There are many metaphors to describe the process of creating a character, from building a house to peeling an onion, but instead of adding layers to a blank canvas, I want to show you how to create the core of your character. I believe every character has a core, and it’s this essence that guides who they are and reveals who they’ve been. Something so vital must be engaging or else a reader will 1) not connect with the character and/or 2) put the book down. In this article I’m giving you five core elements to make memorable, engaging characters by keeping it weird. 1. Description - The easiest, but perhaps most superficial way to make readers remember your characters is through their appearances. A well-known example of this is the lightning scar on a certain boy wizard’s forehead, but there are many other ways to make descriptions unique. Does your character have interesting tattoos, clothing, or eye color? Characters with flaws are interesting, but if their body is unmarred, you can distinguish characters using stylistics instead. Figurative language like raven-feather hair or pond-like eyes will stick in the head better than black hair and blue eyes—just remember a little goes a long way when it comes to metaphors. 2. Personality - Sunshine, grumpy, begrudgingly optimistic—however their personality leans, make sure it’s consistent. Contradictions are especially brain-sticky. Does your character look tough but have a cinnamon-roll personality? Maybe they look innocent but are actually the assassin of the group. What kind of humor do they use? Go wild. Give me a vampire who just wants to plant a garden or a prince who wants his brother to rule. 3. Hobbies - What does your character like to do physically? Mentally? Creatively? Characters don’t have to be jocks, nerds, or artsy, but I like reading characters who have passions. Maybe they have a skateboard collection or like to crochet mini animals. If you can make said collection or hobby tie in to the plot, even better. A common hobby is art, but what specifically does your character like about it? What does their chosen medium say about them? Or say they like space, how does it affect their outlook on life? Look for connections between what your character likes to do and the plot around them. 4. Backstory - The way it’s revealed and how it affects the character now will make backstory memorable. Make sure it matters to the plot, and readers will remember it. Think beyond the orphaned chosen one and cliché backstories. 5. Secrets - What is your character hiding from others? Themselves? When a character reveals a secret it changes them in the reader’s mind. The more drastic a secret, the bigger it can land. Sometimes what we feel are big secrets are small to others. Perhaps your character hides that they need glasses or their singing voice? When a character is hiding something it makes them more interesting, and readers will naturally pay attention to try and figure it out. The unexpected, the contradictory, the weird and strange—a character becomes memorable when they act outside of assumptions and challenge our expectations. The best characters are flawed, and flaws are what make us human. So go out there and write a character with a secret, with a cinnamon-roll exterior and dark inside, with a purple afro and three gold nose rings. We can’t wait to read them, and if you want feedback on your story, check out the free alpha and beta services from The Young Writer’s Initiative. Grayson Yountis a writer based in North Carolina. She attends writing classes of all kinds at UNC Chapel Hill and has a particular fondness for sharp imagery. In her free time, she drafts her own novels.
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