Begin Writing Fiction
How to create powerful characters
Characters make a story what people make the world. They breathe life into an otherwise
insipid environment. Powerful characters are always real, sometimes so real that you
remember them as real people. How do you create such characters? What qualities
should a character possess?
A character should have a history, even though you do not include it in your story.
Where does she study?
What qualities does she possess? Is she shy, naughty, talkative or stubborn?
What dreams does she have?
Where does she live?
What kind of relationship does she share with her parents and siblings?
How does she look as a child?
Develop your character from childhood to adulthood. Even if you don’t include every
detail in your story, it is important that you know your character inside out. Believe me,
it will show in your story. When I spend less time with a character, I am sure people will
notice it. What I learnt when I tried to take the short cut is, you can’t!
Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Visualize her childhood in your mind. Once you
have done that, move ahead and think of her as an adult. She can be anywhere between
18 and 26. The part of her life you are going to include in your story should be analyzed
How does she look? (Color of her hair, shape of her face, her height, her weight, the
clothes she is wearing, color of her eyes)
In which profession is she?
Where does she live?
What qualities does she have? Only pronounced ones. (bold, shy, courageous,
ambitious, lazy, complacent, aggressive, optimist, emotional, practical, rude, devoted,
envious, fearful, faithful, energetic, talkative, naïve, boastful, gullible, pedantic,
extremely decorous, selfish, loner)
Are there any peculiarities in her? (Does she intensely hate injustice? Is she overtly
duty-bound? Does she have any dark secrets? Did failure in love change her forever?
Does she touch her nose often when speaking to strangers?)
What is her ambition?
What does she intensely love and hate?
How does she carry herself in public?
What are her beliefs?