When it comes to writing a story, there’s no disputing that characters play a significant role. The storyline is the story, but readers won’t stick around long enough to become immersed in it if the characters aren’t interesting. Characters who will convey the story in an intriguing way are necessary to keep readers engaged in the story.
Creating interesting people, on the other hand, is a lot easier said than done. People are multifaceted, and it can be difficult to create characters who are both convincingly realistic and enjoyable to read. There are numerous elements to consider while developing a character, but once you have a decent character concept, the rest is easy.
You’ll also require excellent writing skills. You can state your character is brilliant, but until you can demonstrate this to your readers throughout the novel, you aren’t creating that character genuinely.
Describe the Character’s Appearance in an original manner.
When creating new characters, the easiest place to start is by deciding on the fundamentals of their appearance. Consider their gender, age, height, ethnicity, and other characteristics, as well as their objective look. However, keep in mind that the manner you depict your character might have a significant impact on your readers.
Take, for example, a character with huge eyes. If I don’t say anything else about the character but the eyes, “big, doe-eyed, and full of wonder,” a very distinct type of character comes to mind, don’t they? It’s possible that this is a youthful individual with a lot of naive curiosity. You’re probably guessing that this character is female as well. The eyes alone, without detailing any other trait, can clue readers into how the character is regarded by others, leaving the rest to the readers’ imagination.
However, describing a character’s eyes as “round and bulging” provides a completely different impression of the character.
Despite the fact that they have the same feature as the previous character—large eyes—describing them in this way conjures up images of a character who is more uneasy and untrustworthy. Other characters may feel uneasy around this character since he or she is strange, ugly, and fidgety. It’s a creepy trait, but if that’s the aesthetic you’re looking for, check out my post How to Write a Creepy Character Realistically for more inspiration.
Furthermore, when describing a character’s appearance, it’s critical to avoid cliches and clichés. Don’t use words like “piercing” or “porcelain” to describe a character’s eyes or complexion.
That’s something we’ve all heard a thousand times before. If you want your characters to stand out, you should describe them in unique and engaging ways. Instead of simply telling your readers that the individual has light skin and green eyes, explain their posture, their movement, and the flaws in their skin. Describe them in ways you’ve never seen others do before, and attempt to give them a genuine feeling of individuality, even if their appearance is rather common.
In a similar vein, don’t be scared to make your characters look ordinary. Because not everyone has the physique of a supermodel, feel free to offer your characters physical flaws.
Characters who remind readers of themselves are more likely to connect with them, and being ideally handsome is regrettably not something most people can relate to.
Develop the personality of the character.
After you’ve figured out how to describe your characters’ appearances, you may go on to some of the more difficult areas of character development, beginning with personality. Creating a character’s personality isn’t quite a one-step process. Because personalities are complex, nuanced, and subject to change over time, you should set aside some time to think about it.
What do you think?