Creating Realistic Characters - Just Add Passion!
by Jasmine
We all know about irritating, one-dimensional characters in writing that completely ruin a story. Look no further than Twilight's bland heroine, Bella Swan, who has no faults except for her clumsiness and no life other than Edward. To create a truly memorable character, get to know them. Literally. For example, you want a character that has been betrayed and finds it very difficult to trust. Imagine them walking into your school/place of work. How do they react when greeted? They are not likely to be the most vivacious, are they? They will probably shrug, half-smile, not do any thing to keep the conversation going. On the other hand, a vibrant eternal optimist will probably be overly friendly, beaming, chatting, using hand gestures and generally showing that they would like to meet new people and make friends. Imagine what would happen if you tried to hug them, or slapped them, or said some thing deliberately hurtful. Treat your new characters like your new best friends. Explore them, challenge them, maybe even interview them. And slowly but surely, your character will begin to shape form and the readers will love you for creating such a vivid character!
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