Develop a Character for a Story

How to Develop a Character for a Story

This video is entirely opinion based and is for educational reference only.

How to Develop a Character for a Story
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Developing a character for a story can be a daunting task as you want your character to feel real and detailed to your readers. A good fictional character will be believable and relatable full of details that make them come alive. Start by describing the characters physical characteristics from their age to their hair color. Then create the characters backstory and determine their relationship to other characters in your story. You can then place your character into your story so they can live in the fictional world you have created. Give your character a name. Pick a name that will suit the character and stick in your readers mind. You can decide if you want your characters name to tell you about the character or not.

Determine their age. Remember you may need to age your character if your story has a long time scale. Maybe your character is an adolescent just two months shy of their sixteenth birthday. Or perhaps you are writing about an older character who has just celebrated their sixty fifth birthday and is looking forward to retirement. Decide the approximate age of your character so you can create a unique and detailed voice for them in your story. After all a character who is just a teenager will have a different point of view than a character who is decades older.

Outline their appearance. Decide if your character is short tall skinny muscular or stocky. Note if their eyes are blue green brown or grey. Maybe they have black hair or blonde hair with streaks of grey. Jot down a few notes about their physical appearance so you have a good idea of how they look. You can then use these details to build their character and make them come alive on the page.

Note if they have any distinguishing physical traits. This could be a mole on the side of their face a scar on their chest or a limp when they walk. Giving your character a scar or other distinguishing mark can help them stand out on the page and become more memorable to your reader.

Describe the characters clothing. Think about what the character wears on a daily basis to work or around the house. Decide if the character has a favorite or distinct item of clothing. Use the characters style of dress to tell the reader a bit more about their personality.

Determine the charactersand/or nationality. Maybe your character is African American or Hispanic. Perhaps your character is mixed race with one parent who is African and one parent who is Irish. Your characters racial background may affect the way they view the world and how they interact with other characters.How to take character development deeper:
So today, let's focus on character development with seven ways to tackle characters in your short stories
A good character is someone who is always there to support the important people in their life, and doesn't break their promises

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