The purpose of developing characters for a story is for the reader to know the characters. Readers will better like the story and the characters when they are properly developed, believable and easy to relate to. Important areas to consider when creating a good character are the character’s history, his or her name and his or her appearance.
A Character’s History
People are not blank slates. Characters shouldn’t be either. You want to create a character that is believable, and believable characters have families and friends, or enemies. They have habits, hobbies and mannerisms. They eat, sleep, breath just as real people do. Characters need a history because it will help determine their characteristics. Even if your character is a newborn, he or she has a history because he or she has a family. Characters must live somewhere and interact with someone, and since they are usually not babies, they have a past. Write it down if it helps you to remember.
The past, or back-story, that you create for your character does not necessarily need to be explained in full within the story. However, it is beneficial for the author to know what the character’s past is. Then when at a moment in the story when the past needs to be explained to further the plot, develop interacting characters or explain the setting, it has already been thought out. When the character has a history, carefully naming him or her is important.
Naming Your Character
As the author, you may give your character any name that you personally like. But there are also a few considerations that come with giving the character a name. The character’s nationality is one, as people generally have names that reflect their heritage. Another may be the character’s lineage. As discussed, the character with a back-story is more credible. As people are often named after grandparents and other ascendents, this is something to consider for the character as well.
Names also have certain meanings, and it is a good idea to look into the meaning of a name when choosing one. Understanding the meaning of the name you give your character may help you write about his or her personality. Remember that when readers read a name, they have a mental picture of what the character looks like.
The Character’s Physical Description
When the character has a name, the writer will most likely have a mental image, same as the reader. It may only be a particular feature – blonde hair, for instance. Whatever the image is, work with it. As the author, you may describe the character’s looks the way you see him or her. But the way you see the character may not be the way the reader sees the character. A good idea is to ask a friend or family member what they see when they read or hear the character’s name. You may find that moulding your character’s looks to what your readers see benefits the character development.
Feel free to use your own artistic freedom, but consider these suggestions to make your character plausible and relatable. You may also refer to How to Create a Setting and How to Create a Plot.
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