It is also worth including all the scars and features of the body. Each big or small scar has its own story and the character's reaction to this story, positively or negatively, with irony or nostalgia. The same with the features of the body, a large volume of lungs - runs longer, more convolutions of the brain - smarter, no finger on right hand maybe he's clumsy ;)
- We give a name
Eh, a very important point in my opinion, but at the same time, logic recedes into the background if you want to name your hero something cool name and you don't care that the name also affects a person's life.
Let's expose ourselves to common sense and define it this way: if the actions take place in our world and in our time, then you climb into the directory and choose a name in accordance with the character; if in our world, but in the past, you give names in accordance with that era and place, it is possible without character, but with meaning; if the action takes place in a fantastic or fantasy world, then here you already have complete freedom of choice.
If you have problems with coming up with a name, then good help will provide various kinds of geographical, astrological, biological and other reference books - you open them, you find alphabetical index and transform the names of places, terms and phenomena into the names of your heroes.
- Life story
And my favorite part of creating a character is combining all of the above and building a complete person out of it.
The story, well, or biography of the character, this is the “grease” that will allow you to link some character traits with others and make the hero of your story “revive”. In the biography, it is also worth mentioning the parents and how they influenced the character, their personal qualities, something our object could learn from them, refuse something, they could force him to do something, how they spoiled him, how they punished him. .d.
If your character's behavior has any unique habit or feature, it's time to describe the story of its origin here, and make it as vivid and memorable as possible for the character.
In general, having the features described in detail from the previous paragraphs, you are already ready to create a “live” and unique personality, which has no analogues yet. You can do a little test, do all the above for the character, then take one of your friends and do the same steps, and then let them compare and say that one of them was invented by you, and the other real man. So let them think who is who, and you check how much real hero you created.
- How to Prepare for Comic Drawing
- How to invent a comic book world
P.S. Guys, listen, who knows, I’m in my second decade and I heard that at that time, if you have scaleosis, you’ll straighten your posture. But found here"corrector" and there was a desire to buy. When I run, my back hurts terribly - I need to fix it. Has anyone tried these correctors? I want to take it, and I will, but I'm interested in the successful experience of my readers, who tried it? =)
That's all for today, all creative mood friends!
Let's start creating a character: come up with a biography for him
In Literature for the People (1983), Robert Peck gives the following advice: “Being a writer is not easy. Approach the matter in a slipshod manner, and very quickly the moment will come when you have to pay the bills. Therefore, before typing at the top of the virgin clean slate"Chapter I" (and then sit for a week over this sheet, thinking about what to do next), it is necessary to prepare each character.
The phrase "prepare the character" implies the creation of a background, a background for each main character. In other words, the main characters need a biography. For most writers, and no doubt for all aspiring writers, writing character biographies is the first mandatory preliminary step.
Let's say you decide to write a detective story about a murder mystery. You don’t have a well-thought-out plot yet, you just have an idea. First of all, once we are talking about a murder mystery, you need a killer. It is he who will become the main villain, the main negative character your work. The villain's intrigues kick-start the story, so in a sense, the villain is the "author" of your work. What other characters you will have depends on the plans of the villain you create.
Suppose you want to write about a woman who killed her husband because he dishonored the family. He dealt drugs to make money. He always has no money, because he spends everything on the races. He's betting on the wrong horses. You have no idea who this woman is, what she is. The only thing you know is that she is very smart (if not, then she will not make a worthwhile villain). You know that she plans the crime with all care and cunning. Moreover, the speed of solving the crime depends on her intelligence and deceit. Therefore, the smarter you have it, the better.
Now you need main character, the hero who will solve the crime. What if you do not have suitable candidates for this role?
In novels of this genre, there are different types hero detectives. Positive hero or the heroine may be sophisticated professionals (Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade), intellectuals (Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot), gifted dilettantes (Ellery Queen, Miss Marple) or bystanders drawn into the thick of things by the plot (Mrs. de Winter in the novel by Daphne Du Maurier "Rebecca").
Which type is preferable is up to you. The choice depends on your imagination giving birth to the plot. The reader loves detective stories. Some people like to follow the train of thought of an intellectual like Sherlock Holmes, busy investigating a mysterious crime. Someone likes to tremble and experience horror along with an innocent victim caught in the net of bloody intrigues. Someone comes to the delight of a strong courageous investigator, walking through mud and slush along dark dangerous alleys, breaking through heads on the go and dodging bullets.
If you're an avid fan of one type of novel or another, sit down and grab a pen. Write books that you yourself like to read. True, there is one exception: a novel written on behalf of a strong, courageous detective. In such a work, the style of narration will be very specific. Maintaining this style is very difficult, especially for a novice writer. In case of failure, expect accusations of imitation. However, if your detective novel turns into a parody, it will be even worse.
