Jude Austin - How To Create Your Characters

Jude Austin, will be a regular contributor for The Unofficial Brit Writers' Blog, providing useful hints and tips on creative writing.  






How To Create Your Characters. 

Part One – The Basics

…or maybe that should be 'How To Shut Certain Characters Up, Particularly When You're Trying To Sleep'.  Or what about 'How To Stop Other Characters Barging Into Your Mind And Demanding A Job'.  Now that'd be worth reading, particularly with the multitude of characters that share my head space.  I did agree to let a few (very few) of them come in on these articles, though, on strict condition they don't use any bad language.  Ye be warned.

Kata: Oh, that's nice.

Button it, Kata.  I still haven't forgiven you for that interview you did on deviantArt.

Kata: I don't know what you're griping about.  People liked it, didn't they?

That's no excuse for the 'legendary' quip you made.

Kata: Heh.  While I don't deny I'm pretty good, I'm not sure I'm legendary.  You really should quit blowing your own trumpet so much.

I meant the quip about someone else being legendary!

Kata: Don't take on so.  You should be more precise with your grammar.  Try reading out loud next time; that can show up a multitude of flaws that you'd miss reading silently.

As you've probably gathered, Kata is one of my more outspoken characters, although he's right about the reading out loud tip.  Sometimes I used to get someone else to read it aloud, just so I could listen objectively and make notes in my head.  It's amazing how much you can notice this way.

Kata: Yeah.  At least one of us knows what they're doing, and I don't mean you, Jude.

Ahem.  For those of you who haven't picked up on it yet, Kata's also rather full of himself.

Kata: I'm almost insulted.

You wanna get the girl in the next book or not, Kata?

Kata: Hey!  Whoa!  I said almost!

So, where did Kata come from?  Why did I end up creating him, and how did he evolve from his original concept to the guy now hiding in a desert?

Kata: You being a sadistic boss who has no problems with making us poor characters suffer in your writings probably has something to do with all that.

And most importantly, how can I get him back to that desert ASAP?

Kata: You are really asking for it, do you know that?

I also hold your love life in my hands, Kata.  And on my laptop.

Kata: Aha!  So I do get the girl!

First drafts and plans can be changed, Kata.  In fact, they usually have to be.

Kata: Shutting up…

Good.  Where was I?

Kata: Talking about my origins.  And I mean that in the story sense; we can skip all that stuff about where babies come from.  Don't want to insult the reader's intelligence.

I'd be surprised if any of them are still reading this by now, Kata.  But for the few who still are, thanks and stick with me for a little longer, okay?

Some writing sites advise you to get to know your characters inside out by filling out long questionnaires.  Most of these have things from "What colour is your character's hair?" to "What side of the bed does he/she sleep on?" (which is a poser right from the start for some people, since their characters a) don't sleep in a bed or b) are single or c) sleep in a single bed regardless of marital status.  Maybe the question should be: "If your character were ever to get married, if he/she isn't already, and if he/she were to sleep in a double bed with their partner, which side of the bed would they sleep on?"  Hmm).

Kata: Anyway…

Yes. As Kata says, anyway.  This method can—

Kata: Actually, which side of the bed do I sleep on?

You tell me.  You're the character.  Besides, you've only ever slept in a single bed.

Kata: Yeah, but what about when I get the girl?

If.  If you get the girl.  And you'll probably still be in a single bed.

Kata: You mean I don't get any nookie?

Kata!  Language!

Kata: 'Nookie' is not swearing.  Besides, I could've used another word and got you banned from this site for good.

It's still not the impression we want to give.  I'm adding 'nookie' to the list of banned words.

Kata: Whatever.  Do I get any or not?  And if so, which side of the bed am I gonna sleep on afterwards?

This is one of the main reasons why I don't use those long questionnaires.  Everything winds up being a debate and the characters get bored.

Kata: Which side of the—

Left!  Left!  Jeez, I'm trying to write an article here!

Kata: But I wanna sleep on the right!

Fine, you sleep on the right side!

Kata: Okay, got it.

Good.  Now zip it.

As I was saying, while some people use long, drawn-out questionnaires, personally I don't recommend it.  That's just me; if it works for you, then great.  There's any number of those questionnaires on the internet and writing sites, along with litmus tests to see whether or not your character is in danger of becoming a Mary-Sue—

Kata: Mary who?

I'll touch on her in another article, though many people already know the term by now.

Kata: Can I be in that one?

Nobody's going to be in that one, Kata; it's factual only.

Kata: I suppose that's because you're trying to make the readers believe you're such a fantastic writer that you've never created a Mary-Sue.

Actually, I did create one when I was a little girl, and I plan to use her as an example.  But we digress.

Kata: What do you mean, we?  You're the one writing this article.

The point is that you should know your character before you start writing about him (or her).  Whether that's via a questionnaire or just writing and watching the character develop, or writing short backstories and comments on your character like the ones found on Wikipedia (my personal favorite for fleshing out a character I've started writing) it doesn't matter.

