Characters aren’t just part of your story; they are the story. From picture books to novels, your characters drive every plot twist and emotional beat. Here’s some advice from our faculty on bringing out the best (or worse!) in your characters.
“Nothing makes me understand my characters MORE than seeing them in scene, than hearing them speak when the stakes are high, when seeing what they will do when their worldview is threatened.”—Sarah Aronson, from Creating Memorable Characters Means Being Patient and Asking a Lot of Questions
“If you are stuck, put a secondary character in the driver’s seat for a while by making him the main character. How would that change each scene and the direction of the story? Might doing this give you some new ideas about your characters and your story as you revise?”—Harold Underdown, from Tools and Tips on Character Revision
“Give your character a defining quirk or two; an obsession; a mania. As readers, we’re drawn to weirdness. It makes a book and a character riveting, especially since we don’t have to live with it ourselves.”—Elise Broach, from 7 Ways to Create Characters with Charisma
“When a story captures my soul, I start by imagining I’m walking through my character’s world. I breathe the air she breathes, I pay attention to the details of where she goes and what she sees there. I ask what sounds and sights she wakes up to each morning.”—Padma Venkatraman, from Walking Through the “Woulds” with Your Character
“As a reader and writer, my favorite characters are the ones that want important things. They are flawed and sometimes unlikeable. They have deep issues to overcome. To succeed, they must first and foremost wrestle with their own ugly weaknesses. And maybe most important, they must make big choices.”—Sarah Aronson, from Great Characters Want Important Things and Make Big Choices“
“One device that is highly effective in understanding character is music. Music is nearly universal in its influence.”—Alison Green Myers, from Character Development Through Music
