Writing Advice: Character Building

One of the mistakes new writers make, and indeed a mistake I made (and make still) is to rush into a story without fully understanding one of the most important parts: the characters. The characters drive the story, their actions are what defines the action of the book, their conflict is reflected in the overarching story, and yet writers often make the mistake of trying to record their characters before taking the time to get to know them.

By creating a character, you are creating a person, a person with thoughts, hopes, dreams, fears, hates, loves, and an entire world inside them. Before you send them off on their adventure, be it an epic quest to slay the dragon or a slightly less magical but equally epic quest to survive high school, knowing who your character is is essential. Is he (or she) brave or timid? Kind or cruel? Generous or selfish? I know that sometimes traits aren't always that black and white, but finding the cardinal traits, the things that really drive your character, can help you in their development.

One thing that I find is helpful to me is to create a character sheet, with your character's name, age, their status in the story (hero, villain, sidekick, etc.) and a brief history of their life, which includes the things that you will not reveal about the character until later in the story. I personally usually include a detailed physical description, including things that I might not actually describe about the character, such as if they have a chip in their tooth. I also write a personality analysis of the character, telling about their unique quirks and what makes them angry, scared or maybe even what would make them want to kill someone. If I'm writing a fantasy story, I will also add a section that details the character's special abilities, if indeed they have any.

While this works for me, what could also work is writing a series of short "sketches" that have your characters interacting in an everyday situation. I would recommend writing these in first person point of view, if only because first person offers an intimate glimpse into the mind of the character. By doing this, you can pin down how your character's mind works.

I hope that these tips have been helpful and I wish you luck in your writing.

-C. J. Powers