You can choose any type of novel. However, regardless of the choice, you will have to create within the framework of a certain tradition, the rules and canons of which you have already familiarized yourself with if you have read a lot. Famous Author free to depart from tradition and break the canon, readers will forgive him. The novice author is deprived of this privilege, so he is strongly advised not to go beyond the traditional.
Let's say you decide to write a novel about professional detectives. You like the novels of Stanley Gardner, Ed McBain, Ross MacDonald, John Dickenson Carr and Robert Parker. The professional detective type is your favorite. But the trouble is, you don't know what your professional detective will be like. Start with a name. This will help to draw in the imagination appearance character.
Avoid the names often given to detectives in novels. No Rockfords, Harpers, Archers or Marlows. You need something special, fresh. No need to go beyond the bounds of reason. Giving the main character the frilly name of Stempsky Shazaks can scare the reader away. The bottom line is that you should create within the generally accepted framework. The architect can change the size of the corners, the number of columns, and the slope of the house's roof, but inside that house there must be exactly as many rooms, bathrooms, and toilets as the clients require.
Let's give our detective a name that detectives don't normally have, say Boyer. Boyer Mitchell, how are you? Sounds like? Most common name. If you can't come up with a name yourself, take the phone book - there are an abyss of names.
The vast majority of detectives are always middle-aged, gray-haired, experienced, have a tough character. Let Boyer be young and inexperienced for a change. Outwardly, he should not look like a detective. Detectives in novels are always daring, tall, stand out with severe male beauty. Let Boyer be of average height, clumsy, round-shouldered, fragile physique, intelligent appearance, with large dark attentive eyes. He moves slowly. He believes in being judged by clothes, so he is neat, and he also has sparkling white teeth, pleasant manners, he is quiet and thoughtful. Many take him for a scientist. He is twenty-six and still single.
Where did the image of Boyer Mitchell come from? Out of nowhere, it was woven out of thin air by the author of the book you are reading. He chose traits that were the opposite of those usually found in detective novels, traits that had long since become stereotyped. Boyer might as well be old, fat, and a hard drinker. The description of the characters is based on two pillars - breaking stereotypes and harmony.
Harmony, according to Egri, is the art of creating bright characters, acting like "instruments in an orchestra, giving birth to a harmonious melody." In other words, don't make all heroes greedy or ambitious. Characters should contrast with each other. If one character is hardworking and diligent, make the other a slacker. Hamlet was indecisive, he lacked willpower, he was more inclined to think than to act. He wandered gloomy, immersed in thought, filled with self-pity. Laertes is a character bred as a contrast to Hamlet, exclusively a man of action.
There is one more important point, which is worth mentioning when it comes to character creation. You, the writer, will have to settle in the minds of your characters for quite a long time. Seriously think about whether you want to work with such characters? Are they interesting to you? Maybe you do not want to work on a young, intelligent and fragile Boyer Mitchell, you need him to be old, fat and drinking? Do as you please, you write the novel. If you are fascinated by your characters, if you like them, then most likely your readers will like them too.
So, we roughly determined physiological facet of Boyer and slightly touched it sociological edge. The image became clearer, but still blurry. He main character our romance, so we must penetrate into his soul, understand him to the marrow of his bones.
Boyer is not like typical detective, so, for starters, let's ask ourselves why Boyer suddenly decided to catch criminals. Maybe his motivation coincided with the motivation of many young people who choose their own path in life - he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps? It's time to let your imagination run wild. Let's imagine that his father was "Big Jake" Mitchell, the man Dashiell Hammett based on Sam Spade. Big Jake is tough, tough, shrewd, and will stop at nothing to protect his client's interests. More than once or twice he had to turn his jaw, being in the service of what he calls "higher justice." Boyer considers "Big Jake" Mitchell a bully, but that doesn't stop him from admiring his father at the same time. He believes in justice as sincerely as his father, but he also believes that social order is based on the observance of laws.
If we find such a father for Boyer, then our hero will have to reach out to the level of Big Jake. People always compare themselves to their fathers. Old enemies, whose hatred is still hot, turn the sons' lives into a nightmare. Big Jake, even in death, will remain a cross that Boyer will carry with him all his life. When creating a character's biography, look for details that can influence his actions and emotions in the novel. Multidimensional characters, like real people, have a past. This past is always with them.
And yet, for now, we only have a rough sketch of Boyer Mitchell. We need to breathe life into it. How? We will write his biography either in the first or in the third person. The biography below contains sketches of yet unrevealed relationships, allusions to some events that are not narrated in detail, etc. The biography does not at all require a detailed and comprehensive description of the character. It's simple short story about his life, which can help the writer better understand his protagonist. The writer creates a biography of the character only for himself and for no one else. Here is a biography of Boyer, written in the first person.
