Writing Tips

Creating believable characters

Hey, Mary Sue! Just kidding, you aren't a Mary Sue. You've lived a whole life full of experiences that have shaped this uniquely beautiful version of you. You've had moments of intense joy, experiences that destroyed you, and triumphs as you overcame.

If you want to make your characters real, then give them lives and personalities. Give them quirky habits and demons. Give them trauma. Give them hopes. Give them something they want more than anything else in the world.

We've all created a Mary Sue—a bland character with no depth. Their interactions are vanilla. Their personalities comprised of clichés. I've done it multiple times. Then I downloaded this app (It no longer exist, so I can't suggest it) that prompted me to create character sheets.

So basically:

Name:
Age:
Appearance:
Likes and dislikes:
Habits:
Professions:
Hobbies:
Backstory:

I could go on forever with the list, but I'll end it there in the name of laziness. I bolded backstory, because I feel it is the most important thing you could do when making a great character. When I'm creating characters, I give them entire lives. From the time they were born until the present, then I find I can embody that character more.

So, let's make a character. (I'm going to be absurd just because it's fun, and I'm literally going to make this up on the fly. So, don't judge me lol. My brain is weird.)

Betty. Betty loves chickens. Growing up, her mother always reeked of cigarettes, beer, and neglect. Her childhood home was a hoarder's paradise settled on a failing farm. She spent the majority of her time out back with the chickens. Chickens are better than people. At least, that's how Betty views it. She was bullied in school, nicknamed Buck-buck Betty. Then, one day, she goes out to the coop to find one of her chickens has been slaughtered and nailed to the door. Ever since that day, Betty swore her revenge.

Then we could go on into a story about a serial killer who gets a job at a diner and murders everyone who orders chicken. Or, we could have her dress like a chicken and murder her bullies one by one. Or, she could leave her victims tarred and and feathered, signed Cockle doodle do.

Okay, that last one was a bit too far 😂💀

But the point is, we know Betty now. Betty is going to react to things based upon her own life experience. While your writing, you are Betty, and you really love chickens, so skip the nuggets and make it as creepy as possible. I mean, imagine it: Betty in a nasty chicken coop, staring at souvenirs from her victims, covered in feathers and clucking beneath her breath. That's some wild shit. 💀💀💀💀😭😭😭😭

Betty will have a distinct way of speaking. Does she talk brash? Is she soft spoken? Does she randomly go "BUCKAW" in the middle of conversation? One thing is for sure, when she's talking, the reader will know.

Planning your characters, getting to know them, will bring life to the scenes, help drive the plot, and engage the reader. It will help you avoid on-the-nose dialogue and lifeless interactions.

Once you have your characters planned, you know them, and you've considered how they'll interact with one another in this world you're building, it's time to think about arc. What does Betty want, what journey will she take to get it, and will she succeed or fail? Will she grow and heal, or will she descend into madness? Is this a tragedy, or will Betty receive the help she needs to heal? Perhaps Betty is the villain, and our hero is the detective with a dark past of her own.

Whichever it is, it actually kind of sounds fun to write. I almost want to do it lol.

Until next time, if you made it this far, thanks for listening. Best character in the comments wins Top Banana for the chapter. And as always, if you have some advice I've missed here, I'd love to learn it. Much ❤️

This is just to get the word count to not be 666. Betty already creeped me out enough.