Create new file on a computer or take a sheet of paper for notes. Start with a name. It must match the culture or nationality (for example, Gothic characters might be called Arachne Valdor or Hellebor Natrix).
Consider the character's age. Think of a date of birth, and if necessary, a date of death.
Think of its origin. What country is your character from and where does he live now? Has he or she experienced some kind of shock in the past - the death of loved ones, parents, rape, cruel treatment, dislike of parents, loneliness and the need to take care of yourself with young years or something even worse?
Consider how past events have changed the character's life. Perhaps he became a silent and unsociable goth or emo? Or an alcoholic? You decide!
Think about the parents and the rest of the character's family. How did his parents treat him? Was he an outcast in his family or the same as everyone else? Did he have brothers or sisters? If so, how did they get along? Did quarrels rage between them, or, on the contrary, did peace and love reign?
Describe how he treats others. He is cute? Haughty? Harmful? Mysterious? Was he affected by a difficult childhood (if it was such) - for example, suddenly he is cruel to animals? How your character reacts to others can tell readers a lot about him (for example, "Laura avoided walking through the park because the children playground annoyed her" sounds more interesting than "Laura didn't like children").
If you get stuck, try placing your character in certain circumstances (such as a robbery or an earthquake) and see how he reacts. Whine and cower in fear? Fearlessly throw the robber to the ground? Or is he the robber? Will he help rescue people from the rubble of the earthquake? Or will he start robbing abandoned stores and killing bystanders? Remember that actions speak louder than words.
Does the character have a favorite item? Perhaps this is an old hunting knife or a terrible-looking blouse - a gift from a loved one? Or is it not even a thing, but a favorite gold fish? Imagine what a character carries in his pockets: lip balm, Swiss army knife, shiny pebble?
Now think about his values in life. What is the most important thing for the character, what does he believe in (for example, "money is above all")? If you want to give depth to his personality, give him conflicting values. For example, nothing is more important to Bob than his seriously ill dog Nemo. It's fine, but not enough for the story. But let money be no less important for Bob. Now we have a plot twist: Bob loves Nemo, but his treatment is too expensive. How will Bob do it? He can't get rid of Nemo - and he can't afford to keep paying the vet. Perhaps he will get a second job, or start robbing people, or pretend to be blind and be in free time begging on the street.
(ratings: 3
, average: 5,00
out of 5)
For real good book includes not only carefully thought out and interesting story, but also characters that we cannot help but love, who cling to us to the core and make us experience the events of the book with them. So why are they captivating us?
In this article, I will tell you some simple secrets that you will use to come up with a character for a book.
First of all, we must decide for ourselves what should be our main character and what might interest the reader. Reading a lot of books, you might think that some writers real talent to create unusual protagonists for books that attract attention, that they just once appeared in the head of the author and declared themselves. But, of course, this is not entirely true. Each hero is a personality thought out to the smallest detail, who has his own worldview, some kind of past, carries a certain experience in life. Have you thought about how much work we have to do?
But the work, I must admit, is pleasant and interesting. So, for starters, let's open a brand new notepad that tempts with clean pages (however, you can just start a file on your computer) and write a dossier on our character. There will be many points.
1. Name and surname Acquaintance with your character for the reader begins with his name. Therefore, the name, of course, is better to choose the original. It's great if you're in the habit of writing down ideas that pop up out of the blue on the street or anywhere else, because then you probably already have a couple of pretty names in your pocket. If not, be sure to try it! In the meantime, the all-encompassing Internet is quite capable of helping you. There may even be a story associated with the name. If there is one in your imagination, write it down in the same paragraph. Your character may not need a last name. If, nevertheless, you decide that it is necessary, then do not forget about the relationship between surname and origin. For example, if you write in the fantasy genre, then the names of the representatives different peoples should emphasize their belonging to it. Also especially beautiful surnames found in the descendants of an aristocratic family.
2. Age In this paragraph, indicate the approximate date of birth of the character or how old he is on this moment. You can try to use the astrological signs of the Zodiac and choose a date that matches his desired character.
3. Origin Here write where your hero was born, is there any story connected with this? If he now lives elsewhere, why did he leave? Don't forget nationality. If it matters, then go back two points and see if the character's first and last name match it.
4. Appearance Now that we know where our character comes from and what his name is, let's try to imagine what he might look like. Do not rush to immediately proceed to the description, for starters, just create an image in your head and carefully study it. It should have some special details that will help you and the reader along with you to perceive your character more realistically.
