Tips and Tricks: A Good Character By: Janaya Buckley

Are you interested in writing your own story, or maybe you just want to make a character for fun and are confused on where to start? Well, there is so much advice out there on how to write, and do it well. However, writing a character is harder than it looks. Once a writer has an idea for a book, they’ll need a solid character to go along with it.

First, define what the character wants. A character’s motivation is central to the story- it's what commands them and gives them a solid foundation to their beliefs and desires. Every good character should have good motivation.

Start broad, do they want power? Love? Revenge? Then go into the specifics: Why do they want these things? What will happen if they do not get them? Who or what is stopping them from getting this? These basic questions not only define your character but also establish stakes in your story. You start with the overall picture, but it is important that you do not stay there.

For example, a character wanting revenge can be a good motivation, but it is too plain of an idea. The key is to give your character a specific motivation catered to them. Perhaps instead of wanting power, a broad and plain motivation on its own, a character may want power in the form of leading a kingdom, or winning a class election. These differences in motivation can make or break a character and their story and how the reader may view it. 

This next tip is as basic as it gets, your character needs flaws. A character that is defined as perfect is known as a “Mary Sue,” or a character who is unrealistically perfect and never makes mistakes. This type of character makes for a boring character and more importantly an uncompelling story. Sometimes it is hard for readers to admit that their characters need to make mistakes, and possibly risk being unlikable to certain audiences, but regardless of these fears it is imperative that a character makes mistakes as the story develops.

These obstacles in a story and how a character handles them defines who they are. Imagine how boring it would be if a character never learned anything throughout the narrative. A character’s strength can also be their flaw, such as a character being bold and strong willed and yet at the same time, being stubborn and hardheaded due to their aforementioned strengths. 

Give your character a voice. Seriously. Everyone sounds different in the real world, so why should it be any different for your fictional one? Giving each character their own unique way of speaking can do wonders for your audience when it comes to engagement and knowing who is speaking at the same time. It can be relatively boring if every character in your cast spoke the same way. This includes accents of course, specific drops of letters and misspellings in the form of an accent can make a character distinctive. However, caution must be urged for this, as making your character’s dialogue too hard to read with a ton of misspellings and letter drops can break the viewer’s focus, as they will be too busy trying to understand what your character is saying rather than focusing on the story.

A writer also needs to give their character agency. Having your character just react to the plot around them makes for a boring read, but when your character makes the plot happen . . . now that is where things begin to get interesting. No one wants to sit around and read a story where the character makes no active choices. Giving each character autonomy allows not only for an intriguing plot, but also for consequences of that character's actions and payoff to be deliberate and fulfilling for the audience to read.

Make them relatable. A relatable character means an engaged audience. This does not necessarily mean to make a character as ordinary as someone you would  meet in real life. This simply means to give your character things that set them apart from others. What are their likes? Dislikes? Fears and ambitions?

Simply giving your character a hobby or affection is a great step to making a well-rounded character. Even the simplest thing such as a character having a soft spot for puppies can make them feel more real, and help the audience engage with them. This also applies to villains as well. It is boring to have a villain or antagonist just walking around as a cardboard cut out whose only trait is being evil and kicking puppies. The best villains have traits that make them stand out among the crowd.

There are so many tips and tricks and resources for writers to use nowadays when it comes to their craft. A writer having no idea where to start is what keeps most of them from writing, do not get caught in a rut, research, learn and apply yourself to your writing. Passion is one of the most important things for a writer to have, but objective craft is important as well. Do not give up and keep on writing.