Hellooo, everybody!
Today we're talking about my favorite part of storytelling, characters.
I love crafting characters.
You're building human beings, or human adjacents from your own imagination.
It's kind of like playing God, and honestly, I'm super down for that.
The problem is character creation is really tough for a lot of writers.
They overanalyze the process, they check for proper archetypes.
They make it clunky and calculated as opposed to the art form it is.
I'm here to change that.
Not only is character creation one of my favorite parts of the writing process, it's also something
that I am known for, and I have a buttload of tips to set you off on the right path.
Problem is we don't have time for a buttload of tips.
So I've decided to focus on one segment at a time.
Today I am breaking down my ten best tips for writing REALISTIC characters.
If your issue is realism, if you're not sure if your characters are believable, or relatable.
Don't fret my pet, let me show you the way.
I may or may not have saved the most painful tip for last, but I did it because I care.
Actually I did it because I'm a bitch.
What were you expecting?
(The sound of a pen scratching.
LOGO.)
Before we get started, a huge thank you to ProWritingAid for sponsoring today's video.
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Now let's break down my ten tips for writing realistic characters that your readers can
relate to.
Number One (1): Observe.
One of the most common questions I get about writing characters is how do I write a blank
character?
How do I write a mean character?
How do I write a heroic character?
How do I write a likable character?
Another version of this question is, what traits should I give to a character to make
them redeemable?
What traits should I give to a character to make them likable?
In situations like this, writers are looking for a formula.
Just add a drop of this trait, and a dash of this cliche, and behold, you've written
a pile of shit.
The problem is these writers ignore the obvious.
You are around people every day of your life, even if you're a recluse like myself, you
see them on TV, you communicate with them on the internet.
Observe them.
If you want your characters to be redeemable, what do you personally find redeemable among
humankind?
If you want your character to be likable, what do you personally like in a human being?
It's really that simple.
Stop trying to overcomplicate realism.
If you're looking for a formula, you're doing it wrong.
See people, talk to people, pay attention to what you like and what you dislike.
Experience is one of the biggest assets to your writing.
Utilize it.
Number Two (2): Dimensions.
Whenever someone says: this character is the comic relief, or this character is the damsel
in distress, I cringe.
Sometimes we generalize for the sake of brevity, but if you are genuinely writing your characters
in this format, with one dimension in mind, then you are making a huge mistake.
I promise you they are not realistic.
Real people, even the shallowest people, have dimensions.
They do not exist to fulfill a single expectation.
They have strengths, weaknesses, goals, insecurities.
These are things you should be fleshing out in your characters.
Their wants, their desires, their fears, their quirks.
If you're looking at your characters and realizing they're completely one note, congratulations
you're done fucked up.
Give ‘em some dimensions or readers will come for you.
Which brings us to, Number Three (3): Character profiles.
The easiest way to start building complex realistic characters is through character
profiles.
A character profile is kind of like a social media profile, for a fictional person.
Except, instead of filling out their favorite book and favorite food, you are filling out
important details about their actual life.
You are listing everything from their culture and race, to their physical description, and
sexuality.
Personality, values, beliefs, economic class—all of that goes into the character profile.
This is where you can get incredibly detailed.
What is their gender expression?
What is their hair texture?
I could list everything you should include in a character profile right now, but we will
be here all day.
Plus, I've already got a video on that, it's linked below.
Create character profiles for any character that occurs regularly enough in your novel
to warrant one.
It will absolutely help with their realism.
Number Four (4): The cis, het, white, conventionally attractive, able bodied, neurotypical, mentally
healthy male, does not exist.
Okay, he does.
But he exists in very small numbers.
A lot of writers craft their characters, and go with what they believe is the default.
This usually means a cisgendered, straight character, typically male, sometimes female.
They're white.
They're conventionally attractive.
They have no physical disabilities.
They have no mental illnesses of any kind.
And they are neurotypical.
And they are often either very muscular and athletic, or they're very trim and petite.
I am sure this person exists, but I do not know a single human being who fits this description.
Even if we look at people who tick a lot of the boxes, for example, my fiance is a cis,
het, white, conventionally attractive man, but he is physically disabled.
And a lot of people look like they tick all the boxes, but maybe they have ADHD, or PTSD
or a chronic illness.
Every single person on this planet knows someone who is queer, someone with a mental illness,
and of course we all know people of color.
This world is a big ole mashup of different kinds of people and if you are not taking
all of them into consideration, I promise you you are not writing realistic characters.
Number Five (5): People share traits.
This character is the hero.
This character is the virgin.
This character is the bully.
And this book is the worst.
Obviously certain characters are going to fill specific roles.
For example, the protagonist, the antagonist and the love interest.
But when it comes to defining specific traits, you don't gotta be choosy.
I don't know if you know this, but more than one person can be an asshole at a time.
The asshole gene doesn't have to be limited to your villain.
Likewise, your hero doesn't have to be the only one with a moral compass.
