Hello again, everyone! One thing I have noticed since I started writing is how I see traits of characters I have written in people I see throughout my day to day life, and how I tend to pull character traits from people I interact with and incorporate them into the characters I am developing. Developing a new character is, for me, one of my favorite things to do. It gives me a chance to put myself into someone else’s mind and explore what it would be like to be another person besides myself. From how they would get ready in the morning to how they would handle an internal conflict; I like to develop every little aspect of the character.
By developing these characters like this it gives me an understanding of them that I believe helps me stay true to the character as I write them into the story. It has also allowed me to explore states of mind that I am not normally ever in, from good to bad, and has sent me into very strange rabbit holes of thought. When I first start developing a character I start with what they would like and what their interests would be, whether it is something as simple as booze, or something much more complex, and then I branch out from there. One of the last things I do is decide what they are going to look like. In my opinion, I don’t think what they look like is as important as how you describe what they look like and how the character is portrayed in the story as they are developed from the beginning to the end. Character development is key to keeping my interest when I am reading a book or watching a movie, so I try to take this same mindset when I develop my characters.
I am not sure how many other writers do this, but for me it is cathartic and something necessary for me to develop some of the more out of the box characters I have had to come up with since I started writing. Putting yourself not just in someone else’s shoes, but in someone else’s mind is more than just an exercise for writing, I think it is something people should try. It honestly has been one of my favorite experiences of writing outside of seeing my book be bought by people I have never met.
This is just my thoughts on how I develop characters in my writings. Let me know what you think and don’t forget to like us on Facebook @BryantAndParker, on Twitter @BryantandParke1, and on Instagram @bryant_and_parker and don’t forget to subscribe to our blog!
Cheers,
Bryant
Interesting point of view from an author’s standpoint. Mine is more of an omniscient view of characters that just appear in the world I am creating, who may have similar traits or characteristics to people I know or have met. I try not to dwell on those similarities for, to me, it seems unfair to the character to put the stamp of someone else on them. Writing inherently connects us with the oneness of humanity & it is very emotional. We are all one, but each is a different snowflake.