The question of how to create a living character, how to breathe life into them, concerns established writers as much as it does beginners. Let’s say you have a clear picture of the characters in your book, but how do you get the reader to picture them? Necromancy and chanting mantras over the pages of the book won’t help here. You need to:
Give the character a name
Our journey into this world begins with a name. Mothers coo it as they rock us in their arms, friends shout it as they gather under the balcony, lovers whisper it in the dim light of their bedrooms. Give your character a name that embodies their essence. Or, conversely, one that contrasts with their actions. The name is the beginning of the journey to understanding your hero.
Make the hero vulnerable
Before delving into the depths of psychology and psychoanalysis, engrave this in your memory: the hero must suffer. Invincible, happy, irresistible heroes quickly become boring; they are not believed or empathized with.
Make your hero contradictory
The most interesting heroes to watch are those who are torn apart by internal conflict. They may be torn between duty and desire, between love for two different people, between warring sides. In this struggle, readers often find answers to their own unspoken questions.
Give your character addictions, hobbies, secret habits
Your hero should have hobbies, just like anyone in real life. His interests won’t always be wholesome — he could be a drunk, a gambler, a mother who beats her children, or a businessman who can’t stay away from the fridge at night. The main thing is to justify each habit and interest.
Surround your character with objects that reflect his personality
A few holes in his jacket, a room cluttered with paintings, and a few boxes of seedlings on the balcony will say more about your character than three pages describing the intricacies of his soul. It is better to write, “He wore an earring and pomaded his hair every morning,” than “He was handsome and metrosexual.”
Build his relationships with other characters
Every person evokes emotions in us. In the same way, your character should evoke emotions in other characters. If he is a charming heartthrob, tell us that women cast admiring glances at him; if he is a vagrant, tell us that people grimace as they pass him by. This will allow you to build a complete image that the reader will believe and empathize with.
Give your character a secret
A subtle mystery that occasionally surfaces in the plot and influences the character’s actions is enough to intrigue the reader and make the character more vivid. It is important that when you reveal this secret, it reveals one of the main aspects of the character’s personality. For example, a detective who is pursuing a rapist turns out to be a violent psychopath himself.
Give the character a goal
The hero’s goal is the core of his soul, his motivation to move forward. Without a goal, the hero is just an empty puppet, a doll that the author forces to speak and move. The goal may change throughout the plot, but it must always stem from the hero’s character and his relationship with the world. And the hero must pursue it no matter what.
