The Character Creation Process…
Bringing Your Imaginary Friends to Life
We've all been there: lying in bed, just drifting off to sleep, and suddenly, a thought pops into your mind that you can’t stop focusing on. And just like that, sleep is a lost cause!
This is usually how my characters come to me—when I’m half-asleep. Then I can't stop thinking about them. They’re with me when I’m taking a shower or when I’m cooking dinner or watching TV, these quirky or grumpy characters run through my mind on a hamster wheel. Their backstories and personalities unravel as they run circles in my thoughts. And that’s when I know it’s time to bring this imaginary friend to life.
But not like Dr. Frankenstein. I don't harvest body parts and brains from gravesites. I'm more like Mary Shelley... in that they become characters in my books. Not all of them are main characters and some never make an appearance at all, but they’re all the inspiration behind the story.
If you read my Writing Process blogs, you’ll remember the characters often come to me before anything else. So, to develop them into relatable, lovable (or love-to-hateable) people, there are questions to be answered!
The musts:
Their name. The main character’s (MC) name never comes to me right away. I do a lot of research to find a name that resonates with who they are, where they come from, and the genre of the book.
Their age greatly depends on the genre. I don’t write YA, at least not yet, so my MCs are somewhere in their twenties. In my fantasy or paranormal books some side characters can be up to thousands of years old, but they’ll look like they’re in their 20s or 30s. In my non-fantasy books, my characters range from early twenties to late thirties.
Their gender. My MCs are female. I’ve read books with female MCs written by men and male MCs written by women, and I’ve found it doesn’t always work well. I prefer to write female MCs because I am female. Obviously, there are male characters in my books, and I believe I write them well. But I typically write in first person, so it’s their voice you’re reading, which is why I stick with female MCs.
Then there is their species. This is the fun part… I've written fantasy, paranormal romance, and am currently working on a dark romance (without paranormal elements) so the characters in my books can be anything from a human with no magical powers to a shifter who can control the wind to a demon with a penchant for hot chocolate!
Next is their personality: Are they introverted or extroverted? Are they sarcastic or sincere? Do they have an eccentric habit or catchphrase? What are their likes and dislikes? So far, my MCs have hurdles to overcome that require them to be badass heroines. They don’t suffer fools and they can kick ass! But they’re also loving, compassionate, and have their weaknesses.
Their backstory: I know we read to escape, but an MCs journey without any obstacles is like a birthday without cake: bland and unfulfilling. Most main characters have a past with at least a few disappointments, no matter where they're from or what powers they hold. Whether it’s a toxic ex, or a string of failed relationships, or the loss of a loved one, or even academic struggles. Without a backstory, there's no story to tell! And where's the fun in that? Sure, there are lighthearted reads that'll put a smile on your face and make you feel warm and fuzzy—and I love those—but I prefer to write MCs with a little bit of heartache or darkness they have to overcome or grow from. Because life is messy and including some of that mess in the story helps make it relatable. If there's a happy ending, it might also give us hope.
Final touches: Their unique talent or skill. Maybe they are highly skilled with a sword, or they can spin spells faster than a master wizard, or they run faster than the other shifters, or they can paint masterpieces, or they can sing like an angel. Whatever it is, I have to decide whether they already have the skill, or it develops/awakens throughout the story.
And voila! Your imaginary friend is now a fully realized character, ready to take the (book) world by storm.
Well, it's time to close the book on this one. Don't worry my fellow, booklovers, I’ll have more sneak peeks into the wild and wacky world of a writer!
It’s more like the highly-caffeinated and sleep-deprived world, but one person’s ‘wild’ is another person’s stay-in-pajamas-all-day-and-type… or maybe it’s not, but getting dressed and going out in public is overrated, in my opinion.😏 Keep your eyes peeled and your ears to the ground and your head in the clouds, because I’ll be back with more soon!
