Character Traits and Personalities

Characters need traits and personalities which the reader can relate to. To make a character memorable, Glen Strathy says to make each character unique by giving them “tags” which are basically physical traits the reader will recognize them by. “Tags can include physical traits, clothing preferences, hairstyles, habitual mannerisms, facial expressions, speech habits, noises the character makes, or even scents – anything, in fact, that a person interacting with the character would notice about him.” [1] Lee Masterson creates a name that is easy for the reader to remember the character by and give the character a set of problems/dilemmas and how they solve them. His or her choices will show the reader what he or she is like as a person based on the decisions made. [2]

Creating a character profile form will help organize your character’s information. You can also answer these 10 questions to create a believable character [3]: 

1. Where does your character live?
2. Where is your character from?
3. How old is your character?
4. What is your character called?
5. What does your character look like?
6. What kind of childhood did he or she have?
7. What does your character do for a living?
8. How does your character deal with conflict or change?
9. Who else is in your character’s life?
10. What is your character’s goal or motivation in this story or scene?

Make a personality quiz for your characters. You’ll be able to tell which of your characters are more distinct and interesting, and then choose them to be the main characters. This also will show you if two of your characters act too similar. Furthermore, by giving this personality quiz to friends or family, you can base the character off the person who acts more like him or her.

Sources:

[1] Strathy, Glen C. (2011). How to Create Characters That Are Believable and Memorable. Retrieved from http://www.how-to-write-a-book-now.com/create-characters.html.

[2] Masterson, Lee. (2001). Creating Memorable Characters. Retrieved from http://www.writing-world.com/fiction/characters.shtml.

[3] Wiehardt, Ginny. (2013). Top 10 Questions for Creating Believable Characters. Retrieved from http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/crafttechnique/tp/createcharacter.htm.