I would think of my friends, and start writing the even the smallest details about them.
And try to base it on a real human's characteristic. Characters aren't just words on paper!
Sometimes, I would randomly look at the walking humans around me and start to pull out my tablet and you-know-what-happened-next.
Characters are made up from our imaginations. But our imaginations based on knowledge and experiences.
~Memo
I love Koku. He is damn cute and should be the main character and not some lazy old man that supposedly genius but a sucker in his own life. Koku is Koku. Koku is CUTE. ~ B-The Beginning (A Netflix Anime.)
Usually, this is an analysis technique for actors, but it works for creating characters as well. Think of the character's GOTE. GOTE stands for
Goal Obstacle (other) Tactic Expectation.
Goal is what the character wants. Obstacle is what stops the character from getting what they want. Tactic is how the character plans on overcoming the obstacle to reach their goal. Expectation is what the character expects to get for reaching their goal.
For example, Steve wants to move into a big house by a tropical ocean. That would be his goal. Unfortunately, he doesn't have enough money to buy a house. His tactic is to get a better job to make more money so he can move into his dream house. He expects that he will live a life of luxury when he moves to the ocean.
This can be applied to any situation. And the expectation doesn't always have to happen. In fact, it is interesting to see how a character reacts when things don't turn out the way they planned.
Details of the character might be gleaned from the goal. Steve probably looks pretty fly in Hawaiian shirts since he likes the beach so much.
That's how I would create a strong character.
"So many poems growing outta them they're practically a poet-tree" — Gringoamericano
Ooh, @Morrigan, I'm going to have to steal that tactic.
I usually take a look at the world and figure out which type of person would, when put in a certain situation, result in the most conflict or the best story to tell. I actually usually come up with a plot first, then mold my characters to fit it, but a lot of people like to do it the other way around.
Definitely the most important thing is motivation, though - what your character cares about/wants. Coincidentally, that also happens to be something that generates a lot of conflict, which is why it's a good starting point.
We're all stories in the end.
I think of you as a fairy with a green dress and a flower crown and stuff. -EternalRain
I think you, @Deanie and I are like the Three Book Nerd Musketeers of YWS. -bluewaterlily
Well, when a writer and an idea love each other very much...
I've found that, when it comes to creating three-dimensional characters, it's best to give them something to chase after--a motive, like Books said--and allow them to develop at their own pace during the actual writing process. You can't sketch out a well-developed character, stripped down to their very bones, prior to the writing of your piece, because plot-happenstance and changing decisions during the actual writing affect the ways in which your characters respond to shifting situations. Base traits are good to lay our before you begin writing, though, so you have a vague idea of how your characters will act.
Dynamic characters are characters that are actively involved in the plot. They interact with their surroundings, with other characters, and with themselves. This is where the various tools writers employ come in--introspection/thought is how the characters interact with the self, dialogue stands as an example of how they interact with other characters, etc. It's a series of cause and effect for me, although it might work differently for different people.
I remember a fair few of my older (as in, from earlier novels) characters' personalities were taken straight from book series I particularly liked. It sounds awful, but to be honest my characters morphed so much when I started writing them they were used more of a base than anything else.
Nowadays, I might allow this to influence me but for the most part, I think about what kind of character the story needs, add in a few flaws and then allow the remainder of the personality to grow and develop over my story drafts. Looking at what everyone else does, I get the feeling I'm a bit more random and maybe that's why so many of my stories fail.
I've been taught there are two types of characters in literature- 2D characters and 3D characters. 2D characters in their actions are typically predictable in what they do and from my own experience, are typically easier to write. 3D characters are more human like and complex. The main difference is that 3D characters have CONTRADICTIONS. Things about them that don't fit in with what is expected. For example a really buff man with a beard, looking extremely intimidating and rides a Harley everywhere, but he goes home and watches marathons of my little pony. One example in literature is Hamlet, one of the most 3D characters ever with tons of contradictions to make him unique and very intriguing. Also in terms of writing, I feel its important to know the character extremely well so that you can put yourself in your character's shoes. Typically when this happens, my writing flows a lot faster, with a lot more emotion coming from me. And this usually produces a good result. If you want a book, Story by Robert Mckee is a good read. It's considered the standard for screenwriting, but talks about character development that applies to all different genres.
Usually the ideas come to me at random times (e.g. before bed or in the shower), but then I elaborate off of those ideas. Foor instance, I once had a random story idea that came in the form of one sentence: "It's so easy, even a child could solve it." This idea evolved until I knew I wanted to write about a very smart kid, and everything branched off of that.
I think that you have to establish what you want your book to be about before you can truly discover your characters. I had to know that my main character was going to be a hacker before he was given a story and personality.
Gender:
Points: 2577
Reviews: 207