5. Family Here you need to decide who your character's parents were, what kind of relationship he had or has with them. Your hero may have learned something from parenting experience, or maybe he was closer to his mother than to his father, or vice versa. There must be reasons for all this, indicate them too. Family status. If your character is divorced, then talk about his feelings for ex-wife and what is the story behind it.
6. Character This is perhaps one of the most difficult points, and one of those that you will definitely supplement from time to time. Describe here the demeanor, temperament of your character. At first, you may not be able to write anything specific, but the disclosure of the following points will gradually tell you more about this person.
7. Aspirations Your hero may have some kind of dream. Even if there is no dream, he definitely must have some goals in life.
8. Fears There are no people who are not afraid of anything at all. At this point, there may be superstitions that your hero believes, or maybe something in the past is connected with his fears, then this should also be mentioned.
9. Relationships with people First, point out what your character truly appreciates in people. Take this seriously, because this trait sometimes determines the initial relationship with strangers. Here is the hero's views on love and sex. What role do relationships and feelings play in his life? What are his moral qualities?
10. Work and education Where the hero studied and how well, where he worked (works), what kind of relationship he has with his colleagues. Does he like his job? Write.
11. Place of residence Where does your hero live and who lives with him. Why did he settle here, maybe a whole story is also connected with this?
12. Pastime Everyone has a couple of personal hobbies, and your character is no exception, most likely. At this point, you should also talk about how the character prefers to spend his free time: walks around the city, friends, a bar, books?
13. Friends Friends can tell us something about a person, so this point is also important. We should think about whether our character has many friends, if they have any at all. It may turn out that he really does not have close friends, but he does have a few friends.
14. Bad habits What kind of person has no vices? Describing this item can go a long way in helping you add some personality to your character. Or maybe he repents, and decided to quit everything? However, some little things must be present, he is not an angel.
15. Attitude towards society and the situation in the world Of course, it may be that your character does not care deeply about everything that happens outside of him. own life, but if not, then you should write here how he relates to talking about politics, and which side he usually takes. Does he follow the news?
16. Faith Your character's attitude towards religion can change a lot in his perception of the world. Write what religion he considers himself to be, what he believes in. Is the hero fanatic or is he a convinced atheist? If yes, why?
This is what your character profile will look like. For convenience and clarity, you can use, many of which were reviewed by me in a previous article. Be prepared for the fact that the dossier will change and be supplemented. This does not mean that you have to change it completely, just do not be afraid to make changes, they definitely contribute to the development. Of course, the reader will not immediately recognize your character as a whole, and not all the details will be revealed by you in the book. But all these points will create a lively, holistic image, with which it will be much easier and more interesting for you to work later. In the end, who is the reader more likely to love - a superficially described hero, or a real, living person, with his thoughts, emotions, understanding?
Somewhere I read this phrase: if only the hero you invented starts doing things unexpected for you, rejoice, he was a success. This is already a full-fledged personality, about the actions of which you do not have to think deeply. The character takes on a life of his own.
Well latest tips. If you have taken on great work, pay close attention your character's past. Skeletons in the closet are just wonderful, but it’s better if there are more than one of them, and they will appear gradually, step by step. It is very interesting to intertwine two storylines: past and present. By the end of the novel, your character must reconsider some things. Perhaps, for the sake of this, a difficult dilemma will be put before him, which the hero will not be able to solve, adhering to his initial beliefs. As a result, he will change his inner world which is exactly what we are trying to achieve.
Now you know how to come up with a character for a book. On our site you can also read tips on how to avoid and. Good luck!
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
AT 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.
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!
1. What are the values for the character? Money, friendship, power, faith, something else? How important are they to him?
2. What is outwardly beautiful for a character, and what is ugly? "Outwardly" implies all five senses, some music may be beautiful to him, and some smell - disgusting. A certain style in general can also be beautiful - for example, some people are crazy about gothic.
A) Does the character have an ideal of beauty, someone or something that he sees as perfection, absolutely beautiful?
b) Is there anything that disgusts him?
Q) How important is beauty to a character?
3. Does the character have strong moral principles?
a) How strict are they?
b) Can he give them up? If yes, under what circumstances?
Q) Is there a concept of taboo, Sin, for the character, that is, it is impossible simply because it is impossible?
TEST 1: How would the character respond to the question "What would you not do for anything?"
TEST 2: How does the character feel about the expression "If you can't, but really want to, then you can"?
4. Is the character honest?
A) Under what circumstances is a character able to lie? Is it easy for him, or will he be honest to the last?
b) How does the character feel about lying?