“My name is Boyer Bennington Mitchell. I was born on the first of January. I'm twenty six. I'm not just young, I also look young. With such an appearance in my profession, it is difficult to gain respect, but I have learned to deal with it.
For me, the most important thing is to get things done. As my father said: if you take money, work off every cent.
My father is "Big Jake" Mitchell. This is another problem for me. It is not easy to reach the level of a human legend.
Boyer Bennington was my mother's name. She was born into a family belonging to high society, she's from the Bennington family in Vermont. This is a very ancient family in New England. It so happened that in 1955 her uncle was killed here in San Francisco, and the police never found the criminal.
Let's go to Big Jake. A day later he caught the killer, and a day later he married his mother. She just lost her head. And no wonder: the father knew how to deal with women. They are all crazy about macho. Mom, at least. True, in marriage, the parents were happy as prisoners in a punishment cell.
The reason for all the troubles lay in the fact that the father insisted - one must live on what he earns, although the mother had so much money that it would be enough to buy all of Monaco. Big Jake made good money. But what is "not bad" when you're used to driving Rolls-Royces and spending the winter in the Bahamas? What a childhood I had! My mother wanted me to play the violin. And this is with a complete lack of hearing and a sense of rhythm. I have changed nine teachers. My mother blamed them for my failures. But I never set out to become a musician. When I was about fifteen, I was finally released from music lessons. Now my mother wanted to make me a banker. I didn't even want to hear about it. No, gentlemen, ever since I was a child, I wanted to be a private investigator. And even as a child, I was stubborn as a donkey. If I wanted something, I always tried to achieve what I wanted, no matter what the cost.
My mother said I wouldn't succeed - I don't look like my father at all. She fought me with the desperation of the Boers against the English. But, believe it or not, you don't have to be like Big Jake Mitchell to be a good private eye. His style is not my style. If I behaved like him, I would have been torn to pieces in the first six months.
I believe that a good private investigator should first of all have an excellent training in the field of scientific forensics, and not cast muscles and hefty fists. In college, I scored more courses in chemistry, physics, mathematics, law, forensics, programming. I can say with confidence: I'm good at investigating crimes. When Big Jake was killed in 1982, I was finishing my graduate school. Everything in my life went upside down, I was just about to get married, I had just had an operation, I wanted to buy a house and even looked at some options. Everything had to be abandoned. I took my father's business into my own hands ... "
We now have an idea of how Boyer's life began. For such important characters like Boyer, such a biographical sketch should be ten to fifty pages long. In it, you describe the events of the hero's life from the moment he was born to the beginning of your novel.
So, why did we reflect in the biography exactly these particular events in Boyer's life? As already mentioned, we need elements that will influence the behavior and feelings of the character in the novel. Boyer is young and therefore shy. Some of the other characters don't take him seriously due to his appearance. This means that Bowyer will definitely face additional difficulties. Always look for and create obstacles for your heroes. Neglect some characters to Boyer will prevent him from reaching the level of his father. Boyer's mother, who is still alive, will persuade him to change his profession - here's another obstacle for you. But he gritting his teeth will rush to the goal. As a compensation for external data that, according to the stereotype, does not correspond to the chosen profession, we will reward him with something else: intelligence and diligence. The death of his father not only forced our hero to get down to business when he was not yet fully ready for work. The death of Big Jake forced Boyer to change his plans for his personal life, to abandon the wedding. Here's another hurdle for you.
We could well create a completely different biography. In this case, the character of Boyer Bennington Mitchell would have changed radically. You can make Boyer's father a corrupt cop. Then our hero will have to defend his honest name. We could decide that he does not help in solving crimes scientific approach, but intuition. We could write that Boyer has an old, poor, sick mother and has to pay her bills. How the character appears to the reader depends entirely on the author. Shuffle the options in your imagination, there are an infinite number of them. Your the main task- to create a bright, believable multidimensional character who will brilliantly play the role assigned to him in the novel.
If you carefully work on the biography of your characters, you will know them as well as your brothers, sisters or best friends even before the novel begins. It's impossible to make a list of everything that needs to be included in a character's biography. It's up to you. The biographical sketch should include those events that will affect the feelings and behavior of your character in the novel. Tell us about everything that shaped his habits, beliefs, views, inclinations, attachments, superstitions - in short, everything that affects a person’s behavior, his decision-making in a given situation. You must be clear about the political and religious views his character, what he thinks about friendship, family. You should know what he dreams about, what he is interested in, what he is fond of, what he studied at school, what subjects he liked and what he hated. Does he have prejudices? Which? What will he hide when he comes to see a psychoanalyst? What will he hide from himself? If the character is truly close to you, you will be able to answer any question about him.
