Build a Character

This is a list to get you thinking. It’s not going to have everything you could possibly choose from, and I hope I don’t offend anyone by labeling anything incorrectly. If I do label something incorrectly, let me know and I’ll do my best to remember in the future!

Anyway, let’s build a character!

1. Pick a gender and sex

a. Of the sexes, there are Male, Female, and Intersex (trans male/female is included here too)

b. Of the genders, there are several: including male, female, nonbinary, genderfluid, demiboy, demigirl, agender, novi, etc. Look up some more! Also, they can be unsure of their gender, and that’s perfectly valid!

2. Pick a race and ethnicity

a. American Indian or Alaska Native

b. Asian

c. Black or African American

d. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

e. White

f. Ethnicity: Hispanic or Latinx, Not Hispanic or Latinx, Jewish, etc.

3. Pick a nationality

a. There are tons to choose from. Look around the globe for someplace you’re not too familiar with, do a ton (I mean a ton, you don’t want to be disrespectful or misrepresent) of research on the people there (talk to people from there too), and maybe write a character from there.

b. If you’re writing about another world where there’s different nationalities than what we have, have fun developing the cultures of characters from different places there. Don’t make them have all the same customs. Make them wonder why some things are different than what they’re used to.

4. Pick a sexual orientation and romantic orientation

a. Several sexualities: gay, lesbian, bi, pan, asexual, queer, straight, etc. Look up some more!

b. Several romantic orientations, which can pair easily or uneasily with the sexual orientation: gay, lesbian, bi, pan, aromantic, queer, straight, etc. Look up how they typically or atypically pair with the sexualities.

5. Pick a socioeconomic status

a. Especially if you’re doing societal commentary, it’s important to diversity these

b. Wealthy? Upper middle class? Poor? Homeless? Great big house? Went from being rich to poor really quickly? Other way around (be careful with that one)? Can they afford vacations and travel? Are they used to the same place? What can they afford? How does that affect their daily life? What food do they eat?

6. Pick a childhood

a. Who raised them? Parents? One or two? Momma and Mommy? Mom and Dad? Moddy and Dad? Orphaned? Orphaned with older sibling? Cool aunt? Horrid grandfather? How were they treated?

b. Who did they raise? Younger sibling? Pet? Plant? No one? How did they treat them?

c. Did they realize the importance/gravity of the previous parts (gender to socioeconomic status)? How did that affect their way of seeing the world when growing up?

d. What habits have they had for years from their childhood?

7. Throw in some neurodivergence

a. No, neurodivergent people aren’t simpletons. They’re complex. People with autism take really deep interest in certain subjects while people with ADHD jump around to learn several subjects. People with DID jump between being several subjects. Learn about different neurodivergent people and try including some in your story.

b. Yes, it will affect how they learn, how they grow up, how they’re treated (are they often overlooked or treated as gifted), how they express themselves when excited (do they rub their hands together or clap them) and how they see themselves (good enough or too different). They also tend to mask, or act like how people would expect neurotypical people to act.

c. They don’t even need to know they’re neurodivergent. Mentioning it does give you extra brownie points though, because good representation is always appreciated. That goes for anything on this list, by the way. I just have a really strong connection to this topic.

d. Also, if they are neurotypical, how do they view people who aren’t?

8. Appearance

a. Don’t make all your characters thin, average height, able bodied people. Make an extra tall girl. Curvy nonbinary. A dude without a six pack. A person with a prosthetic limb, or a wheelchair without a prosthetic leg.

b. All skin types are amazing. Vitiligo can bring extra amazingness.

c. Experiment with hair. They don’t always have to wear the same hairstyle. If their hair is really curly, do they keep it in a couple of tight buns, or a ponytail, or let it stay out like a beautiful mane? If they have straight hair, do they sometimes curl it or put pins in it, or cut it? Have fun with hair color and blending roots with highlights.

d. What are their really prominent traits? You usually don’t have to mention their eye color unless they really attract attention (say the main character keeps staring into their eyes or they have striking bright ones or something). If they have a scar, maybe mention that; it could be tied to an important experience. Do they have tattoos (look up how painful the area is to get a tattoo there too, which can especially indicate their persistence and/or threshold for pain)?

e. What is their clothing style? Is there a guy wearing jewelry and makeup? Is there a girl who can’t go without her ripped up jeans? What clothing can they afford? Do they have a ton of shoes?

9. Important experiences in their lives

a. Do they have a few really jarring memories that they feel define them (even if they don’t)? They can be good or bad to the person. Did they leave a mental or physical mark on them? How do they feel when they come across that mark, or think about that memory? How it affect their daily life? Is it something they could overcome in a plot point?

10. Mental Illness?

a. No, this isn’t the same as neurodivergence. That’s something tied into your personality. Mental illness is part of what you’ve experienced, and it doesn’t define you. It may, however, create or amplify character traits.

b. Have they experienced mental illness before and moved past it? Or maybe are they experiencing it right now? Depression isn’t the only mental illness you can get into, but good representation of depression is always good for awareness.

11. Pick character traits

a. Based on the other factors, who did they grow up to be by the time of the story? Bitter from being treated unfairly? Secure in their identity due to a supportive family? Quiet because they were taught to be? Funny as a defense mechanism? Smiling to hide past pain or because they have no reason to be in pain?

b. Based on how they became, fill in the rest with the planned story experiences. How will they react to each part of the story? How will they click with other characters? How will they overcome or not overcome any difficulties set for them?

Largely, this list is to help get you started with writing compelling characters. There are so many layers to get into, so it’s likely I missed several. Fill in the rest. Let me know how your character making goes!