π Character Creation: Bring Your Story to Life π
If a story is a journey, the characters are the pilots, co-pilots and even the stowaways hidden in the hold. βοΈ Can you imagine Star Wars without Darth Vader or Harry Potter without Snape? They would be completely different stories.
That's why creating memorable characters is key to bringing your story to life and captivating your readers. Let's get to it!
𧩠Why Are Characters So Important?
Characters give your story its soul. Without them, your plot is nothing more than a skeleton that doesn't move. If you define your main characters and supporting characters well, they will help you decide how the plot develops and which paths to take.
π‘ Key Fact: You can write without much planning, but if your characters are solid, their decisions and reactions will be natural and believable.
π€ Where do I start?
π― Who will be your central character? π― Do I need to define all the details right away?
π Not necessarily. Sometimes, you'll figure out the details as you go. And that's perfectly fine .
π’ Be careful! There is no "sacred writing manual" (although many try to sell it on social media π). Each writer has his own style for creating characters, and the important thing is that you find yours.
Sometimes, you'll have a clear idea from the start. Other times, you'll write aimlessly until the characters come to life and decide for themselves what to do. The magic of writing! β¨
πΌοΈ Put a Face to Your Characters
Imagining a character is easier if you can visualize it. Give it a face, a style, an attitude.
π‘ Practical tip:
πΉ Use real people: You can base your image on friends, family, or even celebrities. (Be careful, don't overdo it... we don't want lawsuits π).
πΉ Create a face from scratch: If you prefer not to imagine your boss as the villain of your story, there are tools like this π Generated Photos that generate faces of people that don't exist with AI.
π©βπ Example:
If you're writing science fiction, you might give your protagonist a
face based on a real astronaut or a character from a movie. But if
you're going for a more everyday story, it might help to think of
someone you know.
What is the best option? The one that works for you!
π οΈ How Do I Build a Good Character?
Think of your character as an iceberg. βοΈ What the reader sees is just the tip; but underneath there is a solid foundation of history, emotions and motivations. Many of the characteristics that you will imagine of your character will give reality to the way he acts, the decisions he makes and the reasoning he will do throughout your work.
π Key questions to define you:
βοΈ What do you really want in life?
βοΈ What motivates you to act?
βοΈ What are your fears and weaknesses?
βοΈ How do you react to the unexpected?
If you can answer this, you already have an interesting character on the way!
π In Summary... to create a character...
πΉ You don't need to have everything planned from the start, but a good foundation helps.
πΉ You can draw inspiration from real people or generate faces with AI.
πΉ A well-built character will make the plot flow naturally.
πΉ The important thing is that you enjoy the process and let your characters surprise even you.
π Ready to create unforgettable characters? Get writing and let them come to life in your story! π¬βοΈ
π What if you need to create a credible character: who lives, suffers and triumphs in your story?
If your story is a train π, the characters are the engine. Without them, the plot doesn't move forward, it doesn't excite, it doesn't engage. So we need characters that breathe, that make mistakes, that fight, and that we care about! β€οΈ
Butβ¦ how do you create a believable character that is coherent with the plot? π€ We don't want an invincible hero who solves everything with a snap ( cough cough Mary Sue and Gary Stu cough ). We want characters with a life of their own, with flaws, with a history. Let's get to it. π
ποΈ 1. The Base: What Role Does It Play in the Story?
Not all characters need to be protagonists, but they must have a purpose . π―
π‘ Before designing it, ask yourself:
β
What is its role in the story? (Hero, mentor, antagonist, accomplice, villain...)
β
How does it fit into the main plot?
β
Does it have internal or external conflicts?
πΉ Example: If your story is about a detective π΅οΈββοΈ investigating a murder, the main character should be curious, meticulous, and maybe a little paranoid . Their personality should fit the plot and justify their decisions.
β Common mistake: Creating characters βjust becauseβ without them contributing anything to the story. If a character doesnβt have a purpose, they will be forgettable or, worse yet, unnecessary.
π¨ 2. Character Design: Don't Let It Be a Soulless Robot!
The most memorable characters have three key things:
1οΈβ£ Clear goal: What do you want in life? π
2οΈβ£ Fears and weaknesses: What stops you? π
3οΈβ£ Personality and attitude: How do you react to problems? π€―
π Handy tip: Use the rule of contrast . If a character is too good at everything, give them a weakness (e.g. a brilliant detective who doesn't know how to work in a team).
πΉ Example: In Sherlock Holmes , Sherlock is a genius, but socially awkward. Watson, on the other hand, is more human and empathetic. This contrast makes them more interesting and credible.
π§ 3. AI to the Rescue: How Artificial Intelligence Can Help You
If you've ever found yourself in a blank thinking "I need a cool character, but I don't know where to start" , AI can be your ally. π€
π Some ways AI helps you:
β
Generates character profiles with names, ages, and backgrounds π
β
Suggests personality traits based on their role in the story π
β
Helps improve dialogue to make it sound more natural π¨οΈ
β
Creates questions to delve deeper into the character's psychology π
π Prompt to use with AI:
"Generate a character for a science fiction novel. He should be a space pilot with a dark past, unresolved trauma, and a sarcastic sense of humor. Give me details about his history, personality, and motivations."
πΉ Example result:
"Captain
Drax Solis is an ex-military man who deserted after a failed mission to
Mars. He carries the guilt of having lost his crew, which makes him
distant and lonely. However, he uses sarcasm to hide his pain. His only
motivation is to find the traitor who caused the disaster. He smokes
space cigars and hates security protocols."
π‘ See how it comes to life? With just a few lines, we can already imagine Drax in a story. AI doesn't write for you , but it does give you ideas to make your creativity explode. π₯
π 4. Make Your Character Evolve
Characters who stay the same from beginning to end are boring. Your protagonist must change, learn, or fail .
π Questions to define your evolution:
βοΈ What was it like at the beginning of the story?
βοΈ What experiences define it?
βοΈ What is it like at the end of the story?
πΉ Example: Luke Skywalker in Star Wars goes from being a naive farmer to a powerful Jedi. His growth is what makes his story epic.
π¬ In Summary...
β
Create characters with a purpose in the plot.
β
Give them flaws, conflicts, and a realistic personality.
β
Use AI to generate ideas and enrich details.
β
Make sure they evolve throughout the story.
π Now it's your turn: What is the most memorable character you've created? How did you do it? Leave it in the comments! π¬π₯
Thank you for reading . This free, ad-free, hand-made publication is made possible by the support of readers like you. If you are truly interested in writing and want to help keep it going, keep reading, buy my books, hire my services as an editor, proofreader, or private tutor, or best of all, become a paid subscriber to my services. π
Are you going through some tough times? Ok, that's fine. I can understand. In that case you can ( at least ) send a thank you note or recommend me to your friends, right ? π
Do you have questions? Do you want to expand on these topics?
If you are interested in expanding on these topics, I recommend that you read my articles for writers. There you will find many interesting topics that will help you become a 21st century writer. Here are my notes for writers (use the google translate button - for no-spanish writers-) πβοΈ
Do you have any questions? You can ask me -in english too- through a google form. Use the "Tu Consulta" button, please:
Good writing! πβοΈ
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