5. Does the character profess any religion/philosophy?
A) Why does he profess this particular religion/philosophy?
B) Has he previously professed any other religion/philosophy? If so, why did he change it?
Q) How seriously does he take his religion/philosophy?
6. What does the character want from life - fame, prosperity, love? How does he want to live - quietly and well, wandering in search of adventure, luxuriously and richly, alone in the wilderness?
7. Is there something the character lives for?
A) Does he think that he has some goal in life that he must achieve or a mission that he must fulfill?
B) What is the meaning of his life, something without which he cannot imagine himself? In free wanderings, communication with friends, battles?
Q) Does the character have a secret dream, the most important desire?
QUIZ: How would the character himself answer the question "What do you live for"?
8. How does the character feel about death?
a) What does the character think death is? Does the "official" opinion of the religion/philosophy he professes agree with his own idea?
b) Is he afraid of dying?
C) What feelings does the sight of a dead body evoke in him?
9. Is it easy to scare a character? What is he afraid of? Does he have irrational fears, phobias, nightmares?
10. Under what circumstances will the character run for his life?
11. Is the character romantic or more cynical?
A) Does the character tend to embellish the situation, "to look at the world through rose-colored glasses"?
B) If not, is the character inclined to "tear rose-colored glasses" from others, to deromanticize the situation?
12. Is the character optimistic, realistic or pessimistic?
a) Does he tend to whine?
b) Does he tend to cheer others up?
TEST 1: Fast! Is the character's glass half full or half empty? Does cognac smell like bed bugs, or does bed bugs smell like cognac? Does he have a lower salary, or does his neighbor have more?
TEST 2: The party is in a cave filled with rocks. The blockage is serious on your own hardly realistic. They do not know if anyone knows where they are or what is happening to them. They are equally likely to be rescued in an hour or never. How will the character behave in such a situation?
RELATIONSHIP OF THE CHARACTER TO THE ENVIRONMENT
1. Does the opinion of others about him matter to the character? A) Is the character prone to showing off, "playing for the public"?
b) Does the character strive to be liked by others?
c) What would he like to be thought of? Who does he want to look like in the eyes of others?
2. Is the character outgoing?
A) Is it easy for him to meet new acquaintances?
B) Does he like to be in the company, or prefer solitude?
TEST 1: Does your character like parties?
TEST 2: How would the character feel about the prospect of spending two days at home all alone?
3. Is the character tolerant of others?
A) Can he tolerate when others behave, in his opinion, wrong?
b) Is he moralistic?
4. Does the character divide people into "us" and "them"?
A) How strict is the line drawn between "us" and "them" for the character?
B) How does his behavior differ from "us" and "strangers"?
Q) Under what circumstances will an "alien" become "ours" for a character? Is it easy?
D) How does the character feel about outsiders and strangers?
E) Is there such a thing as "enemies" for the character?
5. Is the character prone to any kind of chauvinism?
A) How does it affect the attitude of a character to another character:
a. Floor?
b. Age?
c. Race?
d. Appearance?
e. Clothing?
f. Social status?
B) Does the character have any special relationship with members of their own race?
Q) How does the character feel about non-humanoid (Greenskins, Martians, centaurs, etc.) races?
D) How does the character relate to manifestations of foreign chauvinism?
TEST: Tavern. A drunken company sits at the table next to the character and poisons jokes about his race ("Do you know how many hobbits it takes to change a light bulb?..."). His reaction?
6. Is the character prone to forgiveness, or is he more of a vindictive one? Are there things he doesn't forgive?
7. Is the character vindictive?
A) What is the character likely to retaliate for?
B) How important is revenge to him?
Q) If the character will take revenge, then according to the principle "an eye for an eye" or according to the principle "rewarded a hundredfold"?
D) How far can the character go in his revenge?
e) How far is he willing to go for revenge?
F) If it turns out that revenge requires too much time, effort and money, will the character give up or go to the end?
8. Is the character prone to self-sacrifice?
A) Under what circumstances can he risk his health or life?
B) Under what circumstances will he go to INEVITABLE death?
C) Under what circumstances is the character willing to sacrifice...
1) Soul?
2) Mind?
3) Freedom?
4) Welfare?
5) main force(For a magician, this is an opportunity to conjure, for a priest - God's blessing, for a cyberpunk hacker - a neuroshunt)?
6) Close ones?
D) Is there anything the character will not sacrifice under any circumstances?
TEST: Compare two situations.
