There are a few ways that I use to create characters. Some of them overlap, of course, and none of them are mutually exclusive. To each his or her own. Here you go:
- Their voices just appear in my head. I sound like a loony writing this, but it’s true. A few of my stories were written because someone was talking in my head and s/he would not stop. I wouldn’t be able to exorcise them until some semblance of their voice is on a page. When I write these characters, it’s as though they have existed in my head all this while and are waiting to come out.
- Filling in character sheets or writing descriptions of them. For Dragonhearted, I used character sheets for two of the main characters, Xin Long and Four Eyes. I wrote down how tall they were, what they liked or disliked, and what they would do when faced with a difficulty (or even a life-and-death situation). But when it came down to writing them down, they’d evolved from what I’d written about them, and became complementary characters. Xin Long’s quick to react and impulsive, whereas Four Eyes is more level-headed and by-the-book.
- Asking, “What if?” For Dragonhearted, I created Xin Long by asking what if it was a girl who was expected to save the world instead of a boy? What if a girl had the spirit of a dragon instead of a boy? I’d already written a short story about a girl fighting evil, and somewhere along the way, I realised that Xin Long was that girl who was fighting said evil. Everything fell into place after that, somewhat.
- Collaborations. Sometimes, my friends like @sheliloquy draw wonderful characters and I can immediately come up with voices for them. She’s very expressive with her work.
- Starting from one defining trait. For another short story I wrote, the protagonist was defined by her frivolity. As I drafted the story, it allowed me to put in another traits that this character happened to have, and it brought her to life. It’s sort of like growing a plant, growing the stem before adding more and more branches.
So there you have it! Here’s a quick rundown of how I work.
Featured image courtesy of @sheliloquy, who draws some wonderful character studies.