How to Create Fictional Characters for Novels

Making Characterisation Live and Breathe and Drive the Plot

May 24, 2009

A good story is nothing without compelling characters. The writer's first steps in conceiving the central players of a story, is to look deep within themselves.

Vividly-drawn and compelling characters are a godsend for the writer. This means the plot need not be intricately planned in an overly logical fashion. The characters will possess the life to drive it forward themselves, sometimes with unexpected results. But what steps can be taken in creating such characters?

Make Fictional Characters Realistic

For writers who don’t know where to begin, drawing up a character profile from a questionnaire for things like, age, sex, marital status and so forth, might help the character begin to emerge within the author’s mind. Such detail and even the character’s name has a fundamental impact upon what sort of person the character might be and what inner forces drives them.

The accumulative effect upon the subconscious of everyday experiences of humankind becomes imprinted upon the novelist’s mind from which an understanding of how these details can shape a person. Just a few examples are observations of the people encountered on the train, colleagues at work and experiences of family get-togethers.

Protagonists With Life and Soul and an Inner Truth

Knowing the character’s appearance and their biographical details is one thing, but it is entirely another to know what really makes them tick. One without the other is like an empty husk. This essential component of characterisation is what breathes life into the fictional character, drives their behaviour and their dialogue. This may well involve looking deep within one’s self and relating one’s own drives and desires to the creative process. Utilizing Freud’s theory on ego states for creating characters can be enormously helpful. Intricate empathy with the character will result in a character-driven plot and an authentic feel to the protagonists.

Avoiding Stereotypical Characters

Everybody can spot one: the office gossip, the studious librarian, the strict headmaster. These are characters that are so familiar and overused, they become engrained upom the subconscious. Be very wary of a character that pops too easily into the mind. It has probably been sourced from a digested film, book or fairytale from long ago. It is one thing to have one as a minor character, but to allow a stereotype to be a main player will result in a dull read.

Stereotypes With Contrast

Characters with stereotypical aspects suddenly become more interesting with an unusual spin that brings a contrast. An unusual characteristic, unexpected past or intriguing secret will bring them out in sharp relief. For example the office gossip who has a lethal collection of armoury, the studious librarian who’s gambling habit is out of control, the strict headmaster who has a fear of birds.

Creating Interesting and Rounded Characters

Interesting characterisation is likely to lead to an interesting novel. Stereotypes must be avoided, but adding an unexpected spin upon them will suddenly make them stand out. Drawing up data on things like physical appearance, biographical details and names might help unleash the creative process within. But understanding what drives the character and their innermost fears and desires will breathe life into the fictional character. The only way to do this is to draw something of this from deep within by exploring one's own ego states, and to project it in some way onto the character.

The copyright of the article How to Create Fictional Characters for Novels in Character Development is owned by Rachel Wills. Permission to republish How to Create Fictional Characters for Novels in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.