First: Fight. The character sees a crossbow being aimed at his comrade. He may have time to cover it with his body, but there is no time for anything else.
Second: The character's comrade is about to be hanged. There is no chance to release, but there is an opportunity to change places with him. There is time to think things through.
Will the character's behavior be different in these situations?
9. How freedom-loving is the character?
A) Does he tend to obey, or, on the contrary, does the fact that he is ordered make him want to do the opposite? If the latter is more likely, then is there someone to whom he is still ready to obey ("Besides the Lord, I did not know kings ...")?
B) How does he treat senior officials and authorities?
C) How does he feel about the power of the law over him?
D) Is he inclined to punctually follow the instructions given to him, or is he more likely to do it first, and then he will figure it out?
E) Can the character come to terms with slavery?
E) Can a character endure slavery for a while?
G) Would the character be able to wait (for example, at the table)?
H) Would the character easily submit to the force, or would he stand to the last?
i) Is there anything that would cause the character to humiliate himself?
K) Does he have the concepts of "Debt of Service", "Debt of Honor", etc.?
L) Is there a difference for a character between submitting to someone who has legal authority over them and submitting to someone who is simply stronger?
10. How powerful is the character?
A) Does the character enjoy giving orders to others?
b) How does he feel about juniors in rank?
Q) How does the character behave with subordinates?
D) Could the character become a slave owner?
E) Could the character be the boss?
E) How does the character relate to people with slave psychology ready to obey?
G) How does he treat the recalcitrant, who do not recognize authority over themselves?
11. Is the character cruel?
A) How does he feel about other people's death and suffering? Are they terrible for him, does he look at them coolly, or rejoices in them?
b) Can he kill? If yes, under what circumstances? What will he feel about it? Will it be a shock, a pleasure for him, or will he treat it with indifference?
c) Has he killed before? If yes, under what circumstances? How did this affect him?
D) Is the character capable of torture? How cruel? If so, how will he feel about it?
E) In combat, does the character only try to defend, disarm, immobilize, maim, or kill opponents?
TEST 1: An unfamiliar person armed with a sword runs towards the character. In the hands of the character is a loaded pistol. He is guaranteed to hit anywhere on the body of the runner, shoot into the air or run away. His actions? And in a situation where there is no way to escape?
TEST 2: Before the eyes of the character, a person familiar to the character (for example, a member of his team) is going to finish off a defeated enemy who is not able to resist. His reaction?
TEST 3: An acquaintance of the character is about to torture a prisoner. Character reaction? Will he try to stop him, turn away, participate, observe, or remain indifferent?
TEST 4: An acquaintance of the character did use torture. Will it change your character's attitude towards him? How?
CHARACTER'S ATTITUDE TO HIMSELF
1. How does the character feel about himself? A) Does he treat himself pathetically or with a share of self-irony?
b) How much does he love himself?
Q) Does it happen that the character hates or despises himself?
D) How does the character feel about being insulted?
e) How does the character feel about laughing at himself?
E) Does the character tend to feel sorry for himself?
TEST: In a conversation with friends, the character accidentally makes a funny and stupid slip of the tongue. Friends laugh happily. His reaction? Will he be offended, angry, laugh with them? How will his reaction change if those with whom he speaks are not friends, but unfamiliar people?
2. How satisfied is the character with himself? Is there anything in his character that he would like to change?
3. How confident is the character? Does he believe that he will succeed?
TEST: The character stands on the edge of a wide and wide gorge, across which a ghostly bridge is thrown. He knows that "The bridge will only bear the one who believes in himself." His actions?
4. Is it easy to influence him, to convince him of anything? How does he react to attempts to influence him?
TEST: A preacher on the street stops the character and begins to expound his faith to him, urging him to join it. His reaction?
5. How controlled is the character?
A) Is it easy to provoke the character to do something?
B) Is it easy to bring him into a state of passion?
Q) Is it easy for the character, being in a state of passion, to pull himself together?
D) Does the character have a pet peeve, anything that makes them lose their temper easily?
E) Does it happen that in a state of passion he performs actions that he later regrets?
E) Is there anything that the character finds difficult to resist?
6. How does the character have fun and relieve stress?
a) Does the character have any hobbies or hobbies?
b) What does he like to do?
c) What does he not like to do?
D) Does he have bad (or harmless) habits? How much does he depend on them?
E) What is more important for the character - "I have to" or "I want"?
E) Can he satisfy his desires to the detriment of duties?
G) Can he suppress desires for the sake of duties?