Drawing also helps, if you're an artist.  It doesn't have to be top-quality, but if you draw a picture of your character, their hairstyle and clothing choices can tell you a lot.  Why is he wearing jeans?  Does he not care about fashion, does he do a lot of work outdoors, or would he like to wear more expensive clothes but doesn't have the money?  I have a black book with pencil sketches of most of my key characters, including some close-up detail when it comes to jewelry or machinery.

When it comes to personal habits, though, the story often reads better if you let things develop naturally.  If a character wants to bite his nails in a scene, let him.  If he wants to grab the girl and kiss her hard, let him do that.

Kata: Except you never do!

Yeah, okay, so occasionally it doesn't work.  Maybe the girl's huge boyfriend is in the room and your story can't continue with the main character in intensive care.

Kata: That didn't stop you putting Tau in there!

Yes, thank you, Kata.  Sometimes you can work around it, other times you can't.  I'm planning to cover that in more depth in another article.

Kata: Can I be in that one?

No, I invited Cy to sit in on that one.  Getting back to what I was saying, maybe your character does things like scratch his head when he's puzzled, or bites his nails—

Kata: What if the character has claws?  Like me?

Well, then he…uh…I dunno.  Do you bite your claws?

Kata: Are you kidding?  You gave me claws that could carve rock.  What d'you think they'd do to teeth?

Fair point.  Anyway, as I was saying—

Kata: They're a nuisance sometimes, I know that much.  You know, I go to sleep, I get an itch in my sleep, I scratch my stomach and I wake up to find out that I've accidentally disembowelled myself.

It could be worse, Kata.  You could get an itch lower down and end up singing soprano for the rest of your life.

Kata: …

That's another good point, though.  When you're creating a character, if you want to give them special abilities then go right ahead, but make sure to think of the flip side of the coin.  In the case of Kata's uber-sharp claws, every time he has an itch, he can't scratch.  He also finds it hard to use a computer, since his claws just go right through the keys.  That's not to say he can't, just that it's harder for him.  Try typing only using the balls of your fingers as opposed to the tips and you'll see what I mean.  (I just typed that last sentence in that way; it took me about five times as long as it normally would.  You get the idea).

If your character can turn invisible—

Kata: I'm starting to see why you brought me along.

Yeah, that's another of Kata's talents.  He was created by a scientific corporation a few centuries in the future as a kind of spy/assassin for the military.

Kata: No, I was abducted by a scientific corporation and forcibly mutated! Don't tell me you've forgotten already!

We'll talk about this later, Kata; we're running out of time.  Anyway, maybe your character can turn invisible—

Kata: Thanks to an immoral corporation forcing cruel and unwanted mutations on them—

Kata!  Zip it!  I'm not kidding!

Kata: Hmph.

So your character's able to turn invisible.  Great for sneaking around, escaping bad guys etc.  But how can they avoid other people walking into them?  Or in Kata's case, collapsing into the chair he's already occupied.

Kata: That happened once!

And in Kata's case, when he vanishes, he has to move slower than usual, otherwise there's this heat haze effect wherever he is.

Kata: Yeah, and being invisible isn't the same thing as not giving off body heat.

Exactly; he gets picked up on any infrared camera or with any kind of thermal vision.  So anyway, to cut a long article short—

Kata: Too late.

—reading out loud can help spot problems in the story, allow characters to develop in their own time and if you want to give them high-powered abilities, think about the flip side.

Kata: I sat here all this time for that?

Yes, Kata, you did.  Partly because I own your butt, and partly because…well, whoever heard of a one-sentence article?

Kata: That's all very well, but you're forgetting one thing.

What?

Kata: What if they're not creating futuristic, sci-fi characters like the ones you write about?  What if they want tips on creating a standard, everyday, run-of-the-mill character that you'd meet while out shopping?

That's next, Kata.  Cy's coming over to help me with that.

Kata: Cy?

Yeah, that new character.  You haven't met him yet.

Kata: No, wait, I think I bumped into him in the waiting room.  Tall, skinny?

He prefers the term 'lean', but yes.

Kata: From Hyperion?

Iapetus, actually, but he doesn't admit to it.

Kata: Lemme get this straight.  You're planning to write another article detailing more on creating typical, everyday characters…and you're bringing in a guy who lives on one of Saturn's moons?

Yes.  Why?

Kata: No reason, except I think I'm gonna get out of here now and avoid the lawsuit from the Trade Descriptions Act.

Yeah, you do that.  And relax, I know what I'm doing.

Kata: If you do, it'd be a first…

What was that?

Kata: Nothing!

I wonder.  Anyway, for anyone still reading, thanks for sticking this out and allow me to apologise on Kata's behalf—

Kata: Hey!

—and promise that if you join me for Part Two, Cy will probably be a lot more restrained and let us get a lot more done.  Probably.