From Page to Life: Breathing Life into Fictional Characters

Did you ever read a book or a story and thought to yourself: “Wow, this character feels flat“? Maybe you have even re-read your own story and thought to yourself that your characters lack something that makes them feel...relatable and believable.

Something that makes them feel like a human being, instead of a one-dimensional, poorly developed character. Believe me: I've been there.

When I started to write my own stories I faced a problem most inexperienced writers face: I didn't know how to create convincing and memorable characters.

Looking back at what I wrote years ago makes me simultaneously happy (because it was the start, and without it, I wouldn't be writing right now) and embarrassed (because the quality was...questionable). Especially my characters seemed to be the biggest problem. They acted weirdly out of character in some scenes, and lacked complete personality in others. They lacked depth, and overall felt one-dimensional.

So you see, I know the struggle. But luckily I have learned some writing tips and tricks how to make the characters sound more natural and believable:

Create compelling characters that leap off the page - that should be the goal, and with this blog post I will show you how you can achieve it!

“Art is chaos taking shape“ - Pablo Picasso

I am a really chaotic writer, so this quote resonates a lot with me. I plan something, and then change it the next day again. Sometimes I think I have already done most work with my characters, just to notice that I have to change something about them, because I want to go into a specific direction which I haven't thought about before. Sometimes this can be a little exhausting, but in general I don't think this is a bad thing. So if you are similar, do not be afraid to go back to some aspects of your character and change them completely, if you feel the need to.

Halfway through your story you notice that you rather have a female protagonist, even though you have started with a male one? Change it. You don't have to force yourself to write the first idea that you had when starting. Sometimes ideas develop into a total different direction as you have planned in the beginning. Do not be afraid to follow a new direction. Sometimes writing is a beautiful, chaotic mess - but in the end it hopefully becomes something you are proud of.

1. Where to start?

There are probably a thousand ways to start creating your characters. Are you starting with their looks? With their personality?

I personally try to start with what they are doing in life. Are they a student? If yes, what are they studying? Do they have a job? If yes, which job?

I start with these questions, rather than what they look like, simply because I think it already tells me a lot about the character.

Example: Character A is a student studying to become a doctor.

What does this sentence tell me about my character? Well, they are studying to become a doctor. How are they studying? Are they working hard? If yes, why? “Maybe because they want to help people.“ But where does this desire come from? “Maybe something happened in their past which made them want to help people in the future.“ Was it a positive moment (they want to help others the same way someone helped them), or was it a negative moment (and they never want anyone else to go through the same issue, so they try to help instead)?

As you can see a simple thought about what career our character chose can already give us ideas about other aspects of the character's life (such as the background story, which I will talk about later). It also can already hint at some of the character's personality traits, as well as some of the struggles the character is facing. Personally, I think this simple question already gives so much value to your character, and you can take the first step of building a multi-layered character with it. That is why I start here.

2. How do they look like?

Even though this isn't what I think about first, it is still important to think about what your character looks like. But you don't have to describe every single detail, especially small details.

Many people start describing the eye color of their characters, but let's be honest: do you remember (or even notice) which eye color other people have? Especially if you have just met them?

When I was visiting a class for Creative Writing in university, we were told to describe the first encounter we had with a person, who was now a friend of ours, and this gave me so much insight on what we actually do notice when we meet people for the first time.

Take a second and think about the first encounter you had with someone, who you are now close with.

What was it like? What did you notice about the other person's looks? Did you really notice their eye color? I doubt it.

You probably rather noticed the dark circles under their eyes, or the smudged makeup and the red tip of their nose which indicates that they might have cried just moments ago. Maybe you noticed that their hair was a mess, or that they have a mole right above their lips. Or maybe you even noticed a small, red scar on their cheek, because you were sitting so close to them, or you noticed they were wearing glasses. Or you noticed the bright pink hair which they were wearing with confidence, or their style of clothes which was so different from yours. There are so many things that you would notice instead of their eye color. So try to work with that!