It may happen that you have written a biography of your character, but some questions still remain unanswered. Let's say your character found a wallet, and there - 10,000 dollars. What will he do with it? Take it to the police or keep it for yourself? Or, say, your hero finds out that he is terminally ill. How will he act? Commit suicide? Imagine that he has a fire in his apartment and he can save only one thing from the fire. What will this thing be? Can't answer these questions? So, further study of the character is required. This must be done before you start the novel.
From the book Structure artistic text author Lotman Yuri MikhailovichThe concept of a character Thus, the construction of the text is based on semantic structure and action, representing always an attempt to overcome it. Therefore, two types of functions are always given: classifying (passive) and acting (active) functions. If we imagine
From book IV [Collection scientific papers] author Philology Team of authors --N. V. Vinogradova. Name literary character: materials for the bibliography of the city of Tver The problem of the name of a literary character is one of the most popular in modern literary criticism, although the beginning of an active study of literary anthroponymy was laid relatively
From the book Stalin and the Writers Book One author Sarnov Benedikt MikhailovichThe fourth plot "BRING KOBA'S BIOGRAPHY..." Napoleon, when he decided to become emperor, needed legitimization of his ascension to the imperial throne. Such legitimation, according to ancient tradition, was supposed to be participation in the ceremony of coronation of the Pope. In
From the book Theory of Literature author Khalizev Valentin Evgenievich§ 4. Consciousness and self-consciousness of the character. Psychologism The character, which in the previous two paragraphs was spoken of as a whole, has a certain structure in which internal and external are distinguishable. Its image is composed of a number of components that reveal
From the book How to Write a Brilliant Novel Author Frey James HThe innermost essence of the character: the dominant passion and the way it is revealed The dominant passion is main force, manager of actions character, his main motivation. This passion is a set of feelings and desires raging in the character's heart. Boyer
From the book Tale of Prose. Reflections and analysis author Shklovsky Viktor Borisovich From the book Dictionary of a young graphomaniac, or Turkey City Lexicon by Sterling BrucePart Six Characters. The character's point of view The Jerk in the Hat A character who has one - the only conspicuous feature - either he wears a strange hat, or he is lame, or lisping, with a parrot on his shoulder, and
From the book History of Russian literature XVIII century author Lebedeva O. B.Poetics of the comedy "Mot, corrected by love": the role of the speaking character The sharpness of Lukin's literary intuition (far exceeding his modest creative possibilities) emphasizes the fact that as a source for his "additions" he is in most
From the book Fairy Tale Roots science fiction author Neyolov Evgeny MikhailovichElements of fairy-tale poetics in the structure of a science-fiction character Fantastica fairy tale specified in the image fairy world and the person living in it wonderful world. According to M. Luti, “the outside world as a concept opposite to home,
From the book A Guide to Making Atheists the author Bogosyan PeterBogosyan Petr - Guide to creating atheists Opinions about the book of other authors. "Peter Bogosyan's methods of friendly persuasion are not given to me, and perhaps I would be more effective if I mastered them. They are undoubtedly very convincing and very necessary." — Richard Dawkins, author
From the book Both time and place [Historical and philological collection for the sixtieth birthday of Alexander Lvovich Ospovat] author Team of authors From the book Literature Grade 7. Textbook-reader for schools with in-depth study literature. Part 2 author Team of authorsReading laboratory How to learn to understand the character of a character from his speech The speech of the hero is the most important means of creating his character. Analysis of the speech of a literary character (his speech characteristic) helps to get a fairly complete picture of its
From book Art culture Russian diaspora, 1917–1939 [Collected articles] author Team of authorsWhen I started writing my first work, the question of how to create a character for the book did not arise for me. I did not look for tips and advice on the Internet, did not read books on the craft of writing, but naively relied only on my own strength.
In this article, I will share with you what not worth it to do to save yourself time and nerves, as well as tips that have worked for me personally.
How many characters should be in the book?
The answer is obvious: exactly as much as you are able to reveal.
If you are sure that each of the heroes will play important role in the general plot, does not get lost in the crowd of characters, then there can be at least a hundred of them. However, do not rush to take the reader with the number of heroes.
3 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Introduce Many Characters
When you start writing a book - especially in the fantasy or science fiction genre - there is burning desire populate your story with many charismatic and unique characters. Moreover, there is a positive example: there are whole series of books where the author managed to cope with a large number of heroes. But here are 3 reasons why I don't recommend it:
- Huge waste of energy
You are spraying. Instead of creating 3-4 interesting and well-developed characters in the same amount of time, you come up with 20 and rush between them.
Here you need to ask yourself a question:
Are you ready to spend a huge amount of energy on revealing n-number of characters, instead of writing another book or working out the plot in more detail?
- Huge waste of time
Character creation is hard work. And the time that you devoted to revealing the heroes could be spent on solving other equally important tasks.
Are you ready for the fact that in the end you may be dissatisfied with the result, and the time spent cannot be returned?
- The reader did not remember / got confused / forgot
From my own experience, I can say that about 80% of readers who unsubscribed under the first chapters of my book said that it was difficult for them to remember a large number of heroes.
Are you ready for the fact that some of the readers do not want to understand a lot of heroes and drop out at the very beginning?
If you answered “no” to at least one of the three questions, you should leave this idea at least until you get your hands on it.
How many characters do you need?
It is believed that three main characters are enough. The reader will definitely not forget who is who and will not get bored. Such a number of characters is in the hands of the author himself - more opportunities, time and effort to develop the fate of the characters on the pages of the book.
Primary, secondary, episodic: what's the difference? Why are non-key characters needed?
Once you've figured out how many characters you're planning, it's time to split them into three groups:
| Main | Secondary | Episodic | |
| Who it? | The character the story is about. There can be several main characters | The character is not a key character in this story, but influences the plot or / and years. His life and relationships are described but not as detailed. | A character that flashed against the background of the main character, entered into a short interaction with him. Often such heroes do not have a name. |
| How often does it appear? | Key characters assigned most of books | Occupy approximately 20-30% of book time | Usually once or twice |
| Example. The Ringing Book by Koji Suzuki | There are two main characters: Asakawa and Ryuji - they are the ones who find the cursed videotape and investigate the murders. | A secondary character can be called Mai Takano. Not much is known about her, but she is related to both Ryuuji and Asakawa and also plays in the second part of the book. significant role in the story without being the main character | An old administrator who finds a cursed videotape in Villa B-4 and then gives it to the protagonist |
The role of secondary characters
If everything is more or less clear with the main character, I propose to consider the tasks of the supporting characters in a little more detail.
Task number 1 - Revealing the main character
Relationships between people and real life they help to learn a lot about a person, let alone books where the author specifically places emphasis in such a way as to present the main character as lively and versatile as possible. The role of secondary characters is usually assigned to friends and colleagues, a little less often to parents and acquaintances.
Task number 2 - Disclosure of the past and present
By using minor hero you can lift the veil of the past. Talk about something that even the main character did not know.
Example #1(distant past): Marge from A Nightmare on Elm Street. It is with the help of Marge and the reader, and main character learns that many years ago Krueger was pushed into the boiler room and set on fire.
Example #2(recent past): In the same book, Rod witnessed the murder that Krueger committed. This crime was blamed on Rod, who later told the main character that someone else was in the room at the time of the murder. Someone invisible who killed their mutual friend. And then the main character begins her investigation.
Also, a minor character can tell both the reader and the main character about what is happening in the present - at this particular moment.
Example: Film "Hostage" 2007. In the story, the daughter of the protagonist is kidnapped. While they are being attacked with a friend, the daughter (a minor character) is talking to her father on the phone. So both the viewer and the main character, not being nearby and not seeing what is happening with their own eyes, learn about the kidnapping of young girls, which takes place in real time.
Task number 3 - Influence on the plot
This item is somewhat similar to the previous one. But here the role of the secondary character is not to clarify the situation, but to some extent a fateful influence on the plot.
Example: Stephen King "The Shining" Hallorann, like Danny (the protagonist), has a gift called radiance in the book. It is Hallorann who warns Danny about the hotel and tells him to call him with all his might with his gift in case of emergency. This conversation eventually played a huge role at the end of the book. Danny, after his father tried to kill them, calls for help from Hallorann, who saves them and their mother.
Challenge #4 - Just being human
sometimes a role minor character is to just be human. Sometimes funny - for a comic outlet, sometimes stereotyped to ridicule deeply ingrained beliefs. You can often find stereotypical Russians or Americans in books and films, who are not key characters, but make the story more voluminous and entertaining.
What are episodic characters for?
The tasks of secondary and episodic characters may overlap with each other. An episodic hero can also help with:
- revealing the hero
Example: if the key character is driving in a taxi and the driver's chatter is too annoying, the reader will at least infer the protagonist's temperament. As a maximum - if you place the accents correctly - it will give an understanding that the hero is a sadist: he imagined during the whole trip how in literally sews up the chatty driver's mouth.
- creating background and atmosphere
If the hero enters a bar, he must be surrounded by people. At least a bartender, as a maximum - a crowd of people who are satisfied and not very happy with their lives. episodic heroes help in describing the scene. The bar can be noisy, stuffy from crowds. Such a technique with episodic (background) characters will help to make the scene more voluminous.
- plot advancement
Often, episodic characters push the protagonist to what he will have to deal with throughout the story.
