmoke]

Pantsers write by the seat of their pants... they don't plan ahead. I'm one of those and I can tell you it's amazing the characters that sometimes waltz on stage when you least expect it.



...

What she said. :D

[Lady Cat]

My characters usually just show up in my head and then wander out through my fingers. Sometimes they have a name right away, sometimes I have to weasel it out of them. Sometimes they just let me know what letter their name starts with and I have to look it up myself.

Once the main characters have their names I'm ready to start writing. I'm one of those pansters too; my characters are much more lively if I don't know everything about them when I start.

[baki]

I base them on who they need to be in order to advance the plot.

That or who I'd like to be etc..

[petronella63]

My characters come to me in dreams and they tell me the beginning of their story. I continue on from there. Those characters usually become my MCs.

Once the story is on the way, other characters pop in as needed. I don't plan them at all. They develop and grow as much as they need to as the story progresses.

I'm a pantser too.

[Ciera_]

my characters are:
(female):
Main character. pretty balanced, no one discernible trait.

The little sister of MC. Genius, but capable of acting her age. also semi-psychic.

The nice, confident, smart, leaderly girl who'd make a great mother and wife. (Of course she might get a little corrupted throughout the series...)

The token bitch. Of course she's a softy, underneath...sorta. tragic past. self-centred.

The slightly ditzy, innocent, naive, fun one. Lives in the moment, not too bright.

The semi-tomboy, she 'works' with a group of males, feels the need to prove herself capable of keeping up with them

(Male):
The funny one. Best friend material, sensitive but capable of being a jerk.

The boyfriend. Balanced like MC, pretty normal. Ideal guy, though.

The bitter adversary (not villain!), leader of the opposition, cold, steady decision-maker.

The funny one among the opposition. Cynical, though. Sarcastic but cold, gets the job done.

The fellow with a temper, otherwise fairly boring.

The MC's scumbag father


As you can see, i classified them all into sort of cliche roles. They're more complex than that, but as you can see, i think like this:
what's she going to be like? Well, we already have a <insert cliche role> character, she'll have to be something different from anything i have so far. We could use a <...> in here!

It's all about filling spots, finding a place for everything and everyone that I think needs to go into the book.
Uh...like Tetris. Or casting for a play AS you're writing it.
For me, at least.

[Darzian]

A quick question: Does every character in your story have a definite purpose?

[Linda Adams]

A quick question: Does every character in your story have a definite purpose?

Yes. They have a purpose for being in the scene. Even if they're an extra in the scene that no one will see again, they do something in the scene that contributes to something in the story.

[tehuti88]

A quick question: Does every character in your story have a definite purpose?

They wouldn't be there if they didn't have a purpose. As for how grandly important that purpose is, I can't say. Some characters, after all, only need to do a little. And sometimes a purpose doesn't have to be huge and dramatic to be a purpose. (Cue the "comedic relief" in many stories, not just my own. My "comedic relief" usually does more than just provide comedic relief.)

I don't really sit here though and think, "I need such-and-such to happen. I guess I'll have to introduce a character to help this along." It all just flows together and comes out as it will. The event that needs to happen, and the character who needs to spark it or move it along, often show up at the same time. And sometimes I don't know what their purpose is until afterward, but it's there.

[Darzian]

Tenuti, same with me! I had a teensy cast at the beginning (no more than a total of 12 characters) and more started showing up! The ones that aren't so important fade out again.

[miles]

I take the main source of conflict in the novel, and develop a character who will have the hardest time in that situation.

If my idea is a story about someone getting stuck in the wilderness, my main character will be an indoors type who's never went camping and has no survival skills. Everything about that person will be opposite of what is needed to survive that situation, so the reader can see the change in the character as the story develops, and thus root for him/her all the more.

[Dale Emery]

A quick question: Does every character in your story have a definite purpose?

I don't always know each character's purpose at the moment I create them.

But eventually I want each character to have a clear purpose, which may be:

To draw out or exploit some important element of another character (e.g. the MC's fatal flaw or the MC's potential for overcoming the flaw).
To demonstrate an alternate way to deal with the moral dilemma of the story (by alternate I mean a way other than the MC's way).
Other stuff I'm not able to remember right now.Dale

[dwellerofthedeep]

That sounds like a cool way to do things, Dale. I never thought of that before.

Personally, I like to write a brief description of the character as they appear at the time of the story, both physically and mentally, then I give them a history to back it up.

Adding the concrete purpose for their inclusion could be quite helpful for this process.

[selkn.asrai]

My characters usually just show up in my head and then wander out through my fingers. Sometimes they have a name right away, sometimes I have to weasel it out of them. Sometimes they just let me know what letter their name starts with and I have to look it up myself.

Once the main characters have their names I'm ready to start writing. I'm one of those pansters too; my characters are much more lively if I don't know everything about them when I start.


To the first paragraph: Precisely.

To the second paragraph: My characters tend to come to me full-fledged and developed. New things about their lives will reveal themselves through the writing process, but their personalities are fully formed from the get-go.

[Inarticulate Babbler]

I set out with a certain few characteristics for each—though I often dig into their pasts—and discover who the character is and how he or she grows, or erodes, during the story.

As for their situations: for the reactions to be true, I slip into their skins. Sometimes, I don't like the reaction—based on my personality—when this happens, I consider it, why it doesn't work for me and why it should work for them. My antagonists often do things I wouldn't. I think the beauty of working in HF is that sometimes the events will dictate what your character has to do.

[eLfwriter]

I guess I'm lucky -- I've never had to 'make up' anyone. My characters are already there, with their own ideas about how they're going to go tromping about the book, their own pasts, and their own attitudes. Once or twice I'll get surprised, like with Hadrea -- she started out as a pickpocket and decided she'd rather be a spy posing as a kitchen maid -- but for the most part, the characters write themselves. I'm just sort of the medium that lets them tell their stories.

... as long as you listen to the little voices ... everything will be fine. Stray from the little voices ... you will rewrite in the morning ...

[treehugger]

Count me among the writers who don't "create" characters, exactly. My stories usually begin with an individual scene--say, a woman having an argument with a friend on the side of a busy road--and then I just play with the scene in my head until a story emerges. Who are these woman, and what are the fighting about? Why are they on the side of the road--did they drive (if so, why did they get out of the car?) or did they walk (and if so, why are they walking on a busy road?)? Where did they come from and where are they going? And so on. The characters (and thus the plot) evolve from there.