Two Articles About Character Creation

I wrote two articles about character creation that I think (and hope) might be of help to people out there struggling with the topics the articles cover. Both articles have been published at Writinghood.com, so I'll merely link them here. (Expect a regular full post soon.)

1. Crafting Great Heroes and Villains

Creating epic heroes and villains is a difficult task. Many writers struggle with it, particularly in the fantasy genre, because they have a lot to live up to (think Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader). This article sheds light on how to achieve the epic heroes and villains you desire.

2. The Dos and Dont's of Naming a Character

Naming a character is one of the most difficult aspects of character creation. Their name is, more often than not, the first thing that represents them to the world. Even people who've never read the Harry Potter books know who Harry Potter is. A name is oh-so important; what's even more important is not to make any naming mistakes you'll kick yourself for later.

Personally, naming characters is the one thing I can say, with all confidence, I excel at. That's not to toot my own horn. It's just that every writer must know their own strengths in order to succeed. I hope my experience will benefit some people out there. (Just as I hope the experiences of many of you other writers will benefit me.)

Again, look forward to a regular post to be posted sometime later today.

Characters: Fun Ways to Create Them Part II

Last post, we covered a more visual approach. This time, we'll go for a written one.

You know those annoying MySpace or Facebook surveys that people post in their bulletins and notes? You know, the ones that ask things like "If you could be any color of the rainbow, what would you be?" Well, believe it or not, they can actually be useful when creating a character. It's kind of like a character sheet or something only in Myspace Survey form.

To make it easier on you, I will just post some questions for you to answer. The catch? Answer it using your character's voice. Let them speak through you. This is kind of an intermediate character exercise because it assumes you already know what your character looks like and a few of the basics. However, the exercise prompts you to think of more detailed things that you haven't thought about yet.

Again: answer in your character's voice. I cannot stress this enough, because it's the whole point of the exercise.

The Survey

Full name:
Nickname (if applicable):
Gender:
Age:
Birth date:
Hair color:
Hair Style:
Eye Color:
Skin color:
Blood Type:
Body type/build:
Distinguishing features:
Tattoos, piercings, scars:
Favorite TV show:
Favorite Movie:
Favorite Song:
Favorite Musical Artist:
Favorite Food:
Favorite day of the week:
Who are your parents?:
Who are your grandparents?:
Do you have any siblings?:
Any other family members?:
Spouse/partner/casual romantic affair/crush?:
Occupation:
School (present or previous):
Friends:
Enemies:
Pets:
Biggest fear:
Biggest hope:
Worst memory:
Best memory:
Craziest dream:
Where do you see yourself in five years?:
What would you do if your biggest fear happened right now?:
Are you good under pressure?:
Any annoying habits?:
In your own words, why are you important?:
Where were you last night and why were you there?:
Weapon of choice?:
Leader or follower?:
What do you want more than anything in the world at this very second?:
When you look back on your life, what is your biggest regret?

Unlike when on MySpace, your character has to tell the truth. Nothing is too detailed. Nothing is too sacred. Fill it out as in-depth as you possible can. You can even add anecdotes from your characters P.O.V. about past events which further explain their answers. Don't just write one or two word answers. Save it, so you can refer to it later. Also, add any more questions you feel needs to be answered for your specific piece.

Most importantly? Have fun. Let that show through while you're answering the questions. Let your character speak. After all, that might tell you something you need to know.

Chracters: Fun Ways to Create Them Part I

One of my favorite aspects of writing is character creation. There's nothing like breathing life into your fiction by pouring your thoughts and feelings into a character so that they might touch your readers and tell them a story.

For those who have hit some snags in creating their characters, there's still hope. Not everyone creates characters in the same way. One of the great things about character creation is that you can come at it from any angle you like. Do what works best for you, add to the method, and perfect it from there.

Anyone like playing The Sims series? Me too! Bet you never thought you could use the Sims as a character creation tool, did you?

It's quite easy. It's recommended that you use either Sims 2 or Sims 3, because of the fact that they are more versatile, and have better customization, as well as better (more realistic) Sim-building.

When using the Sim Method (I've named it), it's very important you don't use some downloaded Sim somebody else already made. Instead, use the base Sims in Create-a-Sim (or bodyshope, if you're using TS2). Shape and mold their faces until they are your character's face. I recommend using custom content for your Sim's skin, hair, makeup, clothes, accessories, etc, because they are more realistic, there's more variety, and they're just all around better. (Need custom content for TS2 or TS3? Check out Mod the Sims. They've got literally tens of thousands of safe, FREE content ready to be downloaded.)

Turn the Sim into your character. Give them the eye color, the hair color, etc. Make the Sim wear clothes your character would wear. Give them the family your character has. If you're using TS3, give your character-Sim the favorites and personality traits your character has.

Now we get to play!

Move your character-Sim into a home and have fun. Create other characters from your novel and plop them into the neighborhood. Let your hero/heroine interact with the other characters ONLY the way they would in the novel. Create situations you can use for your novel. Just have fun -- the key is to ONLY let your character-Sims interact the way they would in the novel.

The reason this method is so effective is because it puts your character in front of you visually. It allows you to to see them, so that you can visually see the descriptions you need (like the exact color of their eyes, the shape of their nose, etc). Also, it allows you to test out certain scenarios without writing them down.

But there is writing involved. The next step is to write down what you've learned from your character-Sims. Use it. More importantly, have fun with it -- it'll really show through on your finished novel product.

Let me know if you try this method. I would love to hear your thoughts! I know I have fun with it.