Example: Koji Suzuki Call. The protagonist Asakawa rides in a taxi and learns from the driver about strange death on road. The author himself notes: “If Asakawa had decided to take the subway home that day, it would not have occurred to him to look for a connection between two different incidents. However, no matter how you look at it, the beginning of novels is always a coincidence.”
How to create a main character for a book?
We discussed secondary and episodic characters, now I propose to deal with key characters. So how do you create a character for a book?
Appearance: Do I need to describe it?
Answering the question above, I will say: it is up to the author to describe the appearance of the hero or not. I do not presume to say that there is no way without this, but in most books the authors really describe the appearance of the characters. At least in general terms.
I don’t really like to describe my characters in terms of appearance: if you manage to harmoniously fit the features of the character into the story, that’s great. On purpose, because “you need to tell what the hero looks like,” I don’t do this.
I will share some secrets that I personally use when describing the appearance of the hero:
- Comparing characters to each other.
For example: the main character sits in front of the TV and watches some program. On the screen, he notices the presenter, who is more or less like him. GG begins to compare himself with the character on the screen. It is even possible to imagine yourself not in his place and think that if they have a haircut and a slightly upturned nose, then the figure of the protagonist is better - the suit would sit on it properly, and the hair would shine under the spotlights much brighter and without any or styling aids.
- Interaction with nature and the environment. Task: weave together action and appearance description.
For example: Kais turned around and, brushing away the strands that had fallen on his face, looked at Greg, waiting for an answer. He, seeing the movement of the young man, grinned and involuntarily ran his hand along short hair that the wind could not touch.
For example: Gaby slams her fist on the table, tears running down her round, freckled face to the lines around her mouth.
- through other heroes. It can be both dialogues and thoughts. Often it turns out that in the eyes of others we look different than we think. Usually, other people immediately identify for themselves the main, most striking features of our appearance - this can be taken as the basis for describing the character.
With the following methods of describing appearance, I advise you to be careful. They have a place to be, but I advise you to avoid them altogether:
- hackneyed comparisons. For example: Ocean-colored eyes, chocolate-colored hair, and the like. There is nothing wrong with describing appearance with comparisons, but try not to use too hackneyed expressions.
- Description of appearance in reflection. This technique has a place to be, it is used in the book "50 Shades of Grey", but is already considered a stamp. And while the average reader may not care how the appearance is described, the reader-author or the very picky reader may draw negative premature conclusions about the story as a whole.
- Unrealistic, high-flown, exaggerated description of appearance. For example: Her skin was like velvet, I inhaled the amazing smell of her gorgeous fiery hair, which shimmered in the sun like silk, like a real sun. Her teeth are like pearls, and her eyes are the color of emerald. Her walk, figure, everything was perfect: from long legs I couldn't take my eyes off.
Character character
It's no secret that the reader remembers a character by character, not appearance. Failure is when all your characters differ from each other is the color of their hair and eyes.
Character (Greek χαρακτηρ - sign, distinguishing feature, sign) - a combination of stable mental characteristics of a person that determine his behavior in life circumstances and, first of all, when interacting with people around him. Character is closely related to other aspects of a person's personality, in particular, with temperament, which defines the outer form of the character expression.
For the reliability of the description of the character, you can:
Method number 1- To ask questions:
- Is the hero annoying?
- What can piss him off?
- How will he react to the betrayal?
- Is he principled?
- For a hero, duty comes first?
- Is the hero conscientious?
- Will the hero get into the fight first?
- How does it feel about violence?
- How does he resolve conflicts: with a cry or with words?
- How loudly does he speak?
- Is the hero talkative?
- Is it easy to trust people?
- Is the glass half full or empty for the hero?
Other questions can be thought up by analogy.
Method number 2- Put heroes in ambiguous situations
Also, it will not be superfluous to put all your heroes in the same delicate situation and think about how they will behave in it.
For example: The hero has those he needs to take care of, but he is broke. A profitable but illegal business is coming up: to distribute drugs, kidnap people, etc. Will your hero go for it? And if on the condition that he will DEFINITELY never be caught?
Or other situations, like this one:
Method number 3- Associations
Associations are connections between mental phenomena, in which the appearance of one of them in the mind of a person entails the almost simultaneous appearance of others.
When you search for "association" you will find a lot of interesting things on the Internet. Asking people simple words you can learn a lot about them. Play associations with the characters. Find on the Internet or come up with a list of words yourself and answer them for your characters.
For example:
family - love
house - fortress
mother - native
father - betrayal
betrayal is pain
money is fame
power is violence
man - cruelty
woman is a victim
children are not needed
Now think, what can be said about the character who made such associations?
5 ways to reveal your character
- Through action/inaction
In the same situations, the characters behind whom are own experience, past and motivation, will act differently. Their reactions to the circumstances are also dictated by temperament.
