With all characters, I think a writer needs to dig deep. Dig into their memories, see what they've lived through, and experience their lives through your imagination. Find out what their fears, wants, likes, and dislikes are. Find their strengths and weaknesses. Know their physical appearances. Everyone has flaws/imperfections. That's what makes everyone unique. Also know how they speak. Read all dialogue out loud and see if the conversations are realistic. I struggled for a long time with having to make characters speak incorrectly because I knew it was improper English, but most people don't speak properly, and it worked wonders with bringing my characters to life!
It was mentioned above, but doing a character profile is a great writing tool. Just having a page where you have all of their info written down helps, even if some of it isn't used in your writing. It lets you get to know your character in depth, and when you know someone that well, it's much easier to write about them.
Also remember, your characters will evolve as your writing progresses. The basic idea of the character may change into something completely different once you get to working with them. If something doesn't feel right or "real" with the character, change it. It's your story and your characters, and you have the option to do whatever you wish with them.
Craig Fontenot
Characters help propel the story along, as well make it more believable or unbelievable. If a character's motives and personality are sketchy, then the story suffers for it. I agree that the author digs into themselves for personal experiences and beliefs and gives them to their characters. However, as you mentioned, if the story changes then don't feel you can't change the character either. That's what drafts are for.
ReplyDeleteJae Khoury