| A Quick Guide to Writing Memorable Characters |
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| Thursday, 29 December 2011 | |
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If you want to create memorable characters that your readers will eventually remember as they read your work, then you should at least know your characters in writing first before letting the people know about them. When you create important characters for your writing, you should consider their personalities first and how they will act in every situation within the story that you are going to write. Different characters also has different roles in your writing and what you need to do is to let emphasize their unique traits and parts so that anyone can easily remembers their worth. Therefore, don't skip any details that you can share for your readers. Which means, even the slightest detail that every character can do in your story, even if it is not that important, can contribute something big for the whole scenario. Each character must do what he/she has to do and not because of your intention to let them act the way you want them to. Many inexperienced fiction writers make the mistake of stuffing their stories with stereotypical characters. You know the type: the strong, silent protagonist; the damsel in distress; the single-minded evil stepmother; and all the usual folks. While those characters aren't terrible, they've been used numerous times over the years. In fact, if you ask schoolchildren to write a story, there is a good chance they'll have those same characters making the rounds. Using them in your own work can leave readers feeling like they've seen and heard everything before, no matter how much help you get from your fiction writing software. More importantly, there's no reason to keep your characters at this level. There are many aspects of each personality in your stories that you can play with, so varying them for color isn't all that hard. Names. Your characters' names can be funny, descriptive, meaningful or weird. They don't need to be John and Mary. Appearance. We can't get too caught up in our character's appearances, since describing even a single person can take up a hefty amount of space. However, honing in on one aspect of their appearance, such as a pink mohawk or hips that shake like a belly dancer, can leave the readers with something memorable. Possessions. A character's possessions can tell a lot about personality without having to explicitly state it. For example, the mere idea of a beggar who protects his alley like his home or an accountant who drives a leased Lexus already say a lot about their individual characteristics. Speech. The way your character delivers dialogues similarly reveal a lot, from where they came from to their stature in life. Others. There are literally dozens of other small aspects to a person that you can use to reveal bits and pieces about them, including their profession, their hobbies, their habits, their posture and many more. Using these things help you create multi-faceted characters that are easier to remember, compared to the forgettable stereotypes so common in beginner writing. About the Author: Keyword Tags: fiction writing, short stories |
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