Character building is essential to fiction writing and for the last few sessions at Maggie’s we’ve been creating, and developing characters.

Central to any story is its cast which drives the narrative and injects life into the plot. Each story needs at least one main character (protagonist) plus a few secondary ones as well.

Your protagonist needs to :

• Be authentic (ie believable).
• If not likeable, be at least relatable so readers can connect with them.
• Be multi-dimensional – not a cliche or a caricature.
• Want something – they need a driving force that motivates them.
• Have flaws – nobody is perfect. Flaws add interest.
• Have back story – what has happened in your character’s life to get them to where they are at the start of the story?
• Have distinguishing features/voice/mannerisms.
• Face conflict and obstacles (either internal or external).
• Change as the story develops.

So in order to create a character, you the writer, need to decide

• Some basic biographical detail
• What your character wants – what drives them?
• What do they fear?
• Who or what is most important to them?

Exercise Part 1

Think of a character and list:

• Name
• Age
• Occupation
• Setting – where they live and what period of history?
• What do they look like?
• What is their main relationship?

Now decide:

• What are they most afraid of?
• What do they want?
• What is their favourite food?
• What are their mannerisms?
• One thing they don’t want other people to know
• One thing they care passionately about
• One thing that annoys them

Part 2

Describe your character starting their day. What wakes them? Do they wake to an alarm or a noise outside or to someone jabbing them in the ribs? What do they do? Do they spring into action or do they pull the duvet over themselves and shut out the world? If they go out, where do they go? How do they get there? Who do they see/speak to? Focus on the senses – what does your character see, hear, smell etc as they start their day?

Now introduce another character and describe their interaction. Do they speak? What is their body language? How do they relate to each other?

Part 3

Write a monologue from your character’s point of view about the thing they care about or the thing that annoys them. This might be an impassioned speech or it could turn into a rant! The important thing is to develop the character’s voice.

If you’ve tried this exercise and want to tell us something about your character, please leave a message in the comments below. Next up we’ll be looking at creating authentic setting.