Q: “How do you write women so well?”
A: “I think of a man, and then take away reason, and accountability.”
For some reason, I kept thinking of that when I read this thread.
I’ve not particulary good at writing characters, and I’m trying to learn for the story I’m working on. My main character is somewhat well defined, but the antagonist…I’m trying to make her more then a cardboard cutout.
Unfortunatly, the only thing I’m good at is having bad things happen to my characters, trying to define them somewhat that way.
I start with a tense situation, then try to think of various personality traits and how well someone with those traits would deal with the situation. I pick the traits that lead to the mood or outcome I want for that scene. From there I start filling in backstory for the characters to flesh them out more. Then comes the hard part, which is continuing to make the characters act in a consistent and believable fashion when the plot advances into new tense situations. Some characters are going to deal well with one thing and poorly with another.
Is this the best approach? Hell, I dunno. Ask me again if I manage to publish something.
Hmmm.
Usually, I come up with a story idea, then a rough plot, and then the kind of characters that would drive that plot. After that, the characters and the plot interact with and change each other during brainstorming.
Sometimes, I design a character first, then think up what kind of story they might be in. Cue interaction mentioned above.
(And othertimes, the setting comes first, then the plot and characters. Again, more interaction.)
I think I’m digressing from the guts of character design, though. Let’s see, I can think of…
•Using facets of my own personality.
As Bill Watterson once said, “all my characters are half me.” You can take an element or two of your own “soul”—they don’t even have to be parts you like—copy them to your character, and develop them in their new setting. Combined with other personality elements, backstory, and what happens during the story, the character’s personality changes, snowballs, exagerates, even becomes unrecognizable. But you’ve got some insight into the character’s mind, how he or she ticks, whether you like it or not.
•Flaws
Give you characters something that you don’t like, or don’t (or wouldn’t) like in yourself. A temper, a cruel streak, cowardice, a different political affiliation, whatever. But, even if they’re traits you don’t like, don’t go out of your way to have them get their commupance or learn the error of their ways. Let them dig their own graves.
I’ll try to think of more, later, but I’m gettin’ tired.
I’ve been living with the same basic group of characters for twenty years now. They dwell in a fictional Mayberry/Wobegone kind of town located on the Massachusetts coast. They began life in a weekly newspaper column which ran for a few years in the '80s. After a long break they reappeared in a monthly magazine feature three years ago.
Most of them were based on people I’ve known, though in nearly all cases they’re combinations of three or four people with additional traits of their own.
Giving them names is very important to me. I can spend an awful long time deciding on a character’s name. After that, their manner of speech develops. I write dialogue very easily and rely on it heavily to tell the stories. I know what my characters sound like better than I know what they look like.
Since many of them have developed over such a long period of time, quite a few have grown from sketchy, walk-on, bit characters into much more three dimensional regulars. Virtually all of them do as they please these days and I have little control over what they do.
Right now Bud Clinkerbilt is in search of a gift to give Mae on their forty-second wedding anniversary. He’s going to seek the help of some of the old fellas who hang out at VFW Hall. I have no idea right now what they’re going to come up with.
I start with a setting, figure out who is likely to be in that setting and why, and go from there.
I discovered while writing my NaNo that if I have a name and a very brief description given to me by kind Dopers, I can create a character from that really easily.
(And a note to said kind Dopers, I’m working on that book again. Thanks again!)