Writing Tips

three - main characters

here's some ways to take your main characters and make them more realistic. (note that I didn't say relatable.) this is gonna talk about not only the main characters themselves, but also their relationships, whether that be romantic or platonic.

1) take their best qualities and use it against them. is the character brave? maybe not brave, but reckless, who always puts themselves in unnecessary danger.

2) give them flaws. nobody's perfect, so don't make your character seem like it. everyone has flaws. maybe your character is a little insecure, or maybe they're too confident. 

3) give them fears. everyone has fears. maybe it's heights, or falling in love. 

4) how do they smile? is it small and shy? is it big and broad? is it sly and cocky? and don't just use the word smile the whole time. instead, use grin, smirk, or beam.

5) whats their 'tell' for lying? will they not make eye contact? will they bite their lip? 

6) what's their nervous tics? do they shy away, pull at the sleeves of their shirt or jacket?

7) when standing, what do they do with their hands? do they cross them, stuff them in their pockets, talk with their hands, prop against a wall?

8) when with a large group of people, what do they do? do they stay silent and eventually walk away? do they talk and make bants with the other members?

9) what accent does your character have? you may not think that you have an accent, but you do. use that. it will make your character more interesting and more three dimensional.

10) keep mentioning physical features. example: if your character wears glasses, the lenses fog up when steam hits their face. they fall off almost all the time. you can't change your shirt with them on, so always take them off. they almost all the time fall to the bridge of your nose when you look down for too long. you almost always have to clean them from the smudges. we use anything to push them up when they fall; shoulders, walls, cabinets, anything that will do the job. (trust me, I wear glasses and it sucks ass) 

relationships

1) love at first sight can exist, but the relationship won't take off that fast. your character is perfectly okay with falling for the person within days of knowing the other, maybe even with just a few hours. but they will not start a relationship just yet. unless the characters are both very confident. one thing you don't want to happen is going into the relationship too fast, the reader (if your genre is romance) is very, very likely to only be there for the romance. make them wait, it will leave them on the edge of their seat.

2) make the sibling relationships real. siblings usually argue a lot and they can't ever agree on anything, but they will protect, defend and stand up for each other like a golden retriever. but if they're twins, that's a little different.

3) how is the relationship between the character and their parents? do they get along? when was the last time they talked?

4) what is their relationship like with side characters or other main characters? are they friends? best friends? potential lovers?