Defining Character

Your Character's Name

Names are very important when developing characters. The best way to go, from a reader's point of view, is to choose a name based on the character traits. Who do you think of when you hear the name Francesca Latimo? I certainly don't see the same person when I think of "Alice Smith."

When choosing a character's name, consider these three things:

Length:
The longer the name is, the more complex, important, or eccentric the character is. Shorter names seem to imply easy, simple, or direct personalities. Jim and Anastasia are obviously very different people.

Sound:
The sounds of the names you choose might suggest images for who the character is. Peewee Herman certainly sounds childish compared to Anne O'Hara. Also, try to have a variety of different sounding names in your story. When there are too many characters with names that sound the same, readers become confused.

Meaning:
Many books and websites tell the meanings and origins of names. Sometimes, you can use these to inspire your characters.

Your Character's Appearance
A character's appearance can be broken down into several factors:

Physique:
What does he/she look like? Is he/she tall, or short? What colour hair, skin, and eyes does he/she have? Is he/she physically fit? A character's physique may suggest many things such as world views, level of confidence, and their insecurities.

Visible Scars and Disabilities:
Scars suggest history, and maturity. They always tell the reader that thereis more to the story - that something happened even before the story started. In V for Vendetta, the character V wears a mark to ensure that no one sees his scars, but also so that he will become a symbol of revolution.

The Wardrobe:
How does your character dress? Does he wear a business suit? Is she always wearing bright, bubbly colours? Depending on what a character wears, their whole persona and occupation may be defined.

When considering appearance, it helps to be able to answer these questions:

Your Character's Physical Environment
Characters spend time in certain places for three reasons:

By choice.
Out of habit.
And out of necessity.

Each reason suggests something different about your character. If they choose to be in a location, that speaks to who they are and what they want. If they're used to being there, that speaks to their sense of security and routine. If they're forced to be there, that speaks to the lengths they'll go to achieve success or to please someone else. When you put a character in a new setting, ask not only where your character is, but also how they feel about being there.

Your Character's Talents
A character's skills may be any of the following, or a combination of several:

-Artistic
-Athletic
-Technological
-Academic
-Mechanical
-Interpersonal
-Parental
-Financial
-Medical/Scientific
-Strategic
-Political
-Magical (Referring to Intuition, Psychic, and Supernatural abilities)

Your character maybe good at many, many things, but only a few skills make it into the story, because they're the only essential skills. A lawyer could have won the chess championships in high school, but that doesn't mean it will help her win the case. If your character does not excel in one area, audiences love to see them learn. At the beginning of Harry Potter, the first years were just starting to learn magic! Audiences learned as well.

Also, remember that your character needs obstacles before he/she can put their talents to use. Come up with an antagonist, whether it be a person, an unhealthy addiction, a deep and terrifying fear, a low self-esteem, or something completely different!

It's important to go through this list when developing a main character. Otherwise, you may miss some very important things in your adventures and voyages of story writing!