In my struggle to create realistic characters, I have often turned to a reliable tool—reflecting real people in my life. After all, shouldn’t writers be scientists of the human soul? I remember many times when I could predict what my siblings would say in a stressful or comical situation. I can also turn this intimate knowledge into a powerful writing tool. As young writers, we are always advised to “write what we know.” Therefore, I think we should act on this advice and pay more attention to the people in our lives. This practice will not only make us more helpful and conscientious but also help us craft realistic characters that reflect real people with real dreams, motivations, and backgrounds.
Leo Tolstoy is considered one of the greatest novelists to have ever lived. Recently, reading Anna Karenina, I found many of my own thoughts reflected in Tolstoy’s character, Kitty. Many online articles confirmed my suspicions that Kitty was modeled after a real person, Tolstoy’s wife. Well, if the greats used real people for their characters, so should we. I do not think such a practice could be called cheating. I believe you could call it carrying on a long-standing tradition.
But I am not suggesting that the tips offered on writing websites are all bad. Hardly! In fact, a young writer should use those step-by-step guides as a basic skeleton, letting reality be the muscles. Each of the following steps can be applied to our new writing tool with a fresh twist.
Writers are often encouraged to give their characters depth by creating a background for them. This background does not have to be limited to a culture or to a traumatic event. Think about your parents’ home when they were children. How did that childhood contribute to who they are now? Childhood stories that you grew up hearing from your parents are excellent prompts for entire novels. Model a character who grew up in your parents’ generation with that generation’s ideas. Already, your reader may begin to relate to a character with a similar background. Likewise, this background will explain why your character approaches a situation in a particular way.
Writers are also encouraged to give their characters a why that explains characters’ behaviors. If, for example, you know someone who has a particular fear, observe how this fear affects them and drives them to certain actions. In this way, the character will teach readers empathy for similar people in their own lives.
Writers should look at themselves and decide what potential flaws they wish to change. After you have identified that flaw in yourself, make your character and thus your reader struggle through that flaw. If the character feels your own raw emotions in the story, the character will feel more deeply to your reader. You may also touch the reader’s soul in a way that bare imagination could not.
Writers should finally realize that readers will only be satisfied if the character changes by the end of the book. What better way to change a character than by giving characters a scene where they can face fear, overcome a villain, or realize a truth? Again, leaning on real people and real emotions will make a vast difference here. People often ask, “What is one thing you would change about yourself?” Ask yourself how you would overcome a personal obstacle. Or imagine that your friend asked you for help. Think about what advice you would give them, and have your character act on it for a satisfying ending.
I grow tired of spinning the author’s character wheel—the clown, the sad one, the sensible one, the comedy relief, the hero, and so on. While these variations will always be interesting, they can be difficult to write realistically. Granted, human nature remains recognizable over time, which is why certain character archetypes continue to resonate. But I always try to use reflection in my writing now—either on myself or on someone I know. Of course, this is not to say that no imagination is allowed. After all, we are creative writers. Feel free to add character quirks, mix character traits from several different people, and invent entirely new ones. With a firm foundation in reality, readers will fall in love with your invented characters because they see themselves reflected there.
About the Author
Alaina Suttles is a senior at Pensacola Christian College, where she is studying for a bachelor's degree in professional writing. When she was still in high school, Alaina discovered Write the World and fell in love with its welcoming community. She won runner-up in a Write the World fantasy competition and later won first place in her college's creative fiction competition. As a young writer, Alaina was grateful to discover Write the World's community of fellow writers where she could share her work and experience constructive and kind criticism that helped her grow her writing skills. Now, as a summer intern, she hopes to build that same confidence in other young writers and to encourage them to put their talents to the best use.