How To Make A Character


 * 1) Don't make them overpowered. OR do.

You're probably wondering what I mean. Well, if you're making a classical main character, you don't want her/him to be completely perfect. Everyone has hardships, and your characters must suffer and have flaws as well. How can humans relate to someone who isn't like them at all? Spoiled rich girls, even, have their own problems. And I don't mean that they can't afford the new designer necklace they've been saving up for because Gucci made the price higher. I mean, supply and demand, girl! But that's not the point; the point is that your character shouldn't be absolutely awesome. Unless it's a villain. If you're making a villain with no problems and someone who can obviously defeat the characters within a blink of an eye, completely ignore everything above. However, I strongly disagree against this. I know the cliche can hurt sometimes, but the whole 'there's good within' should be something you stick with. Just a thought.

2. Pick a good name/personality.

It's most likely best if you refer to the Best Names For A Book page. That will direct you to everything you need to know about picking a name. But character personality? That's something a bit more profound and difficult to deal with. The way I've always done it when writing and publishing stories is by first grabbing a blank sheet of paper. I suggest you use bigger paper, since I recommend adding as much information as you can. That way, later into the character's backstory, you can really get an idea of what they're like and character development. That can/will be accessed/featured on my writer classes, coming later, I suppose. I'll tell you how to sign up, completely free. Back on topic-- the next thing you want to do is write the character's name at the top of the page. Let's say mine is Ally. I'm going to put Ally at the top and make a bullet list. I'm just going to list character traits, and scribbled lightly in the margins are little facts. For example, if I write down "Wants to be the best mother possible" as a character trait/personality addition, in the margin I'm going to add why: "because she wasn't treated well by her mother." This gives me a little more backstory when I'm reading over my work and allows me to keep my things organized. At the very bottom of the paper, I can write a small paragraph of backstory. This isn't the place to cut your details and just write the basics. It's where you go in depth and really explain what the character's emotions are going into the story. Lastly, I'm going to write down my 'plans' for Ally. Am I going to plan character development? If so, what happens that makes Ally change? Does it happen gradually, or in a unique moment when something touching happens? Is she important or not? If I'm planning a second book, will she be in it? And-- will she die? Once you have these things down, you pretty much have a character.