Of any story to read, whether it’s a short story or a novel, the characters are one of the most important parts. It’s great having an engaging plot and a captivating world, but it’s often times the characters that keep someone reading. The characters are what readers will remember the most. Because of this, it’s important to understand what makes a reader root for a character and fall in love with them.
There’s a lot that goes into creating likeable and relatable characters, but I found these three tips to be useful ways in creating characters that stand out:
Characters should always have a goal
No matter how short or long the story is, the main character should have a goal, want, or desire. When the character has a goal they’re striving to achieve, the reader will root for the character to get it. The character will feel more real and have a purpose in the story. Goals can also help drive the story forward when the character is determined to attain it.
Coupled with this goal, it’s important to have a lesson learned in the end. Stories that I appreciate the most are when you see a character have a want in the beginning, thinking it’s what’s most important to them, only to come to realize in the end their want has changed into something else. So two questions you can ask yourself are:
- What is my character’s want? (what their desire is in the beginning)
- What is my character’s need? (what they actually desire at the end)
It can take an outline to figure out a character’s want and need, or it could take multiple drafts. What can help is figuring out what lesson/theme you want the character to learn in the end and work backwards to figure out what their want/goal is.
Have realistic and relatable conflict
Conflict is what raises the stakes and drives the story forward. It challenges the character to get what they want and realizing what they need. You can add conflict into action scenes or into heated arguments between characters. Or it could be a revelation the character learns that they need to grapple with. The point is to challenge the character, and lots of conflicts—especially between relationships and morals—can feel realistic and relatable. Those kinds of conflicts will help flesh out your character to become complex and add dimension to your story.
Add voice and personality to your character
It can be easy to make a character bland, but adding personality to your character’s voice, quirks, and so forth can hep them feel like a human. Not only should you consider unique features physically, but also internally. What quirks do they have? What hobbies/interests do they have? What are they passionate about? How do they react to certain events and revelations in life? How is this character’s relationship with various people? Answering these questions can help shape the voice and personality in your characters.
By giving your character a goal, conflict, and personality, you create a strong foundation for your character. Something that could help in figuring out your characters goals, conflicts, and personalities is by reading books by your favorite authors. As you read, study how the author does their character’s arc. I’ve learned so much about writing characters by observing how authors create my favorite characters.
Author Q&A
Tell us about yourself, including how/why you started writing and a little about your Rhythmist Cycle book series.
I’ve always had a big imagination since I was a child. I used my imagination in play and storytelling. I would use a lot of my parents copy paper to make books then draw stories in them. My stories evolved as I got older as I learned to write, eventually moving to the computer to type them out. Throughout my years as a teenager and college student, I didn’t write due to being afraid of what others would think of me being a writer. But I couldn’t let go of the worlds and characters inside my head. So once I graduated, I decided to dive into writing again, deciding to let go of what others would think of me. It was then that I finished my first novel. For three years I practiced writing before I finished my first published book, A Song Among the Silence, which is the first in a YA epic fantasy series filled with action, adventure, dark magic, a music magic system, magical creatures, and romance!
Where did the idea for your book series begin?
I’ve always wanted to write a fantasy book with a winter setting, which is what A Song Among the Silence has. I’ve also always been drawn to classic sword and sorcery stories with young characters saving the world. This is exactly what The Rhythmist Cycle has.
The magic system in the Rhythmist series is very unique. Where did that idea come from?
I’ve had a connection and love for music since I was a child. I play the piano, have been a part of school and church choirs, and am a part of a family of musicians. There’s power and emotion that comes from music, almost like it’s magic.😉 Since reading Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, I was fascinated by the concept of a magic system with rules. I brainstormed the idea of mixing music with magic and was immediately hooked!
Was A Song Among the Silence the first book you’ve ever written?
A Song Among the Silence was my third finished novel. My first written novel was a sci-fi and I was sure it was going to be my first published book. But after lots of revisions, edits, and thought, I felt the need to put it aside and work on something different. When I finished the first draft of A Song Among the Silence, I knew this book needed to be my debut.
What thoughts do you have for beginning writers? Any advice, insight, or encouragement to share?
There’s so much I could say to beginning writers! But I’ll boil it down to two points: read A LOT and write for enjoyment. I say read a lot because I’ve learned so much more from studying author’s works than from getting writing tips. Don’t get me wrong, I still turn to writing tips if I’m clueless on what to do, but I also spend time studying how my favorite authors construct their plots, characters, and worlds. It’s through this learning that I’ve gained inspiration and ideas on how to write and create my stories. I also say write for your enjoyment because often times, beginning writers get hooked on the idea of publishing. While that’s not a bad goal to have, it’s one you can’t totally control. What you CAN control is the journey. Focus on your love for writing. Focus on improving with each book. And one day, if the opportunity arrives, publication can come.