A few fundamental characterisation tips…
1. Nobody (in fiction at least) is wholly good. Wholly good, sensible, open people make really dull characters.
2. Flawed people are fascinating. Seeing if/how they overcome their flaws is what engages readers.
3. Internal conflict is what drives characters forward. So either give them a flaw and then force them to face it, or make them want two things that seem mutually exclusive. If you find a conflict that is emotionally deep enough, then your character will drive your story forward for you.
4. Every reaction to an event or a conversation that a character has is specific to them. If you can lift your main character out of your story and pop someone else in their place, without fundamentally changing the story, then you definitely need to strengthen the characterisation.
5. Your readers get to know your characters through what they do and say. Put their behaviour, action and reactions on the page of your story.
EXERCISES FOR CREATING CHARACTERS
1. Write a paragraph, as short as possible, where your character introduces themselves and shows us who they are in their own voice.
2. Write a paragraph where your character interacts with another character. (If you can incorporate a power imbalance between the two characters.)
3. Write a physical description of one character from the point of view of another. Can you show us both characters?
4. Answer the following questions for your character:
What’s their favourite food/relationship with food?
What’s under their bed?
What’s their relationship with their parents like?
What are they scared of?
What’s their biggest secret?
What’s the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to them?
Who do they consider their closest friend?
What’s their most treasured possession?
How would someone who loves them describe them?
How would someone who hates them describe them?
5. Can you describe your character in 5 words and five words only?
For example: Hercule Poirot – fastidious, intelligent, curious, obsessive, tenacious
Note that fastidious and obsessive aren’t wholly positive, so if your character is basically good, include at least one negative characteristic.
6. What is your character’s fundamental flaw or character weakness?
For example: Mr Darcy – pride
7. Before the start of your story what does your main character want? At the midpoint, what do they want?
Has your character changed? Is the new want or desire at odds with the original one?