Example: "Ten Little Indians" by Agatha Christie. Ten people are locked on the island. After the first murder, real chaos begins in the villa: everyone is scared, but behave differently. Someone is furious and wants to get out, someone is crying and predicts a quick death for everyone.
- Through descriptions
You can reveal the hero through description environment . His house, office, life: does the hero keep order? Is his refrigerator empty because he is constantly working and simply does not have time to go to the grocery store? Are there photo frames around the house with family photos? etc.
See also description weather or the joys of the current season can help to tell more about the character: does the hero like heavy rain, because then there is almost no one on the street? Does he like snow? Does falling leaves evoke any childhood memories? Happy or not?
- Through thoughts
This can be the thoughts of both the hero himself, who needs to be revealed, and the reasoning about him of another character.
- Through dialogues
Dialogue is a very important part of any story. When they come out alive, reliable and interesting - this is already a great achievement. It would seem: what is difficult in describing the dialogues? You just talk through the lips of heroes about the current situation. It is, but HOW you do it matters.
It is clear that artificially extended conversations will make the reader bored. So long exchanges of pleasantries (if this does not carry some hidden meaning) should be omitted. The phrases of the heroes for the most part should be informative:
- show the character's attitude to the situation,
- to the person he is talking to
- his mood
- willingness to compromise, etc.
Writing good dialogue is absolutely possible, the main thing is to practice and learn from those authors who you think are good at it.
When you start writing dialogue, ask yourself the question:
Dialogue from which book or movie can I remember? What feelings did he make me feel? What exactly attracted and liked it so much? What side of the character's personality did the author reveal through the memorable conversation?
Analyze the answers. As a practice: try to remake the same dialogue only through the mouths of your heroes (in draft). Did it work out well? Think about the techniques used by the author.
The manner of speech will also give individuality to your characters. It could be:
- Accent;
- crown phrases, set expressions. Example: the hero adds after almost every phrase: “I think so” or “maybe not”;
- The habit of giving people nicknames;
- speech defects;
- The pace of speech.
- Through interactions with other people
It could be a relationship with episodic characters, as well as with the main ones. How does the hero behave in society? Is it polite to service personnel, does it interfere with passers-by, what kind of relationship with neighbors? How does he treat people in general? Do they annoy him? How does he behave with colleagues? With parents?
How to come up with names for the characters in the book?
The easiest way is to open lists of male and female names on the Internet, select the country in which the actions will take place, and pick up the ones that you like. Names to Avoid: long x and unpronounceable.
If you decide to come up with names yourself, I recommend making them as harmonious and memorable as possible.
Bad example: Mahtrangstenbach
Good: vilessa
If there are many heroes, try to do without surnames - this will greatly facilitate the life of the reader and help avoid confusion.
If you decide to come up with names yourself, consider making a few similar names for people of the same race or those who are territorially related. For example: all the names of one of the races end in "u".
In The Shine of the Rim, all the names of the nomadic tribe end in "tan": I-tan, Miu-tan, Ark-tan, etc. The names of all tsiturins - on "o": Ako, Nino, Jogo, Runo, etc.
How to come up with a name for the main character of the book?
The tips that I described above can also help in choosing a name for a key character. The main recommendation: let the name be as memorable as possible. You can find the name:
- in your head. What name do you think is appropriate? Maybe you came up with some name for playing in the yard as a child and you still like it? And most importantly: does it fit perfectly into the plot and the place of action?
- in the list of names on the Internet.
- in another word by rearranging or replacing letters. For example: silence - Channi Mol, marks - Teki (Teki), etc.
I want to remind you that there are no rules and standards that would dictate what a name should be. Only recommendations, advice, observations. Want a main character with the most common name? Let. With the unusual? Also normal. Just remember that your story will be read by other people who may or may not remember Karnodisavr Makhmarkhatov. Keep this in mind.
I hope the article was useful for you and you learned something new for yourself. Thank you for your attention!
FULL NAME. or nickname
Why was it named like that? Is there a story associated with the character's name?
Birthday. Astrological sign - if it's relevant.
Race, nationality, religion
social class
Financial situation
Where and in what family was he born? short biography parents.
External data and health
Figure, face, teeth, hands, hair
Dressing style
Gesticulation, voice volume
How is the health situation?
Hygiene issues: how often does he wash - once a day? once a week? When it's raining?
Does he smoke, drink, sniff, inject? If not, what about those who do it?
Character and social skills
Temperament: choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic, melancholic?
What had the biggest influence on shaping his character?
His attitude towards others: are all people brothers? Or cousins? Or does he feel like an orphan?
What does he value in people?
What does he like? What does not love?
What do friends think of him?
