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Bringing your Characters to Life by Jessica Wright

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You want your characters to breathe. You want your readers to love them, to believe in them, to follow them to the end of the story. But how do you do that?

Different writers have very different answers to that question. Some say you should know everything about your character: not just name and appearance, but a complete biography, including fears, motivations and reasons for everything. These writers identify every fact connected with their character - whether Sue drinks her tea with milk and two sugars or with cream and artificial sweeteners; or if she hates tea and only ever drinks decaffeinated coffee, and, more importantly, why.

Other writers know only the briefest of details before they start to write. Any more, they say, and it would ruin the mystery of the story. A name, gender, possibly one idiosyncrasy and they’re off. They build the character with the story, reaching new depths as they write.

I like to find a happy medium. If I spend too long writing extensive biographies for every character then the story dies and, while I may want to write about my new friends, I have nothing to tell. Their story has seeped away.

However, I need to know something about my characters, or the story withers within the first paragraph. I start strongly, enjoying the discovery of a new person, but when it comes to building conflict I’m at a loss: I don’t know what terrifies my character, what she or he desires more than anything in the world, so it is impossible to create problems. I then spend the next day or so creating personae for my characters and by the time I come back to my story it has gone.

Over many failed stories and dead characters, I have built a character chart that helps build conflict but does not take too long to write. If a character’s history is imperative to the storyline then by all means write it out (sometimes I find it more interesting than the actual story!) but beware the dangers of too much prewriting.

Essential Facts:

Name:
Age:
Date of Birth:
Parents:
Siblings:
Partner(s):
Children:

For use when creating conflict, etc.

Three Fears (this can be physical or mental, for example: snakes OR being alone):

1)
2)
3)

Three Dreams (for example: finding a long-lost grandson):

1)
2)
3)

Three Flaws (for example: holds grudges):

1)
2)
3)

Three Good Points (for example: compassionate):

1)
2)
3)

Three Traits (for example: chews lock of hair):

1)
2)
3)

Motivation (again, this can be physical or mental, for example: get a grandson back OR motivated by fear).

Physical description is optional, but I find it useful to scribble down brief descriptions (for example: long, straight, black hair, a scar across right forearm).

Now go and create characters!

Copyright Jessica Wright 2002

For more information about John please visit his website: www.johnravenscroft.co.uk.

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