As many of you know, I’ve recently published my third novel. Click HERE to Review or Buy! While deep in the process of promoting that book, I can’t help but look to the future and begin another one.

In last week’s blog, I spoke about what to do after publishing a book and how to fill that void. My best answer was to start another book—and I have. As I pulled out my storyboard (yes, an old school dry erase board – Lol), the first thing I did was construct the main characters for this next novel. To do that, I reread a couple of my old blogs that addressed character development.

One of those blogs particularly gave me focus and direction to create what I think will be a totally different, unique character never seen before in my writing. I found this blog so useful that I decided to share it with you today.

The following is a repost of that blog from more than two years ago. I hope it provides some insight into creating a character or two for one of your future stories.

***************************

While it’s true that I often base a character on real people, transforming a mental image of someone into a fictional character is an intricate process. It’s comparable to applying multiple layers of varnish onto raw wood. You apply, buff, reapply, rebuff and continue the process until the wood develops depth and beauty.

Character development, in similar ways, layers all the components of a person in order to build a multi-dimensional being that the reader can connect with in the two-dimensional world of literature.

In the process of developing a character, I follow something called a 3P Model. I structure a character physiologically, psychologically and philosophically.

The Physical Aspects of a Character: You should have a good idea what your character looks like before conveying that to a reader. Physical appearance should first be locked down in your own mind. Even if you never specifically describe that character’s anatomical features in your writing, you should visualize a definite image.

Appearances often influence how others act. Hints of physical attributes give the reader much needed information to arrive at an accurate mental image. These images allow your readers to feel comfortable about how your characters act and how they interact with others in your story.

But a seasoned writer rarely goes into detail describing a character. Instead of saying, “She’s five foot eleven, has red hair and weighs 110-lbs,” you might say, “Her legs went on forever, her waistline the envy of most women, her flaming hair a perfect complement to her peaches and cream complexion,” or some other subtle, more pictorial description. Be creative, not biological, when describing characters.

The Psychology of the Character: Characters’ mental states—their feelings and their perceptions of the world around them—drive their actions. This is where background development becomes so important. Create a virtual life for your main characters, a pedigree that makes them who they are and which determines their actions. For example, a person raised in a loving family with close siblings would react differently in a given situation than a person who grew up in foster care or reform school.

It’s said that we are the product of our life experiences. For readers to be able to connect with the characters we create, we must construct full lives for our characters. That means we should know where and how they were raised, educated and what sacrifices they endured to reach their present state in life. Most of what you envision (preferably in a brief outline) will never actually be stated in your book unless it’s important for the story’s progress, but it provides valuable information to direct your character and further the story.

Knowing how a character would feel in a scene provides important visual clues that you can use to indicate what a character is thinking and feeling without wasting dialogue. For instance, a character fidgeting indicates nervousness and putting a hand over the mouth could express disbelief.

The reader should be satisfied that a character acts appropriately in any given scene. Your job as a writer is not only to write the scene but also to direct your characters to act accordingly. A reader should never say, “Hmm, he would never have done that!” It takes the reader out of the story and you lose the reader’s emotional connection to the character.

The Character’s Philosophy: Each of us has opinions and beliefs about most any given subject. Our characters should also be definitive, and those distinct beliefs and philosophies are what drive the story one way or another. An indifferent character doesn’t make for good storytelling.

A character can be indecisive initially and that can create important dramatic tension, but at some point their inner principles must take over. Without a character with strong viewpoints, there’s no reason for the character to take action—and that translates to NO STORY! Action moves a story forward and motivates our protagonists and antagonists to do what they should do to entertain the reader.

Characters can be good or bad, but rarely should they be neutral. Definitive characters create and drive your story. A villain’s selfishness and greed make good fiction as well as the altruistic concerns of a hero, but neutral characters lose the reader’s interest.

Finally, success is in the details. A well-conceived character has likes, dislikes, and specific needs—just as real people do. Everyone has merits, flaws and quirks. Your dialogue and narrative should be peppered with those of your main characters. The more these individual traits are exposed, the more emotional connection the reader has with a character. Make your characters real and believable by first making them real to you.

Thoughts? Comments? I’d love to hear them!