Getting to know your characters

Hello friends! As promised Wednesday's will be devoted to tips and suggestions to make you a better writer.

I'm sure you all know that the best authors are able to make their characters come alive, and "Jump" out of the pages. The best characters are the ones you care about, cry with, and laugh with. How do some authors do that? Well, it all starts with getting to know your characters. Let's begin!(Keep in mind, it would be good to write down the new facts you learn about your characters!)

First, you must decide if your hero will be a boy or a girl, that's easy enough :)

Next, you must think of a name. This can be a hard step for some writers, so here are two suggestions to make naming your character a little easier. You could just choose a name that you like, or you could search for a name by it's meaning. For example Andreya means brave, and then your character would have something to live up too.

Now that you've chosen a name, we'll go on to what your character looks like. Please be more specific then just brown hair and blue eyes. For example, Andreya might be about 4'8" with waist long sandy brown that has a small but noticeable wave in it and is always kept in a braid. She has eyes as blue as the ocean water that shine when she's happy. To be more specific in what your character looks like, you might want to add what your character wears, dresses? pants? jeans? Is your character a girly girl or a tom boy? Does your character have any noticeable scars or other unexplainable marks on their skin? How did they get them?

Next, we'll need to add the details that most writers never consider. To be an amazing writer, you need to know more about your characters then the reader will ever even know. Out-do yourself and include many details!

Let's go back to your characters life before their adventure begins. Do they have any major secrets or a shattered life? One day did their whole life change? Where does your character live? Describe their home and their neighborhood/city. Do they have a mother, a father, and siblings? What are they like? Do they have a favorite past time? Do they have a best friend?

Now, let's explore your character a little deeper. Is your hero emotional or do they hide their feelings? Does your hero have a temper, or do they struggle with stress or guilt from past problems? Does your character have any nervous habits such as cracking their fingers or biting their nails?





After your adventure take place, will your character have grown physically or spiritually? In what way?

There are many other questions you can ask yourself to understand your characters better, but this gives you a start. Another idea is to write a few short stories about major turns points in their lives so you can understand them and their emotions better.

I hope you enjoyed reading this and it challenged you to think more about your characters! Feel free to comment below with how this helped you discover more about your heroes!