Writing Tips

Main Characters - Part One

Here we are at one of the most important parts of the story...the main character. This guy/gal is going to be the person who we stick with, almost get to know. So, needless to say, he/she must be pretty interesting. Here are a few tips I have on making good MC's:

1) Make the MC unique in some way

Every one has their own quirks, personality, appearance, etc. Your character should be no different. Write down in your writing notebook/doc/what have you certain things about your character. For instance, I always like to write four or five words that would sum up the person. 'Determined' 'Kind' or 'Flighty' might be some of these. Get a solid personality on your person, and everyone will be praising how 'real' he/she seems (well...don't blame me if they don't :P)

2) Know the person

Another reason to plan ahead before rushing in. Know the person. Even if you don't put all the info about him/her in your story, knowing where he/she went to college, childhood experiences, etc., will make your character very well rounded. And, if you get stuck in writer's block, you can always pull out the background file and add bits of that behind the scenes info to the story.

 3) Use Proper Structure

Like a plot, characters morph over the course of the story. They have a beginning: who they are at the start of the story. Maybe they're a poor peasant. Maybe a criminal, maybe someone hopeless or heartbroken. A middle: When the character begins to realize his/her potential (get married to the handsome prince, free the slaves, save the world) and begins 'training'. This doesn't always mean training in the way Batman trained to save Gotham, but they begin, even unconsciously, to change themselves or allow themselves to be changed by their situations. And an end: who is this guy when it really matters? Is he a coward, or will he confront the villain and save the princess? This process is usually called a character arc.

4) Thoughts don't make the man

As Rachel reminds us in Batman (oh, I'm just full of Batman references today), "It's not who you are inside. It's what you do, that defines you." Your characters can't be all talk and no walk. Their actions will imprint their character on the reader more then the thoughts, knowledge, or morals they have.