How do writers bring their characters to life?

Answer 1

Writers develop characters by people-watching. Observe everything around you at all times. Most writers keep a notebook or small pad with them to jot down ideas and reminders. Notice how people act, how they speak, and what they do. Write down interesting conversations that you hear, or interesting behaviours. Pay attention to jobs that people do, and take note of unusual situations. Anything that you notice can help your characters to be more realistic. You can also study scientific fact, such as psychology and sociology, to learn how people act and what is normal. Another thing that writers do is to come up with an interesting plot and then imagine what sort of character would find themself in that situation. To come up with realistic characters, you have to understand the way people act. You can invent a character with certain traits so that they will behave the way you want them to, and will react to make your story work out. Write about your characters as if they really exist, and you are merely describing them to yourself. How a characer speaks and reacts in a given situation can develop him/her in the most intersting way for the reader. When your characters tell you, "No, I wouldn't do it like that," as you write about them, they are well developed.

Answer 2

For me, the best way to develop a character is to work from the inside out. I decide what the character thinks of himself, what is going through his mind, what he thinks of the person he is talking to, and most importantly, what he wants.

Here are some ways to develop your characters:

• Internal - what the above paragraph suggested
• External - physical appearance, mannerisms, way of walking and talking, etc
• Background - everything that has happened to the character before the story starts
• Dialogue - the unique way the character talks
• Relationships - the way the character interacts with other characters

Answer 3

Speaking as an author myself, there are many ways to create a character.

They don't just appear out of nowhere. They will always reflect on something the author knows about or, rarely, what they don't know a clue about. The character, whether good or bad, will house a piece of the author.

We all have dark sides, so, when a villain is created, you output your ideas and emotions into that character, giving emotional depth to the character.

We all have a noble side, too, so when the protagonist is created, they are not just pulled out of your mind. I have to think long and hard about each of my characters, even the uninfluential ones. (sorry, I spelled that wrong).

I always decide who they are on the inside before coming up with their physical appearances. It's easier to mold the appearance than the soul.

Basically, you have to go through A LOT to get a character planned out. Each one is like a map; they don't just appear out of thin air.

Answer 4

Here are some ways you can develop your character's personality:

• The way they dress
• The way they act
• The way they speak
• The way they think and feel

Answer 5

In order to write a good story, you have to have characters that you like and want to write about!

Here's how most authors do it:

1. Either start off with a good plot and figure out what sort of characters would be involved with that plot OR start off with one or more interesting characters and imagine what sort of story they would be in
2. Make up as much about your character as you can -- there are dozens of good online "character sheets" that you can print off and fill out about your character's likes/dislikes, physical appearance, background, etc. You may never use most of this knowledge, but the more you know about each character, the more real they will be to the readers because you will make them feel like real people.
3. Give your characters unique personalities -- gestures and mannerisms, quirks, ways of talking and moving, and don't forget flaws! Nothing is more boring than a character who is perfect.
4. Remember to show, not tell -- instead of telling what your characters look and sound like, show them talking and moving, and let the descriptions be part of the background.

Here's where authors get character ideas, too:

• All around you -- observe people constantly, and you'll get tons of character ideas.
• Inside your head -- make up characters! Talking animals, mythological creatures, aliens from another planet -- if you use your imagination, you can find even more character ideas!
• Movies and books -- don't copy characters from other authors, but you can get ideas about types of characters from lots of movies and books.

Answer 6

Writers have a variety of ways to bring characters to life:

• Direct characterization - simply telling the reader what the character looks like, acts like, etc
• Indirect characterization - showing how the character thinks and feels by their actions and speech
• Creating characters that are realistic and believable to the reader
• Creating characters that are sympathetic - characters who are understandable and make the reader care about them

Answer 7

The word "imaginative" is the key part of this question. Writers use their imaginations all the time. Here is a link to a good character sheet -- fill this out for each one of your characters, and they'll be imaginative!

Answer 8

when you develop a character, the reader dosent have to like them or agree with them, but they have to care about them and wonder what will happen to them