Young Writers Society

Now that I've technically been writing for more than half of my life, I should probably know how to write a decent character. At the very least, something at least somewhat mediocre. Well with that, you'd be wrong.

I have no idea how to write a good believable character. Sure, I could probably write a dry, generic one, but characters drive the story. Or so I've been told. And a bland character will make even the most exciting plot fall flat on it's face.

And it's not like I haven't tried. I've searched and watched and read so many things about characters, I could probably write a book about writing them. But I can't actually write them.

I've been told that you should place your character in a situation and watch them. Have a sleepover with them. Try to get to know them. Find their flaws. Okay. Then what?

Once you have a character, how do you put them in your story? Say you have a character named Carla. She's outgoing and bubbly, but she can be a little rude. She wants a close friend; a best friend, as all of hers don't really know her. She's afraid of being alone. Alright, now she has a goal and a fear, and a basic personality. You get to know her a little better, and bam!, meet Carla Peterson. Now that you have your MC, you try to keep her from getting what she wants, right? But how are you supposed to do that?

You could write a scene at school where she tries to get closer to a friend, but the person ends up leaving. It's not Carla's fault, but she feels hurt and she doesn't understand what she should've done.

"Did you see the new Disney movie yesterday?" Carla asked, trying to keep her voice cheery despite the fact that she didn't know what she was talking about. She hadn't watched anything from Disney since she was a kid, and she wasn't even sure a new movie had come out.

Isa, on the other hand, was a Disney expert.

"New movie? What are you talking about?" Isa adjusted her glasses as she watched Carla curiously.

Carla faltered. She had been hoping Isa would tell her all about some random movie she knew nothing about. She might be bored, but the awkward silence from before was worse.

"Never mind," Carla muttered. She looked down at her feet and her blond hair fell on to her lap.

"Hey, look, I'll see you later, okay?" said Isa.

Carla hesitates before nodding. "Yeah, see you."

But then the question: Is this even good? Is Carla an interesting character? Or, if you found this in a library, would you set the book down after reading this? Okay, I mean, you don't have to make the character so interesting that the reader is hooked enough to keep reading, but is it good at all?

And what if you have an idea for a plot, but no character? As an example for a (cliche) story I'd like to write, there's a kingdom where magic is forbidden. And of course, my MC is magic. She wants to leave, sure, so she doesn't have to worry. But what else? How do you create an interesting character out of a plot?

And in general, how do you make and interesting and complex characters? What makes them interesting and what makes them dull, and how are they complex and how are they two-dimensional?

Sorry for making this so long, but if anyone could answer any of my questions (even one), that'd be enough.

Thanks!

So I think you are quite familiar with the whole inner conflict stuff for characters which I think is a good starting point for creating a character that feels real.

What brings them to life, I think, is two things:
1. A strength that is admirable and makes you want to root for them.
2. A flaw that they do not realize themselves but the readers do.

That puts them in the two-dimensional range, which is what Carla is. This is usually enough to keep a reader's engagement for the earlier portions of your book.

Bring in the third dimension. This is what makes them feel *human*. Habits, hobbies, interaction with characters, etc. The question someone has told me to ask myself when I write characters is:

If your character had nothing to do with the plot, what would they be doing? What is their life outside the plot? That's what makes them human.

Take Carla for example. How does she interact with her other friends? What gives her the feeling that they don't really know her? What does she do in her free time? Does she have any quirks or habits like biting her nails, or rolling her eyes?

3D characters take time to build. You can establish a one-dimensional character in one sentence, a two-dimensional one in one paragraph but it could take half the book to truly flesh out a three-dimensional one.

And that's your goal as a writer. Introduce side characters that help build layers on your main character. An antagonist that challenges her strength and exposes her flaw is one of the key aspects to inciting growth in them.

Let's take Carla again. Her 'friends' can be side characters that attempt to manipulate her to get what they want. This can give her the feeling that these friends aren't really friends. This can help her explore what a *true* friend is. Maybe she realizes she isn't being a true friend?

Another idea is to introduce someone *exactly* like her in a few years' time. A mirror if you will that will allow her to see her flaw of being rude at times and thus pushing people away.

What about a bully as an antagonist that drops her spirits from the whole bubbly, easy-going girl she once was? Even better if this bully secretly has the same insecurities as her and is just covering it up in a more violent, destructive way.

And what if you have an idea for a plot, but no character? As an example for a (cliche) story I'd like to write, there's a kingdom where magic is forbidden. And of course, my MC is magic. She wants to leave, sure, so she doesn't have to worry. But what else? How do you create an interesting character out of a plot?

I used to struggle with this A LOT. What I realized is that you create a plot from a character. Your character needs to go from A to B. What external stuff happens in order for them to get there? That's the plot.

Using your example:

Your MC wants to leave. What is she leaving behind, though? Maybe she really loves her parents and doesn't want to leave them but she's afraid that if they find out about her magic, they'd look at her differently.

What are the consequences of leaving? Does she just go to another kingdom that will welcome her or will she have to struggle in the wild? Does she harbor hatred for the people who don't accept her? Maybe that's her misbelief... She's painting everyone with the same brush.

Your next step is to challenge that misbelief through some external even or character.

Bland characters are ones that only exist because of the plot. Complex characters are people who exist in this world who *happen* to be a part of the plot which is sparked by an inciting incident.

I hope this kind of answers your questions. I'm still figuring it out for myself but what I have found is that complex characters aren't built by plot. They're built by other characters with different/opposing motives and a complex character drives a compelling plot.