Perhaps you have picked up a book like this, I certainly have. The main character is someone or something you just can’t relate to. Making characters real is not that easy.
Another problem is found in those books where all the characters seem to be clones. They think alike. They act alike. All of the characters might as well be talking to themselves.
Creating Characters
There are lots of ways for an author to create a character. One way is to have a list of characteristics. Another I came across has a series of questions to answer about the character.
Anyone who does some research on writing will find other methods of creating characters. These methods do work for some authors. Perhaps they would for you. These methods don’t work for me.
My Characters
I create the bare bones of a character in my head. As I have a vague notion of the plot, the character is based on how he or she will interact with the plot. Usually I come up with a name and a basic description.
At that point, I start writing my rough draft. As I write the novel, it starts making characters real to me. They get to the point they seem like someone I could go to the store and meet.
The drawback to creating characters this way, is that I do have to go back and rewrite the beginning of the draft. That way the characters consistent throughout.
Different Characters
Making characters real is easier for me if I base them on people I have known, even slightly. This matters because it gives each character a unique voice and behavior in the novel.
Even when writing a memoir, an author is creating, rather recreating their character from a previous time in their lives. People grow up and change with time so a younger version of you is not the modern one and is, therefore, a character in your memoir.
No matter how an author creates their characters, making characters real is important so readers can enjoy your books more.
