How to Build Characters

Characters are complex creatures.  Sometimes they’re the life of the party, revealing themselves in a flash of inspiration.  Sometimes they’re a little shy, only baring their innermost secrets over a period of time — a courtship dance between writer and muse, if you will.  And sometimes they’re as stubborn as a mule, forcing a writer to drag them from the shadows of anonymity, kicking and screaming, into the light of reader scrutiny.  Okay, okay.  Maybe I’m being a little theatrical with the last one.

When I first conceptualised my heroine, she was perfect.  Her love interest was also perfect.  The only flaw in their perfect lives was the antagonist, who was your typical mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha baddie.  It didn’t take me long to discover that this would not bode well for my novel, since readers are not interested in reading a story about unrealistically perfect people.  And, who wants to devote an entire weekend reading about a dastardly villain whose only purpose in the story is creating temporary speed wobbles in the protagonist’s, otherwise, perfect life.

So, what are readers’ expectations upon picking up your novel?  I believe Randy Ingermanson summed it up best with this quote:

“Writing fiction is about giving your readers a powerful emotional experience.”

Whether the reader is solving a murder mystery, on the run from rogue government agents, or falling in love with the dashing hero, readers expect to be taken on an adventure every time they purchase a book, expecting to live vicariously through the point of view character from the opening paragraph to the last.  So we owe it to our readers to craft realistic, three-dimensional characters — characters that will keep them turning the pages at 3 o’clock in the morning.

My method for creating convincing characters is to interview them.  Wait.  Are you telling me to interview my characters?  Yup.  Why?  Because our characters weren’t born yesterday.  They enter our stories with a past full of triumphs and traumas, disasters and decisions.  Their past is their backstory.  Their backstory determines who they are, their values, their dreams, their ambitions.  The interview process will help you understand what your characters believe about themselves and the world around them, and why they behave the way they do. 

K.M. Weiland wrote a terrific blog on interviewing your characters, which included a questionnaire of over 100 questions.  And, the last time I visited her website, she was offering her ebook, Crafting Unforgettable Characters, for free once you sign up for her newsletter. 

You can read more at https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/interviewing-your-characters/for more information.

Happy writing.

Written by Tracy Wilson