Yes, ask yourself what your character looks like, but try to come up with things you also would have noticed in a person you are meeting for the first time. This can also be used to fool your readers at first: maybe the first impression of the character you are introducing is completely wrong?

You can still include the information about the eye color later on, if you want to, but then describe it in a way that makes sense for someone to notice (maybe someone looks at your character lovingly and notices, for the first time, how warm their brown eyes look?).

You can also think about how old your character is, or how tall they are, but don't stop there. Think about how different physical attributes of your character can influence the way they act. Maybe your character is pretty tall, but always tries to stay as invisible as possible, because they do not like attention. What would their body language look like? Maybe they are slouching, maybe their eyes are always cast to the ground, because they don't want to meet other peoples' eyes.

Your character's looks are not just a physical trait which you have to mention once, but instead it can also be used to reveal, or to hint at, other aspects of their lives (why does character A have a scar on their cheek? Why did character B cry just moments ago - and are they trying to hide it, or not?)

3. Naming your Characters

I personally enjoy giving my characters a name with a meaning that fits the story. Sometimes I also purposefully give my characters names which do not seem to fit their situations (because I think the irony is hilarious!).

I once created a character who was banished from his world (in which he was a prince) as a child, when his older brother lead a rebellion in which their parents were killed. What was the meaning of the character's name? “All your wishes will come true“.

I think it was funny, and the character even complained about the irony in the story. But you don't have to search for the meaning of each name you think sounds nice. Just pick one that you like and that seems to fit your character, if you want to keep it simple!

4. Personality

As you can see the earlier categories have already hinted to some of the personality traits your character might have. Now you just have to develop the ideas further. Here are a few ideas to consider:

Is your character introverted or extraverted?

How do they act in front of their family/ friends?

How do they act in front of strangers?

Are they easily irritable? Anxious? Are they hardworking? Are they lazy?

There are so many things you can add to your character's personality traits.

Maybe they act completely different in different social groups?

How does your character feel about themselves? Are they confident, or are they tortured by self doubts? What is their motivation in life?

Earlier I talked about the exercise we had to do during one of the Creative Writing sessions, in which we had to describe the first encounter we had with one of our friends. It was extremely surprising to me when I noticed how many aspects of my friend's personality I actually noticed during the first encounter.

For example: we started talking because we noticed that we have the same interests, and a little while later she wanted to get some food. I didn't want anything, so I just sat in front of her while she was eating and we were talking. But she was constantly giving me a bite of her food, even though I told her it was okay, and I didn't need anything.

Well today I know that giving other people food / making food for other people is one of her love languages.

This aspect of her personality is something I have noticed during the first encounter, because she was constantly giving me food.

So if you want to introduce a new character to your story, think about what aspects of their personality could be visible right from the start. What would someone notice right away? Describe what they are doing, and show the reader their personality right from the start. There are no limits to your imagination! You can add whatever you want.

5. Strengths and Weaknesses

When you are creating characters you want to make them as realistic and relatable as possible. In order to achieve this they have to have strengths and weaknesses. Your character will have to fail and succeed in your story.

They might struggle at some point, and then overcome these struggles - or learn to deal with them - at a later point. This is what makes characters interesting, and what makes them relatable to the reader.

But how do you come up with strengths and weaknesses?

Every personality trait that could be perceived as a strength can also be a weakness. I am sure you have noticed that on yourself. Maybe you are a perfectionist. Sure, it can have its advantages: you get your work done on time, and deliver the best possible quality. People tend to praise you for the great work you are delivering.

But what about the disadvantages?

How often did you stop something, just because you weren't immediately great at it? How many times did you stress about something you were working on, simply because it didn't turn out exactly how you wanted it to? How many times did you not even start something, just because you were afraid of failure? I think you understand what I mean.

Give your character a strength and think about how this could also be a weakness, and in what situations during your story this becomes a visible weakness.

7. Habits and Quirks

If you follow me on Pinterest you might have already seen my posts about quirks and habits to give your characters. I love giving my characters quirks, and there are so many to chose from! Click here for my post about 50 Fun and Unique Habits and Quirks to give your Characters.

