Hi! I’m trying to start a new story and I was wondering how would you build a new character from scratch? Like how would you go about creating them?
There are many different ways a character is conceived. You’ll need one of these things to start with:
name—you heard one that sounded cool to you, either the meaning, the pronunciation, or the ideas it brings to mind when you hear it.
look—you saw or imagined a character with certain physical features or garb, someone new and interesting that you want to know more about.
profession—you’re interested in exploring a certain occupation within a fictional setting and what kind of things might happen during the work day.
lifestyle—this can include profession, but it’s more about who they are (or who they pretend to be) at all hours of the day/night.
archetype—you want to explore a character who is the sidekick, villain, mentor, or some other archetype within a story.
From there you shape them into a three-dimensional person with these aspects (which in themselves can inspire a new character):
family/friends—the people who raised, supported, and cared for them (or didn’t) at different points in their lives and thus affected their personality.
culture—the lifestyle of the community they identify with which can include shared customs, traditions, beliefs, foods, entertainment, etc.
skills—stuff they’re good at, but also stuff they’re bad at because both are important for you to know.
backstory—the combination of big experiences that shaped them permanently and that they might think about on a regular basis; a loved one dying, a successful career, a big mistake, and/or a long-term illness.
experiences—individual events that shaped who they are now, but aren’t really a big part of their life story; that time they had their first kiss, played their first sport, encountered a wild animal, and/or learned to cook their own meal.
traits—inherent aspects of their personality that can be their strengths and weaknesses depending on how they improve on or neglect them; they are very kind and compassionate, but easy to take advantage of and are sometimes overly fussy.
beliefs—their driving force, their purpose in life, the reason they get up in the morning and continue to exist.
personality—the combination of skills, beliefs, and cultural norms that make them an individual based on their experiences and upbringing, as well as inherent traits.
Now, the reader does not want to know all this stuff on the first page. In fact, the reader might not need to know much of it at all. You do, and what you include in your story should be primarily stuff the reader needs to know with just a sprinkling of other character information. Some books might give the MC’s entire biography in the first chapter, but even Charles Dickens knew to save the best details for later.
These bullet points work for all characters, not just your main protagonist(s). A writer doesn’t need to know every detail about every side character, but it helps to think of each one as a whole person. Makes the writing feel more authentic.
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