Draw from real life. Take inspiration from people who already exist in your own lives.
Include flaws. Don't make your character too perfect. Heroes have weaknesses. It's what makes your characters more interesting in relatable. Making your character who is not flawed & is completely perfect at everything is boring. These flaws could also be external or internal challenges they face.
Develop a detailed backstory & personality. Real people are complex, so avoid one dimensional characters. Consider their personality traits manifest in different situations and interactions.
Give them strengths & weaknesses.
Give the motivations. What drives your character? Explore their goals, desires, and fears. This would provide a roadmap for their actions and decisions throughout the story. Allow your character to evolve, learning and adapting as the plot unfolds.
Include mannerisms & quirks.
A mannerism is a gesture, speech pattern, or way of conduct that is characteristic of an individual. When adding mannerisms to the story make sure to not make it too cliche & make sure that is fits to the character. How does your character's background impact the way that they speak or move?
- Some speech mannerisms can include:
Speaking over others
Mumbling
Constantly using buffer words (Like, Um, Oh, Yeah, etc)
Talking too fast
- Physical mannerisms:
Head tilting
Raising eyebrows
Jaw clenching
Dialogue also plays a vital role in character authenticity. Perhaps your character has a formal speech. Pay attention to the way they speak. Their speech patterns, vocabulary, & tone.
𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀𓇬⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒
For extra help on mannerisms you can also use this site to help with it. https://blog.reedsy.com/characters-mannerisms/
