Characters are the most important part of any fiction story. They are what give the story its oomph. They are like the ray of sunshine needed to help the plant grow. In a similar way, through your characters, your story will grow.

Think about your favourite book of all time. What do you remember most of all about it? Was it the plot, the brilliant writing, the book’s theme, or the hooks at the end of each chapter? No, of course not. It was the characters! Perhaps there was one particular character of whom you were particularly fond. You saw your father in him, or maybe your spouse. You liked the way he composed himself, in that calm, unfaltering manner, even in the midst of dramatic events. What’s important here is that you remembered him – long after you closed the book. That’s something to bear in mind when devising your own characters.

There are various methods of constructing powerful characters, who breathe life into your book:

1. The Look Around You Technique. This is my favourite, simply because I love to look around me. I’m a highly observational person. As I sit on a train, wait at the doctors, or sip tea from a busy café, I don’t lose myself in a book or a newspaper. Instead I absorb everything that’s going on in the vicinity. I watch people. The way the red-haired lady blushes as she listens to the gentleman by her side. An attention-seeking baby wailing for attention. The smile on that man’s face as he answers his mobile phone. That smile changes his whole face –lights it up, deletes the stress evident only a few seconds previous.

 Where can you observe people in a non intrusive way? At the park? On the way home from work? At lunch time? Gazing out of your office window? As you notice individual traits, you’ll find that some are fascinating, but most are tedious. Log the fascinating in your mental bank and delve into it next time you sit down to develop your characters.

The best characters are like a pic & mix of personalities. If you know a guy called Ned Smith, who is naturally funny, wealthy, smart, kind, but can’t find a girlfriend, don’t mould your whole character around him. Perhaps make him wealthy and kind, but exchange the naturally funny for grumpy as hell, the smart for intelligent at mensa level, but rubbish at the little things in life. And as for trouble finding a girlfriend, what about if Ned was gay and had found the perfect partner, who was still involved with a woman? You see the way our fictitious Ned is now far more interesting than the real life Ned.

You should always invent new names by the way. Never run the risk of a friend, relative or co-worker being identified in your book!

2. The Mini CV Technique. This one is just as it sounds. Write a mini CV about your character. You’ll be amazed what you learn about him or her that you didn’t know before. It’s not necessary to include things like email address and phone number of course! Below is a basic CV you will find beneficial to fill in:

CV

Full Name:

Age:

Date of birth:

Address:

Education:

Hobbies / Interests:

Personal Statement:

Employment:

Achievements / Successes:

Associations / Club Membership:

Don’t fall into the trap of seeing these exercises as a waste of time. As you go through them you will find that they are very useful and they’ll go a long way to helping you invent amazing characters, and as such an amazing book.

3. The Interview Technique – This is the most worthwhile of all. If you decide to only complete one of the techniques in this post, this should be the one you choose. Imagine your character sat in front of you. You are the interviewer and he or she is the interviewee, hoping to land a job in your firm. But to make sure they are the right candidate you’d like to find out more about them. Ask them the questions below and as this interview takes place in your imagination, write down the answers to each question, as you hear them said.

What is your religious background?

What is your romantic background?

What is your favourite colour and why?

Do you have any pets?

Do you currently live alone or do you co-habit?

What was your favourite holiday ever and why?

How do you feel about your current job?

What are your political views?

What are your three best personality traits?

What are your three worst personality traits?

Do you like working as part of a team?

When have you worked as part of a team in the past?

What do you feel you could bring to this firm?

What do they fear more than anything else?

Do they have trouble trusting people?

Why or why not?

Who is their hero?

Who has let them down the most?

If they could change one thing about their past, what would it be?

There! I hope this little scattering of exercises will help bring your characters to life on the page. And if not then there’ll be yet more great tips coming soon.

Love & Light

The Word Queen x