Your love interest doesn't have to be the only one who's attractive.
And your comic relief doesn't have to be the only one who's funny.
None of this is realistic at all.
Yes, my fiancee is gorgeous, but I know a lot of beautiful people.
My fiance is also super funny, but does that mean other funny people suddenly don't exist?
That's just stupid.
Don't feel the need to pick and choose character traits as if it's one and done.
People have things in common in the real world.
So why not reflect that in the fictional world as well?
On the flip side, Number Six (6): People are not identical.
Just because characters share traits does not mean they are carbon copies of one another.
Two characters can be funny, but do they express the same brand of humor?
A perfect example of this done very poorly is the movie ‘Easy A’.
All the characters have the same sarcasm to the point where their dialogue is interchangeable
and it completely ruined the realism of the film.
Another horrid example of this is the movie ‘Beastly’ and we all know how that went.
Down in flames.
Everyone spoke in the same wannabe teen angst slam poetry manner.
It was silly and embarrassing, and most importantly, it wasn't at all realistic.
So again, yes, your characters can share traits, they can have things in common.
But that doesn't mean they're identical, or that they speak identically.
Calm down.
Number Seven (7): Realism that doesn't mean info dumping.
A lot of newbie writers believe that in order to create realistic characters, we have to
info dump.
We need to provide every detail about the character.
Their entire backstory, their deepest scars and wounds.
And yes, it is very helpful to know this information about the character, it will help you craft
them in a realistic manner.
But you do not need to include any information in your novel unless it is necessary and beneficial
to the plot.
For example, it is always helpful to list a character's skin color.
The skin is the largest organ on the human body, and it allows readers to visualize what
they look like.
But we do not need to know the details of their tragic backstory, unless it has a direct
relevant to the plot at hand.
Tobias had a strained relationship with his father.
I never mentioned it in The Savior's Champion because it was never relevant.
Gather all the information you can about your characters, but choose the appropriate moments
to reveal this information.
And be honest with yourself about whether or not it needs to be revealed at all.
Number Eight (8): Stop self inserting.
Self inserting pretty much never results in realistic characters.
Note, I said self inserts.
Not own voices.
Own voices refers to writing characters from a group you belong to that is underrepresented
in fiction.
If you're autistic and you don't see enough autistic characters in fiction, so you decide
to write one, that is own voices.
It's also pretty normal to have a couple traits in common with some of your characters, just
like it's pretty normal to have a couple traits in common with people you meet in real life.
Tobias has brown curly hair and so do I, along with a bazillion other people in this world.
But a self insert is when you base a character from head to toe on yourself.
No one wants to read that shit.
“ But Jennaaa, I'm basing the character off of a real person.
That means it's realistic, right?”
You think so, but typically self inserts are you, plus a whole lot of flourish.
They're the hotter, smarter, more badass version of you.
They're the version of you that always saves the day and gets the girl.
It's tacky and embarrassing to read.
If you want your characters to be realistic at all, do not do this.
Number Nine (9): Quirks matter.
I'm using the word quirks for lack of a better term.
Personality, eccentricities, uniqueness—these things matter when you are crafting your characters.
No, I am not talking about Manic Pixie Dream Girls.
I'm talking about the traits, however small, that add to your character's uniqueness.
They make them distinctive.
Is your character from another country?
Maybe because of that they are multilingual, and their English isn't flawless because it's
their second or third language.
Is your character a warrior?
Maybe they have exposed scars from years of battle.
Is your character younger than the rest of the cast?
Maybe they speak with age appropriate slang that the other characters can’t understand.
These are the details you want to consider.
What history experiences and cultural differences separate this character from the rest.
This is one of my favorite parts of character creation, because you get to be super creative
and make each and every one of your characters special in their own way.
Last but not least, Number Ten (10): Ask people.
I know you don't want anyone to read your work before it's published.
People might steal your brilliant ideas.
They don't wanna steal them, trust me.
But you're never gonna know if you hit the mark unless you get people to read your characters.
I'm talking beta readers, critique partners, sensitivity readers, and oh my god editors.
People need to read your book.
“But Jennaaa, what if they don't like it?”
Then fix it, dummy.
Wouldn't you rather know your character suck before publication, as opposed to after?
At least before publication you can have a good cry and then fix your fucking book.
And no, not all beta reader and critique partner feedback will be correct, because people are
inherently flawed.
But that's why we have multiple people read our book.
We look for trends among feedback.
And I'm not talking about having your best friend, or your mom, or your wife read your
book.
I mean complete strangers who are totally comfortable tearing you to shreds.
Clench your butt cheeks and do the work, bitch.
Look, you're the one who wanted to write a book.
You wanted the readership, and this is what it takes.
Have people read your work.
Look for trends in their responses.
And give all of their feedback honest consideration.
If these people can relate to your characters, you’re on the right track.
So that's all I got for you today.
A huge thank you again to ProWritingAid for sponsoring today's video.
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Bye!
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