Creating Characters

When I decide to write a story, one of the first things I have to do is come up with a cast of characters. This is really one of my favorite parts of the writing process.

Finding the right characters to tell the story is very important. They have to be dynamic, complex, and above all, believable. Now, I would be lying if I said I didn’t base some of my characters on real people. (Trust me, if you were around my friends and family for ten minutes, you’d understand.) Thus far, I haven’t created a character that is solely based on only one person. I guess you could say I tend to play mad scientist. I take various characteristics from different people and combine them to make one new person—kind of like my own Frankenstein’s monster.

Now comparing my characters to the creature in Shelley’s novel isn’t just a commentary on the patchwork I do to make my characters, it is also an accurate depiction of what happens once they come to life—I lose all control. Once the story begins, they are very much alive and they don’t always want to do as they’re told. It gets frustrating at times—having imaginary friends that won’t play with you—but at times like that, I realize how much of myself I put in my characters.

I am argumentative, impetuous, stubborn, idealistic, pessimistic, impatient, and easily distracted; I guess it makes sense that my characters would inherit at least some of those qualities. As much as I hate to pass my flaws onto my characters, it does seem to make them more human, more believable. So I just have to deal with the imperfect minions that I have created and help them make their own way in my little make-believe world.