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Give Your Characters Depth

A writer's hack to creating memorable characters in your stories.

By SonderWritesPublished 4 years ago 2 min read
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Giving Characters Depth

Writer's block is a nightmare, but it doesn't have to be when you're creating characters for your story!

If you've ever written a story and wondered how to make your characters fit in, it's important to take a step back and let the characters write the story for you. ALL of your characters, even the one that just pops into your book for a paragraph or two, have a history. They all have fears, dreams, and various experiences and characteristics. Writing these facts about your characters down is important, when the characters write the story for you it makes the transitions feel natural and gives a good flow to your work!

Make your "Cheat Sheet"

So how do you begin creating a character? Think about the world that your characters are going to be in. Is it similar to the real world? Is this a fantasy world? Are there multiple worlds? What kind of creatures are there? Do the laws of physics we know apply to your world? How are these factors going to reflect in your character?

Write down as many questions as you can think of and make a character sheet. You can use free tools like Google Sheets to create a chart you can print and duplicate for each character and future projects! Below are some questions you can add:

  • How old am I?
  • What is my hair color?
  • What is my eye color?
  • What is my skin color?
  • Do I have any illnesses?
  • How rich is my household?
  • What kind of home do I have?
  • Do I have a job?
  • Do I go to school?
  • Do I have a romantic interest?
  • Do I have a boyfriend/girlfriend?
  • Am I married?
  • Do I want to get married?
  • What am I afraid of?
  • What inspires me?
  • Am I religious?
  • Do I have siblings?
  • What are my parents like?
  • Do I still have parents?
  • What is my dream home?
  • What are my fears?
  • What are my top three hobbies?
  • What is my political view?
  • What are three bad things about me?
  • What are three good things about me?
  • What are my goals?
  • Who is someone that I admire?

These "cheat sheets" are not only great for developing your character, but they're also great for when you get into a conflict in your project. If you're trying to figure out what your character would do in the situation then you have a guide of sorts to help you keep a good flow to your work. The more detailed you can get, the better.

I hope this helps you all achieve your goals, good luck!

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About the Creator

SonderWrites

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