How to Create Characters for a Story
Determine how your character looks., Give your character a distinguishing physical mark or trait., Decide what type of clothing your character wears., Come up with unique names for your characters., Base the appearance of your characters on real...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Determine how your character looks.
One of the most direct ways you can build up your characters is to develop their physical tags or markers, such as how they look.
Creating specific and distinct images of your characters can help the reader get a better sense of how they appear to themselves and to others.For example, in the Harry Potter book series, the character Hermione Granger is described as having buck teeth and bushy hair.
This indicates to the reader that perhaps she is not a well put together person or could come across as a nerd.
This is in contrast to another character in the series, Minerva McGonagall, who is described as having square shaped spectacles and always wears her hair in a tight bun.
Minerva then comes across as more put together and severe than Hermione. -
Step 2: Give your character a distinguishing physical mark or trait.
Another way to distinguish your characters is to give one character, perhaps the main character, an unique physical marker or trait.
This can help the reader to remember the character better and also tell the reader more about the character and the story.
The more specific the physical mark or trait is, the more memorable it will be to the reader.You could give your character a physical mark like a scar, a tattoo, an item of clothing that they never take off, or even uniquely colored eyes.
You could also give your character a physical trait like a limp, a missing limb, a missing sense (such as blindness or deafness), or a positive physical trait, like beautiful hair or clear skin.
For example, in the Harry Potter book series, the main character, Harry Potter is given a very distinct marking, a lightning shaped scar, that later has significance in the plot of the story.
As the novel’s main character, Harry Potter remains unique in the reader’s mind as the boy with the lightning scar. , Imagine your character opening her closet or getting dressed to go to school or work in the morning.
Does she wear jeans or slacks? Sneakers or heels? More feminine clothing or more masculine clothing? Maybe your character has an item of clothing she always wears everyday or neglects to wear an item of clothing she is supposed to wear, such as a school uniform or a work uniform.
Focus on concrete details of her clothing, from her pants to her bag, to help create an interesting character for readers.Clothing can also signify certain traits or qualities in a character in the world of your story.
For example, if your novel is set in the world of wizards, you may create a system where wizards of a higher stature wear a certain robe, hat, or carry a different colored wand than wizards of a lower stature. , One of the most distinguishing characteristics of your characters are their names.
Coming up with an interesting name for your character is not too difficult in the current age due to name generators you can use online.
However, you should also choose names that seem to fit your character’s personality and your character’s background.Try to use character names that are different from each other and start with different letters.
For example, rather than name one character Robert and another character Rita, maybe name one character Robert and another character Mona.
If you are writing about a family and part of the story is their love of names that start with “M”, you may name all the characters different names that start with “M” to illustrate this.
You should also try to match the character’s name to the ethnic background of the character.
If your character is Irish, for example, you may choose an Irish name.
Or if your character is a second generation Mexican, for example, you may choose an American name, as the character’s parents may have chosen an American name to assimilate into American culture. , One tactic to help you build characters for your story is to think of people you know in real life and then use their physical traits to help you create a character.
For example, if you are writing a story about a grandmother, you may use your real life grandmother or a friend’s grandmother as the inspiration for the character.You can also use physical traits from certain people you know or strangers you observe on the street and compile them together to create one character.
Think of a physical trait that you have always been interested in or fascinated by and try to explore it through your characters. -
Step 3: Decide what type of clothing your character wears.
-
Step 4: Come up with unique names for your characters.
-
Step 5: Base the appearance of your characters on real life people.
Detailed Guide
One of the most direct ways you can build up your characters is to develop their physical tags or markers, such as how they look.
Creating specific and distinct images of your characters can help the reader get a better sense of how they appear to themselves and to others.For example, in the Harry Potter book series, the character Hermione Granger is described as having buck teeth and bushy hair.
This indicates to the reader that perhaps she is not a well put together person or could come across as a nerd.
This is in contrast to another character in the series, Minerva McGonagall, who is described as having square shaped spectacles and always wears her hair in a tight bun.
Minerva then comes across as more put together and severe than Hermione.
Another way to distinguish your characters is to give one character, perhaps the main character, an unique physical marker or trait.
This can help the reader to remember the character better and also tell the reader more about the character and the story.
The more specific the physical mark or trait is, the more memorable it will be to the reader.You could give your character a physical mark like a scar, a tattoo, an item of clothing that they never take off, or even uniquely colored eyes.
You could also give your character a physical trait like a limp, a missing limb, a missing sense (such as blindness or deafness), or a positive physical trait, like beautiful hair or clear skin.
For example, in the Harry Potter book series, the main character, Harry Potter is given a very distinct marking, a lightning shaped scar, that later has significance in the plot of the story.
As the novel’s main character, Harry Potter remains unique in the reader’s mind as the boy with the lightning scar. , Imagine your character opening her closet or getting dressed to go to school or work in the morning.
Does she wear jeans or slacks? Sneakers or heels? More feminine clothing or more masculine clothing? Maybe your character has an item of clothing she always wears everyday or neglects to wear an item of clothing she is supposed to wear, such as a school uniform or a work uniform.
Focus on concrete details of her clothing, from her pants to her bag, to help create an interesting character for readers.Clothing can also signify certain traits or qualities in a character in the world of your story.
For example, if your novel is set in the world of wizards, you may create a system where wizards of a higher stature wear a certain robe, hat, or carry a different colored wand than wizards of a lower stature. , One of the most distinguishing characteristics of your characters are their names.
Coming up with an interesting name for your character is not too difficult in the current age due to name generators you can use online.
However, you should also choose names that seem to fit your character’s personality and your character’s background.Try to use character names that are different from each other and start with different letters.
For example, rather than name one character Robert and another character Rita, maybe name one character Robert and another character Mona.
If you are writing about a family and part of the story is their love of names that start with “M”, you may name all the characters different names that start with “M” to illustrate this.
You should also try to match the character’s name to the ethnic background of the character.
If your character is Irish, for example, you may choose an Irish name.
Or if your character is a second generation Mexican, for example, you may choose an American name, as the character’s parents may have chosen an American name to assimilate into American culture. , One tactic to help you build characters for your story is to think of people you know in real life and then use their physical traits to help you create a character.
For example, if you are writing a story about a grandmother, you may use your real life grandmother or a friend’s grandmother as the inspiration for the character.You can also use physical traits from certain people you know or strangers you observe on the street and compile them together to create one character.
Think of a physical trait that you have always been interested in or fascinated by and try to explore it through your characters.
About the Author
Jerry Reynolds
Committed to making lifestyle accessible and understandable for everyone.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: