Whose lives are you curious about? And why?
Character Sketches
“When I used to teach creative writing, I would tell the students to make their characters want something right away—even if it’s only a glass of water. Characters paralyzed by the meaninglessness of modern life still have to drink water from time to time.” —Kurt Vonnegut
Character Sketches
Creating characters out of thin air can be daunting for any writer, which is why many writers base their characters on people they have interacted with or observed or heavily researched or even on themselves.
When I'm creating characters, I always put a little of me in them, and then I bring in bits and pieces from people who are around me or who I observe. That way I feel like I know my characters intimately, but I have the freedom to develop them according to the needs of my story.
This is why I prefer writing fiction over nonfiction even though many of my stories begin with something that is real—a setting, a situation, a person.
Here is what Gabriel García Márquez had to say about character:
"In the end you should probably know your characters as well as you know yourself. You should be able to close your eyes and dwell inside that character’s body. The sound of her voice. The texture of her footsteps. Walk around with her for a while. Let her dwell in the rattlebag of your head. Make a mental list of who/what she is, where she comes from. Appearance. Body language. Unique mannerisms. Childhood. Conflicts. Desires. Voice. Allow your characters to surprise you. When it seems they should go right, send them left. When they appear too joyful, break them. When they want to leave the page, force them to stay a sentence longer. Complicate them. Conflict them. Give them forked tongues. This is what real life is all about. Don’t be too logical. Logic can paralyse us."
When you're trying to figure out how to develop characters, start by observing who is around you.
What do the people around you look like? How do they dress? How do they hold themselves? What does their body language say about the way they feel?
Listen to how you and your family members speak to each other.
Observe your friends and how they talk and act.
Eavesdrop on conversations in coffee shops, in grocery stores.
Listen to what people say and how they say it.
I speak differently with my best friend than I do with someone I meet at the bus stop.
All of these details go into creating character.
And once you have an idea who you want to write about, then you need shape your characters by giving them goals in your story and having them act according to their motivations.