How to become a writer - advice #4

Since we throw all those boring topics that I would willingly ignored but didn't, we can move on to something more interesting. Writing something more interesting I mean about the characters - one of my favorite topics.


Heroes is the oe of the most important element of the each book. Hero as hero and what next? It is not about to only write a hero, the idea is to make it your way alive. How to do it? Well, it is not easy. For me, creating hero is much easier when i like him/her. But what if you need to create a character who totally hate, because, for example is the main antagonist of the hero with whom you identify with? Then you can add one additional feature. Every man and every character has a character traits, good and bad. Characters we usually don't like, have more of these bad qualities so that at least a little to like this character, you must give it at least one good feature - that you like. Of course it can also happen that you don't like a hero because it is too good, then you should give it a bad feature.


I write all the time,, evil, "good,," feature, but this division does not really exist, each feature is neutral, only how to use it can be good or bad. Wits - clever person can plan the perfect crime, or be a detective. Mastering - an overrun can be a surgeon or a cold-blooded torture wae prisoners.

What else can you do so that your character was more credible? Create a list that you put all the relevant information on this form. There must be a specific form of a list, it may be, for example biography form. How does it have to look? I'll show you on random example.

Name: Natalia Wolf
Age twenty-two years / 22 (write words or numbers, as you get more comfortable)
Place of birth: Unknown
Family: Sister (Lucy Wolf)
Sexual orientation: bisexual
Physical characteristics: black hair, slim silhouette, green eyes
Character traits: clever, introverted, rebellious
Likes: draw, play guitar
Dislikes: people, rap,
Dress code: typical rock
Friends: Sebastian Lewandowski and Remigiusz Kowalski
Concerns: harm sisters
Favorite color: blue

Of course, you do not have to be the same information as above - as I wrote earlier this is a random example - the idea is you realize how many facts about the hero. You do not need to apply this to all the heroes, I say more should not, unless you share your book takes place in one room and I it has three characters - obviously figuratively. Apply it to the major characters stopniując amount of information. The main character = a lot of data. Friend of hero - basic information + some data. Episodic character = only basic information.

But for what all of this? Already I hasten the translation. If, for example you create a heroine who grew up in an orphanage, a punk and satanistką but will love unicorns and behave like ,,girl from a good home", the reader will think that you're trying to make him look like an idiot. And people generally don't like when someone makes them look like an idiots. However, you can create a heroine described, give it the same characteristics but slowly explain to the reader why so behave. Eg. She always been sensitive but had to hide it because she was afraid that someone will use it but she met a nice boy, fell in love reciprocated and began to discover her true nature. It's smell like bad novel but my examples are so... specific because I want you to clearly see what I want to show you.

Forgive me, I write out a lot, when I had to explain you why you should know your characters. In such way you involuntarily better know your characters and you know how this character should react to the situation. This is all? No, it's not. If you stuck in place - you will, trust me - you can imagine the hero (or several), eg. Talking to each other. (This can be a conversation totally unrelated to the storyline) What will be discussed? About their future, about each other, and perhaps just about the weather? It's not important, it's important that it should help you move. How it's working? I don't know, but usually it helps me.

There is another reason why these methods are useful. There has been a dialogue between two characters and suddenly falls uncomfortable question. And what now? Is character should tell the truth, lie, maybe turn around and pretend that she did not hear the questions? Without knowledge of the form you will be hard to get out of this situation.

IN BRIEF:
(if you think that write essense what important with such a long text is easy then you're wrong)
-It's good to know At least basic facts about your characters,
-If You stop and you do not know what to do, imagine the heroes conversation