How To Build A Fictional Character
Initial ideas for main characters usually come easily. The challenges lie in fleshing major characters out to be multi-dimensional—revealing who they are inwardly as well as outwardly—and in finding their motivations. A character’s motivations are the “why” they evolve throughout the story.
The stronger your characters’ voices are, the more compelling and memorable they’ll be. So let’s look at strategies for building a fictional character that you can use to create your perfect protagonist and supporting characters.
1. Try A Brand-Building Exercise
Being a copywriter, I found that building a character is just like building a brand. Lots of brand building exercises apply here.
One I really like is what I call the is/is not exercise. You can use it to establish both voice and tone parameters. For example, I could say my character is humorous but is not silly, which would imply that they’re a witty, refined kind of funny, so better to leave out the cheese and childish jokes. For tone consistency, my character’s dialogue shouldn’t break these parameters I’ve established.
Let’s try another one: my character is forgetful but is not careless, which I’d say are guidelines for voice, because forgetfulness and carelessness are personality traits, and personality is synonymous with voice in literature. Perhaps this character is juggling a lot and sometimes gets mixed up as a result—never because of thoughtlessness.
If it helps, you can write out paragraphs that further explain the implications you create. Here's an example:
Selma has a witty, refined sense of humor. She has a lot on her plate between running her own business—a metaphysical store—caring for her children, and making house calls to handle mischievous ghosts running amok, so she sometimes forgets things though she is thoughtful and a good listener.
There are no incorrect words or phrases for the is/is not part. You just have to decide for yourself what type of character you’d be excited to write about for the length of a novel, or whatever kind of piece you’re writing.
2. Create A Collage
You can create a collage, also known as a mood board, with words, photos, illustrations, or a combination that you think represent the voice you want to cultivate for your character. Mood board creation is another common brand building activity.
As you write your story, keep the collage nearby as a reminder to yourself of how the character should sound and feel to the reader.
Collages are also useful when trying to write descriptive language about a setting. Reminders of particular smells, sounds, colors, and textures can assist you in bringing out the essence of a place or time. That brings me to my next tip for how to build a fictional character …
3. Surround Yourself With Things That Speak To Your Character’s Personality
In my first novel, when I was writing about two characters based on my grandparents, I’d often close my eyes and remember the textures and patterns of the furniture in my grandparents’ home, the smell of their home, the colors of the walls and decor, and the overall vibe I got from being in their house, which is a vibe I tried to elicit through the characters in my story.
In a way, telling your character’s story as an author is like telling someone else’s story as a journalist; you have to immerse yourself in it to do it right.
4. Write A Backstory
You can also write a full backstory for a character that covers their early life, interests and goals, and other personal details that explain their motivations and central problem. Parts of the backstory could serve as exposition in the actual piece. Other parts of the backstory might be better left out of the real piece but can serve as good references, just like the images in a collage.
Do you have other strategies of your own for how to build a fictional character? I’d love to hear about them. Send me a message!
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MJ Biggs is the author of the novel A Wonderful Place To Die.