Now, in previous step, I told you that you should think of something beyond the usual but the question is- HOW?
The answer in simple, NOTICE.
Notice things around you. A writer is known for describing colourful emotions in form of black and white with 10 times more beauty.
How do you do that?
When somebody first wrote- 'she bit her lip in nervousness', he/she obviously noticed someone doing that because at least I don't get dreams of someone biting their lip in nervousness. I do the same, people around me do that too and that's how I know that biting lip is natural.
But getting married to the bad boy of your high school is not normal.
There are 7 billion people in the world with 7 billion stories. All you have to do is notice.
Notice the personalities of people around you- their habits, quirks, flaws everything. This will help you in creating a character that is very close to reality and is relatable. Notice the little gestures, moments, funny or cute stories and try to add them in your plot because that will give the book a touch of normality.
For example, I used a hematite bracelet in my plot. It was a short moment but with a lot of impact. Hematite bracelets are used to keep nightmares away.
Now, how many times have you read this?
Like the other day, I was scrolling my instagram feed and I saw the screenshot of a tweet where the girl described how she met her current bf. It was so unique, simple yet cute that I decided to feature something like that in my book.
This is how you get inspiration.
Try to give different personalities, likes, dislikes and hobbies to the characters. Not every guy is supposed to play football, my characters played lacrosse, they fenced, they knew archery, they were shooters and what not.
Is that cliche?
No.
Is it exciting?
Definitely.
Do not stereotype. Not all blondes are bimbos, not all asians are smart, not all redheads are feisty, not all cheerleaders are bitches, not all nerds are sweethearts and WOMEN ARE NOT DAMSEL IN DISTRESS!
Do not make them perfect. Because truth to be told, nobody is perfect in other person's eye even when you are perfect in your own unique way. You're not all good in my eyes and vise-versa. We all have flaws, bad qualities etc. Try to stress on this. Because as horrible as it sounds, judging people is normal. I do it sometimes (I really don't judge easily) and I am sure that you all do it too, then why make a character who is as pious as a saint?
Like I said, the closer you bring imagination to reality, the better you connect.
Connect. Connect is very important between a reader and a character. It won't be there unless you let your characters free from chains of 'perfection'.
Even in real life, we are attracted to extraordinary and different personalities, are books any different? We live the narrator's life when we read and if we're living someone's life, we're bound to be attracted to people there.
Make them interesting. Make them so enchanting that your readers fall for them instantly.