Are they biting their nails/ lips when anxious or concentrated?

Do they tend to overshare?

Are they good/ bad at lying (+ what are their telltales of lying?)

Do they tend to zone out?

Do they tend to stare at people while zoning out?

Maybe they used to wear glasses, but recently switched to contact lenses, so now they always subconsciously want to readjust their glasses which results in them nearly poking their eyes out with their finger.

Maybe they bounce their legs while sitting down (not me doing exactly that while writing this post).

Think about what might fit your character. There are so many more habits and quirks you can chose from (maybe you even use your own or that of a friend?), but make sure to not use too many. It can feel like too much if you pick ten habits and quirks for your character, and then repeat them during every scene your character is in.

And also make sure to stick to them.

Most habits and quirks are things that people have for a long time, not only for a day. So if you decide to use some, use them throughout your story (unless your character is actively trying to stop this habit. For example: they want to stop biting their lips while anxious. But even then this might resurface in, for example, a particular stressful situation).

8. Relationships

This can include existing romantic relationships, or romantic relationships which should still be developed, but also includes platonic relationships, as well as the relationship towards their family.

How does your character behave in front of their friends? Are they different towards their family members? Is there a reason for it? Are they in loving relationships, or do they have toxic ones? How do these relationships influence the way your character acts? 

9. Background Story

Personally, I think this is one of the most fun parts of creating my characters! But I am sure that if my characters were real people, they would absolutely despise me for what I am doing to them.

For some reason, I tend to write extremely traumatic background stories for my characters: remember the character that was banished from his world, and betrayed by his own older brother - who he trusted wholeheartedly - while his parents were killed by said brother? Yeah. That's exactly what I mean. 

Another character of mine was abandoned in a forest as a toddler, because people wanted him dead - you get the gist.

Obviously, you do not have to write traumatic background stories, not at all! You character also could have had a great childhood, many friends, and loving parents. That is totally fine!

The important thing is that you keep in mind that your character's background story causes them to act a certain way.

Did they have supportive parents, who allowed them to make mistakes as a child? Your character might be more confident than others, and more willing to try new things out, as well as take risks, because they grew up in a household which supported their healthy confidence development.

Let's take my character as an example again: he was banished from his own world, and betrayed by his older brother when he was still a small child. He had to fight to stay alive. Do you think he trusts people? No.

He stays away from others, doesn't build any real, deep connections with other people, and lacks morals. I think you understand what I mean.

Your characters background story will influence how they act, so keep this in mind while writing them, and be consistent with it!

Someone who has experienced the betrayal which I described, will not suddenly trust a random person! This is especially important if you want to introduce a love interest. They will not suddenly trust this other person, simply because you want them to end up with each other.

There has to be some serious character development before you can entertain this thought. So always keep your character’s background story in mind while writing them.

10. Character Development

The last thing I want to mention is character development. It is a crucial aspect of your characters, but often it does not get executed properly.

Do not rush the character development.

Even if you want your character to trust someone again, when they have been deeply traumatized and betrayed the last time they have trusted someone, their behavior will not change over night.

Depending on what your character's background story is, they can be deeply scared, and their behavior is a way of making sure they will never experience this kind of betrayal and hurt again. So instead of rushing into a character development, make sure that there are small scenes throughout your story in which you character slowly but surely starts to question their reservations against someone (or something: such as trusting someone else). And also keep in mind that just because one of your characters went on some kind of character development journey this does not mean that other characters suddenly also change (especially not if nothing really happened to them, because they didn’t go through the same journey).

Breathing Life into Fictional Characters 

Well, and that's basically it! You can always jump between the different aspects and change things, but this is what you should definitely think about while creating your characters. Also, make sure to stay consistent with the things you chose- that is the most important thing!

Otherwise there are no limits to your imagination when it comes to your characters. So sit down, get yourself a coffee, and start working on your characters!

Don't just write characters - bring them to life!

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