How to Create Interesting Characters

By Sino

Writing is a big piece of my life, but writing stories without at least one character is absolutely ridiculous. It’s like french fries without ketchup, pancakes without syrup, or… or CANDY WITHOUT SUGAR! Awful, right? Stories need characters, and without them what’s the point of writing anything? If you’re writing a book or a story, read this article and I will walk you through three ways that might help you create great characters.

The first way you can create a character is by brainstorming either what they do, where the setting takes place, or how they act in their surroundings. For instance, if you’re at a soccer game and you like how it feels, include it into your character’s experience. Make them feel the feeling you had at the soccer game. “The stadium streams with bursts of cheer, and screams of excitement fill me with exhilaration…” Wait, but what if your story includes your character playing soccer, and you’ve never even touched a soccer ball? You’ve got to do some research. Put on cleats, get on the field, and kick a ball around until you feel it…the feeling a soccer player might feel. But if you still don’t have an idea of the feeling, search up quotes of soccer players and how they feel when getting on a field.

Another important part about creating characters is to make sure they have flaws. I know, I know, it sounds weird, but it’s a good thing. A character needs flaws because imperfections create an interesting character and story. No one is perfect, and neither are characters. So, try to make flaws. Maybe they get angry easily, or they’re quite emotional. These flaws can also make an interesting story and dialogue. For example, in your story, assume your character is in a bad situation and has no idea what to do. They’re frustrated, furious, and angry with the people around them. That’s when the flaws come in. That’s when they get upset, and that’s where you add the dialogue. They could say multiple things. For example, “EVERYONE JUST STOP! Do you know how irritating, annoying, and obnoxious you people are?” Wow, I really got into it there didn’t I?

Characters can be created in many ways, but these two ways, brainstorming in my surroundings, and considering flaws work the best for me. Give a try next time you sit down to write!