Developing Characters

Fuzzytrooper

Just wondering what approach others take when creating characters - how much time and planning goes into their creation? Do you just have a rough idea of what they're like and see how they develop from there or create full backstories and life experiences that never go into your story? I find I struggle a bit with creating characters that are more than 2 dimensional.

Das Kitty

It depends.

For short fiction, it's a moment in time, so I don't get to know my characters beyond the reach of the story. If I have an idea for a story, I switch around characteristics in my head to find the best fit.

I start writing and see where they lead me. Then revise anything off later.


For the novel, I had a character first. Basically, a jaded ghostbuster. I decided to write about him, so I thought about what led him to where he was. His backstory turned out to be more interesting than the plot I had in mind, so I wrote that instead.
He's been changing and developing as I've worked through the story, and now he's as real as anyone to me. I know how he'd react in any situation. It makes him easy to write now, and easy to spot when something I wrote before is out of character.

Fuzzytrooper

Did you spend much time writing down his backstory, or is it more that you think/daydream about it for a while?

Das Kitty

Fuzzytrooper wrote: »

Did you spend much time writing down his backstory, or is it more that you think/daydream about it for a while?

I started writing it down and then realised it was the better story.

But of course he has further backstory now, from before the start of the novel. And that grew over time.

EileenG

Depends on how significant the character is in a story. All main characters get the full development and backstory treatment, even if 90% of it never goes into the story. One handy trick I find is to give every character a fear, and work out how that fear developed and how it affects their lives.

Fuzzytrooper

EileenG wrote: »

Depends on how significant the character is in a story. All main characters get the full development and backstory treatment, even if 90% of it never goes into the story. One handy trick I find is to give every character a fear, and work out how that fear developed and how it affects their lives.

Interesting approach. I had tried a spreadsheet based method once listing family, kids occupation, past life etc but it turned into a bit of a checklist for me.

WomanSkirtFan8

Fuzzytrooper wrote: »

Just wondering what approach others take when creating characters - how much time and planning goes into their creation? Do you just have a rough idea of what they're like and see how they develop from there or create full backstories and life experiences that never go into your story? I find I struggle a bit with creating characters that are more than 2 dimensional.

What I do is: I usually start with an overall physical appearance (i.e. hair, eyes, clothes, etc.) and then generally work from there.

Every writer more or less generally writes from their own particular life experiences.:)

Das Kitty

Eye colour is a pet-peeve of mine.

Unless you're gazing into a person's eyes on a regular basis, you don't notice.

I work by the rule that I only describe physical appearance if it's something the pov character would notice.

WomanSkirtFan8

Das Kitty wrote: »

Eye colour is a pet-peeve of mine.

Unless you're gazing into a person's eyes on a regular basis, you don't notice.

I work by the rule that I only describe physical appearance if it's something the pov character would notice.

True enough. Interesting approach that.

echo beach

Das Kitty wrote: »

I work by the rule that I only describe physical appearance if it's something the pov character would notice.

Good plan. For most characters it doesn't matter if they are tall or short, dark or fair, fat or thin.
Every reader forms their own picture in their mind based as much on what the character says and does as in how they are described. If the character runs marathons the reader will assume she is thin without being told her dress size.

When there is a film adaptation there are always complaints that the actor chosen doesn't look like what readers expect.

TheGlitchKing

I tend to have key points in the story where change occurs but other kinds of change tends to happen naturally in the narrative. Another way of saying that is that I change as the story progresses so my characters should change as I do