Six tips for Writing Character

  1. Giving a character a colourful hat or a stammer does not make them into a character. It may fix them in the reader’s mind, which can be a good thing, but it won’t give them a character
  2. Don’t be arbitrary. Some people construct characters by putting together a list of contradictions. You end up with a character that is original, but it won’t seem authentic.
  3. Don’t fall into the trap of trying to capture every passing character in detail. Focus on what’s interesting.
  4. Some people accuse others of the faults they see in themselves. Do your characters do that?
  5. Characters come alive in their interactions with other characters. Does one character irritate another, annoy them, make them laugh, make them jealous… ?
  6. Even better: what do your characters think of each other? How do your characters talk about other characters currently off page?

See Also