In any work of fiction, strong characters are arguably as important as a decent plot. It’s vital that the reader knows who is who. After all, there’s nothing worse than reading a story and having to check back to see who each character is.
So how do you make that happen?
A great way to practice is by writing a paragraph or two describing somebody you know well – a spouse, or a relative. When you read it back, can you tell it’s them, or could the description fit hundreds of other people? The trick is to find one or two things that make them unique or unusual. Once you do that, you’re on the way to building a believable and interesting character.
Take this description of an aunt. She has a dog, likes cooking and is a bit overweight. She loves watching soaps on TV. How many aunts could be described that way? Thousands. So what do you do? Ask yourself what happens if you give just one of those characteristics a tweak. Now the Aunt has a pet, but instead of a dog, it’s a tarantula. Suddenly she’s become a whole lot more interesting and memorable.
It doesn’t need to be anything weird. It just needs to be something that will stick in a reader’s mind. Maybe they always wear a green hat, or white socks. Maybe your character is a single Mum who hates reality TV and only watches documentaries. Any small details like these will make a character easy to identify.
There’s also an added bonus. Just think about that single mother. If her friends all love reality shows, it’s going to make it harder for her to fit in. That gives you an area of conflict, which as we all know is a vital ingredient to any work of fiction.
