Compelling books begin with compelling characters. No matter how big or small their roles may be in the grand scheme of your story, each character has a history, a personality, quirks and passions…. At least, they should. So what can you do to freshen up your characters if you find some of them are reading a little stale or seem to be cliché?
Why not get to know your character(s) better through a character interview?
Write down a series of questions that you would ask anyone you didn’t know very well. Adjust them to suit your character, perhaps give him a job interview or write questions that your character would have to answer for an online dating site. Come up with questions that will really force you to look deep into your character’s soul, motives, likes and dislikes.
Once you have your list of questions, it’s time to sit down with your character and really get to know him. Don’t just answer the questions as if you were the character - imagine that your character is actually sitting across from you at a coffee shop or in your office.
Pay attention not only to what your character says, but HOW he or she says it. Is your character quiet or loud? What does his voice sound like? Does he have strange or annoying habits when he speaks?
Write down the character’s reaction to the questions you ask and make notes about his body language when he answers. Does he avoid eye contact? Does he bite his nails? Does he hesitate or is he quick to answer? Does he smile? Is he flirty?
This is your opportunity to really investigate what makes your character tick. It’s also a great way to discover what kind of feeling YOU get from your character and determine how you can best present this persona to your readers. When you are done with your character interview, you will have a detailed list of traits and idioms unique to your character. Use these elements to SHOW your reader who your character really is.
Taking time to get to know your characters will make all the difference when writing them into the story. Again, no matter how minor the character may be to the plot, creating compelling characters will help to build a compelling story. Be inventive and find ways to make each of your characters stand out. Your readers will thank you.
Why not get to know your character(s) better through a character interview?
Write down a series of questions that you would ask anyone you didn’t know very well. Adjust them to suit your character, perhaps give him a job interview or write questions that your character would have to answer for an online dating site. Come up with questions that will really force you to look deep into your character’s soul, motives, likes and dislikes.
Once you have your list of questions, it’s time to sit down with your character and really get to know him. Don’t just answer the questions as if you were the character - imagine that your character is actually sitting across from you at a coffee shop or in your office.
Pay attention not only to what your character says, but HOW he or she says it. Is your character quiet or loud? What does his voice sound like? Does he have strange or annoying habits when he speaks?
Write down the character’s reaction to the questions you ask and make notes about his body language when he answers. Does he avoid eye contact? Does he bite his nails? Does he hesitate or is he quick to answer? Does he smile? Is he flirty?
This is your opportunity to really investigate what makes your character tick. It’s also a great way to discover what kind of feeling YOU get from your character and determine how you can best present this persona to your readers. When you are done with your character interview, you will have a detailed list of traits and idioms unique to your character. Use these elements to SHOW your reader who your character really is.
Taking time to get to know your characters will make all the difference when writing them into the story. Again, no matter how minor the character may be to the plot, creating compelling characters will help to build a compelling story. Be inventive and find ways to make each of your characters stand out. Your readers will thank you.
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