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[Crysfyr]

I love to create new characters. I love how you can create anybody in any situation and put yourself in their place with their feelings and views.

Now in creating characters I always find the following helps me keep a character as that character. It's all too easy to have a character and make their personality switch too much or take on too much of the writer's own views and opinions or the characters can become indistinguishable and immemorable from others.

I always start my characters as extremes, so for example, you might want a romantic character, so you write a description of that character's personality in extreme and in your mind you picture the character as being extremely swooning and wanting love and being all over someone when in love, you create in your mind this stereotype. At first it might seem like it's too much, but you're looking at the character out of context, so it will. Once you get your characters in a situation, interacting with other characters and being "reacted to", the character dilutes itself (however you do need to make sure you have some self control as to not make the character too over the top). It makes it easier to write situations when you have your character set out, and it's also good to have a backstory of your character to add that bit more depth, detailing all the major points about that character's past.

I also create what I call a character sheet, with which I have my character and describe their age, height, eye colour, hair colour, occupation, place of birth/residence, personality, background, role in the story, etc. The character sheet can help you maintain your character as that character and it gives you somewhere to refer back to to remind you of your character.

This method is also extremely useful for fantasy based stories.

Hope this helps!

~ Crysfyr ~

[Chaosmancer]

Character Creation is something I've always had problems with, I even have character sheets I've found online i try and use sometimes. I never thought about starting them as stereotypes though, I might have done that without thinking though. This could help me out a lot thanks  :clap:

[rumi02]

Yep, character sheets are extremely useful, for sure. Especially across that long travail to the end of your novel.

[WhisperedDreams]

I have trouble filling out details on characters before writing them. If I fill out a form trying to create a character, I will lose all interest in most characters before completing the questions. I simply write. This does not work for everyone. I can sit down and turn out five pages in two or three hours. I dropped this in for other writers who see this and wonder why it doesn't work for them.

I also have a website that is great for character creation. It was posted on another site. Its a Mary Sue test. I'm not sure where the name of the character type comes from, but it basically is to see if your character is too cheesy. http://www.springhole.net/quizzes/marysue.htm#Part4 It asks questions about whether or not the character has strengths and weakness. Whether the character has unexplained super powers. Other aspects that in gamer lingo equals cheese.

I have found this website to have wonderful information on writing. I do not agree with an article posted about naming characters. (My version can be found on my page.) But it has some wonderful information. http://www.superheronation.com/ And it does say "super hero" but the information is about much more then writing comics.

[GrammyBlue]

Hmm, character creation.  I was talking to my literacy teacher (one on one) and she told me that in a story, you shouldn't just have one paragraph on a character and leave it alone.  You have to keep forming that in the whole story. She said I had that gift. (Not really a gift.  You know what I don't undersand? Gifted and talented.  That's me, and so far? No gifts.) (Joking)

Is that what you're talking about?

[Dark_Death]

Before I write the story, I basacally write a complete biography of this character. Who they are, their age, what they look like, their origins, their deepest desires and secrets, the whole shabang.  I also draw a colored sketch of that specific character as well...

Hope that was of help.

[Chaosmancer]

I wish I had something to use to visualize my characters. But the best I can ever find (since I can't draw) is superhero creators online  ???

[Lynn]

I envy Dark Death and anyone who can draw. I can hardly draw a stick man. You wouldn't want me on your team in a game of Pictionary. Once, I tried to draw a ladder and no one could guess what it was.   

Some writers use photos from magazines to help them visualize characters. Some write sheets, biographies or outlines. Others write their story as the character develops within the plot. Whatever works for you is the way to go.

Character development is fun.

Have you ever wanted your story to go one way, but your character insisted on taking another direction?

Lynn

[Chaosmancer]

Not quite, usually it is either something I never even thought of before, or it is just slightly different from what I had envisioned. I'm actually lucky in that respect because it allows me to keep writing where I am even when I have no idea what to do next, because then they'll give me some ideas about what should happen.

  I just remembered some people I know. They would be giving me strange looks for talking about my characters like they were real people. This one guy I met at the college literally wrote in the first sentence of his story. "This is a fictional story taking place in the made up year of 2036" or something along those lines. I couldn't get past that, I think he torpedoed his story before he even started.

[wordsmagic100]

Let's see... how to create a character... oh yeah. lol

I just let the story and the action go on by itself and show the character's traits and stuff by showing what they do and say and how they do it. After that, I do the names and the real physical descriptions of them. It's simple to me.

Basically, I just let it blend into the story and then i let it out.
descriptions

[Lynn]

A novel writing teacher once said to our class, "Get to know your characters. Spend time with them and they will tell you what you need to know." I believe he was talking about the real people he'd created in his own stories.

Some non-writers just can't understand a concept of imaginary characters seeming real. But if the story is going to be real to the reader, it has to be real to the writer, right?

If the writer isn't frightened, surprised, enlightened and so on, how does he or she expect the reader to be? If the writer doesn't laugh or cry during his or her story, is the reader going to laugh or cry?   

[Chaosmancer]

That's something along the lines of what I think Lynn. Though I actually found out you can go too far with it when reading an article about how to improve writing. They said to empathize with the character, feel appropriately during emotional scenes, but don't sympathize with the character, which leads you to change the story so the character doesn't have such a hard time. I'd never thought about it before, but they are right that will kill a good story almost instantly if you're constantly making your characters life easy. I just wish it wasn't so hard to see them suffering and know I'm responsible for it... wow i sound really crazy after saying that  :green:

[Lynn]

"I just wish it wasn't so hard to see them suffering and know I'm responsible for it... wow i sound really crazy after saying that."        (Chaosmancer)

You sound like a fiction writer, hoping for your readers to keep turning the page.

This question's for everyone:  What do you feel is the most difficult part of character creation?

Lynn

[Chaosmancer]

Thank you for the compliment  :green:

I think the hardest part is either naming the character, or pinning down exactly what their personality is like. Well, maybe not the second maybe it's more the original idea, because it's just a gradual process to building up the character. I also have trouble with descriptions of the character. LOL I've got character creation issues  :green:

[WhisperedDreams]

I am not sure if this works for other people, but if I have a name (I at least don't have an objection to,) a name definition, and perhaps a couple key words, I can often write pages in a couple hours. Its a matter of inspiration. I can forget the names of those I date, large sections of my life, but I remember my major characters and some minor ones. My characters may not be the most realistic, but I know my characters, and if I need a hero to save the day, and not be a jerk, I know which of my characters to pull out.

The reason romance novels are so popular with women. Why deal with stress? Grab a book with a hunk on the cover that doesn't cheat and will go through anything for his woman.

[Chaosmancer]

I can understand that, though there are some lyrics from a Nightwish song called "Elvenpath" that I think sum up the idea for fantasy writers.

"...It's the honesty of these worlds
ruled by magic and mighty swords
that makes my soul long for the past
Elvenpath..."

[Dark_Death]

@Lynn

You needn't envy my talent, dear, for I am sure you have skills yourself that I would kill to have.

[Lynn]

What a nice thing to say! I'd love to be able to draw, though. I'm amazed at how creative people are around here.

[Dark_Death]

There is a great amout of creative people on this website, and I am proud to be a part of their virtual lives. lol. That sounded slightly geeky.  Oh well, I am somewhat of a nerd. :]

[Chaosmancer]

POWER TO THE NERDS AND GEEKS!!!!

Sorry, I don't know where that came from  :roll: