How to To Create Dynamic, Memorable Characters

Begin creating your collection of characters. One day you will need them!

Remember Huckleberry Finn and Sherlock Holmes? Bet you do!

Why do some characters stay with us long after reading a book? Was it their physical description that we remember? Or something they said resonated with us?

How do Authors create these dynamic, memorable characters?

In this article, we will explore what components you must include to create your own dynamic and memorable characters for your stories.

Why wait? Let’s get started.

Where do you start?

Now that you have selected your genre, you are ready to begin creating characters for your story. The genre that you selected will give you some idea about age and gender of your characters. So you are not starting with a blank slate. You already have something to work with. For example, if you have selected the Young Adult category, your characters will be in the 14 and above age group. Or if you are writing romance, the main character is usually female.

Find Pictures

First, let’s decide what our characters look like. I normally like to create an album. Nothing fancy. Just a collection of pictures of what they look like. You know, typical relations like their relatives, friends, neighbours and even the village butcher.

Create a physical album

I like to have an actual physical folder of pictures that I collect from magazines, newspapers and the internet. That’s right! I don’t throw out magazines until I have saved a few pictures for my collection. And believe me, some magazines can be a treasure chest when they have several poses of the same person. Wow! I love when that happens.

Create a digital collection

With the coming of the digital age, we can easily create a digital collection. Even build a family tree of pictures that we find. See, once we have collected an entire group of pictures in the initial planning stage, we no longer have to worry about characters and what they look like.

There are times when I let my characters unfold. But I have to confess, I didn’t get very far with the plot and writing the story. Now I find it easier to just know who my people are from the beginning.

Include these components

In the past, I spent lots of time creating my characters, piece at a time. You know, adding things like their age and name and likes and dislikes.

I did lots of research on what components to include in my character sketches. Jerry Jenkins in Your Ultimate Guide to Character Development: 9 Steps to Creating Memorable Heroes  talks about giving your character a name; a backstory; some heroic qualities and a character flaw.

I have compiled a basic list which includes:

• Name
• Age
• Gender
• Height
• Distinguishing features
• Eye colour
• Hair colour
• Clothes
• Speech patterns
• Mannerisms
• Job
• Hobbies
• Marital status
• Religious affiliation
• Strengths
• Weakness

Character Worksheet

I’m not sure why I hadn’t thought of it earlier, but I these days, I just use a simple Character Worksheet that I created. Right from the start of my projects, I populate it with all the information as well as any relevant pictures that I choose to use for my characters. I find it easier since all the information is now in one place.

If you are interested in getting a copy of this Character Worksheet, do not hesitate to CLICK HERE!

What can you learn from this?

Besides what to include in your character sketch, you need to discover your method of character building that works for you.

Do you build them all at once or let them evolve as you develop your plot?

What’s next?

Download the PDF Version HERE to read later.

Read: 3 Quick Ways To Choose The Right Genre.
Transform Your Manuscripts Into Published Products For Fun Or Profit!

Begin creating a collection of characters. One day you will need them!