Who is it best friend?
Does he have enemies? If yes, who exactly?
Education and profession
Where and how did he study?
Who and where does he work?
He likes his job?
If he doesn't work, what does he fill his days with?
Is he an entrepreneur by nature or an employee?
Personal life
Attitude towards sex
Love for him is...
His ideal woman (man)?
Relations with relatives. Does he have them? Who exactly?
Is he married, divorced, widowed? If he has an ex, what does he think of them?
Does he have children? If so, how is their relationship?
Location
Country, city, district, house, apartment
Why does he live here - did he choose his place of residence or was he brought here by fate?
What does his home look like?
Who else lives with him? Wife, kids, neighbors?
Property
What does he live on?
What is he moving on?
Does he have property? A bank account, a house in Malibu, a house in Prostokvashino, land on the moon?
His relationship to property
Habits and hobbies
What are his daily habits?
Is he neat or sloppy? How important is order to him?
Is he an owl or a lark?
Food: what, how much and when does he eat? Is he a foodie or an "omnivore"?
Does he have a hobby?
Does he have pets?
Does he read books? Watching TV? Does he go to the cinema? Listening to music? Attending exhibitions?
How does he rest?
Beliefs, goals and dreams
Does he have a purpose in life?
What is he dreaming about? Is he trying to fulfill his dreams?
Where does he get his information from?
Who is his authority? Whom does he trust?
What motivates him?
Does he think that children are the flowers of life, evil monsters, unidentified walking objects?
His relationship to religion.
His attitude to politics.
What does he think about his race and nationality?
“Homeland is important” or “My home is planet Earth?”
What ideals is he willing to die for?
How does he feel about violence?
Actions in the course of the novel
What does he aspire to throughout the novel?
What is his problem at the beginning of the novel?
How does he change throughout the novel?
How should readers react to the appearance of this character?
Why should they be interested?
hero artwork can be anyone - from a cockroach to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. But we fully get used only to the image that resembles ourselves - that is, it has such human features as character, habits, virtues, shortcomings, memories, dreams, plans for the future, etc.
If your heroine differs only in velvety skin and elasticity of forms, then only prisoners who have already forgotten what a real woman looks like will be interested in reading about her.
Number of characters in a work of art
How many characters should be in a novel? As much as you can hold. In "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy, there are more than two hundred characters named by name. In the tale of the heron and the crane, there are only two.
It is believed that three is the optimal number of main characters in a game. genre novel. One character - lack conflict situations: It will be difficult for the reader to empathize with him. Two is already better, but someone else is needed to bring chaos to the relationship between the two main characters. Three is just right.
But even the intellectual novel and the mainstream should not be overpopulated. If the reader begins to get confused in the characters and forget who is who, this is a bad sign.
Emotions of the reader
When the reader wholeheartedly accepts the hero, he experiences:
Sympathy - approval and sympathy;
Empathy - the reader easily imagines himself in the place of a literary character.
For this to happen, the character must be charming. Prince Bolkonsky, Carlson, Cat Behemoth - all these and other memorable heroes are united by the following:
Reliability - they are described in such a way that the reader seems to see them with his own eyes;
The ability to imitate - the habits, words and behavior of the characters want to be copied.
Heroes to admire
IN a good novel the characters deal with their problems in a way that is admirable. Living in a successful literary image, the reader feels smarter, stronger, more charismatic - his life is filled with new colors. And this illusion of another "I" no longer wants to let go.
Ordinary person character
Many people think that the ideal hero is a simple person. Therefore, in the manuscripts that come to publishing houses, there are so many faceless girls, looking for love, and boring men with a midlife crisis. And even more - characters suffering from hard drinking and psychosis. The fact is that the authors of such works are not engaged in literature, but in self-treatment - they describe themselves and their problems.
Who do you want to spend time with?
One of America's leading literary agents, Donald Maass, invites authors to imagine that they are on a train. With whom they want to be in a compartment for the next ten hours - with a bright witty man or with a dull neurotic?
That's it.
If we want people to spend ten hours with our characters (which is the average time a book is read), the characters need to be interesting.
It's not about characters like Superman or Batman. It's about charm. And the hero can be at least a fool like Forrest Gump, even a misanthrope like Dr. House.
How to show a hero who has qualities that are difficult to convey in words (beauty, authority, fame, etc.)?
If we describe beautiful girl in the standard way - what color her lips and hair are - all this will look like a template. But if we show her through the eyes of another character, describe what he experiences when looking at the heroine, then the scene will play in a completely different way. The main thing is to focus on subjective perception.
The same technique can be used in scenes with kings and other significant persons: demonstrate not the imperious sparkle of the eyes, not the noble landing of the head, but the feelings of another hero who comes to awe at the sight of the ruler.
