Narrative Writing - Characters CREATE YOUR OWN CHARACTER

No matter what sort of narrative you are writing, you are going to have to populate your story with characters, and a lot of them, if not all of them, you are going to have to create from scratch. No matter what sort of narrative you are writing, you are going to have to populate your story with characters, and a lot of them, if not all of them, you are going to have to create from scratch.

The Protagonist Most stories have a main character whom the plot is surrounded on. The character influences how the story develops and the reader or audience will feel most strongly for this character. This person is called the PROTAGONIST Most stories have a main character whom the plot is surrounded on. The character influences how the story develops and the reader or audience will feel most strongly for this character. This person is called the PROTAGONIST

Examples

EXAMPLE

The Protagonist The story is only as interesting as the protagonist therefore it is important that you create an impressionistic character that will capture the readers’ attention. The story is only as interesting as the protagonist therefore it is important that you create an impressionistic character that will capture the readers’ attention. Ask yourself what are your favourite stories and why. The reasons will most likely be the protagonist or an important character in the story. Ask yourself what are your favourite stories and why. The reasons will most likely be the protagonist or an important character in the story.

How to create a character Don't start your character off with a name or a physical description. Don't start your character off with a name or a physical description. - We are usually influenced by name stereotypes therefore do not give your character a name yet.

How to create a character Do start developing your character by giving him a problem, a dramatic need, a compulsion. Do start developing your character by giving him a problem, a dramatic need, a compulsion. Even if you don't have the slightest idea what your story is going to be about yet, you do not know where it is going to take place, and you have not found anything compelling that you would like to say to an audience of more than one, you can do this. Say "My main character wants _____ more than anything else in the world." Even if you don't have the slightest idea what your story is going to be about yet, you do not know where it is going to take place, and you have not found anything compelling that you would like to say to an audience of more than one, you can do this. Say "My main character wants _____ more than anything else in the world."

How to create a character What does the character want? Love, respect, courage, revenge, a kidney for his kid sister, to find the son she gave up for adoption when she was sixteen? Throw something down on the paper. It will not be written in stone and you can always go back later and change it. Or you can, when you create the character, bank him for a later story if he does not fit your needs once you get started. In writing as in life, nothing you do is ever wasted. What does the character want? Love, respect, courage, revenge, a kidney for his kid sister, to find the son she gave up for adoption when she was sixteen? Throw something down on the paper. It will not be written in stone and you can always go back later and change it. Or you can, when you create the character, bank him for a later story if he does not fit your needs once you get started. In writing as in life, nothing you do is ever wasted. Your character wants something. If he is like most people, he wants several things, and about the time you allow yourself to start discovering them, you will begin to find out where your story is going, and what it will be about. Your character wants something. If he is like most people, he wants several things, and about the time you allow yourself to start discovering them, you will begin to find out where your story is going, and what it will be about.

How to create a character He also wants to avoid something and these things the character wants to avoid can be more difficult to overcome by far than the things he hopes to gain. What scares him to death? Humiliation, disfigurement, pain, terminal illness, poverty? What will he do anything to avoid? What has he already done to avoid his greatest fears? Give him something that will wake him up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, hands clutching his covers, body rigid with terror. If you want to really make your character come to life, choose something that terrifies you -- you'll find that when you write something that makes you shake, you'll make your reader shake, too. He also wants to avoid something and these things the character wants to avoid can be more difficult to overcome by far than the things he hopes to gain. What scares him to death? Humiliation, disfigurement, pain, terminal illness, poverty? What will he do anything to avoid? What has he already done to avoid his greatest fears? Give him something that will wake him up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, hands clutching his covers, body rigid with terror. If you want to really make your character come to life, choose something that terrifies you -- you'll find that when you write something that makes you shake, you'll make your reader shake, too.

How to create a character A rule of good storytelling is that the protagonist will confront the thing he fears the most and overcome it in order to win the thing he desires the most. This isn't a hard-and-fast rule, and for every book where the writer followed it, you'll find at least one where the writer ignored it completely. But overall, the most satisfying stories will at least approach this rule. A rule of good storytelling is that the protagonist will confront the thing he fears the most and overcome it in order to win the thing he desires the most. This isn't a hard-and-fast rule, and for every book where the writer followed it, you'll find at least one where the writer ignored it completely. But overall, the most satisfying stories will at least approach this rule.

How to create a character Do empathize with your character. Do empathize with your character. You can only write those things you know (or the things you know will be the only things you write well, anyway.) So when you write the villain, you have to be the villain. You have to understand why the villain acts as he does, you have to know that if you were him in that situation, you would do as he does -- because if you can't do this, no one who reads what you have written will believe in the characters you have created.