Thread by @astarte73

Ok, I hope I am not overstepping, but here is some advice and tips that is particularly helpful to me and hopefully, it can be of help to others (plus, it's Friday and all my students are involved in group projects & don't need me at the moment!) #revpit #revpitwaiting

Today’s thread is about CREATING 3D CHARACTERS (and this is for MCs/Antagonists/sidekick characters too--basically anyone who features in your book ought to have some clear thought put into them and WHY they are there!) 1/14 #revpit

I read for many contests & there's often a reliance on explaining the personality of a character by describing their looks & their clothes. Authors can often SEE their characters so clearly that they want the reader to see as clearly--but it doesn't work 2/14 #revpit

Because we all know that our personalities are much more than what we look like on a given Tuesday. Those things can contribute to personality, but there are SO MANY better ways to create characters that feel like living, breathing humans (and that's the goal!) 3/14 #revpit

This is MY process--it might work for you, it might not. I'm going to give you the things I specifically visualize and think about when I jump into writing a new book. Try out and feel what works for your process 4/14 #revpit

I begin w/a new notebook and create pages for each MC (I write romance mostly, so there will be 2), but I also do this (usually slightly lesser extent) for each side character who will be taking up significant space on pages. 5/14 #revpit

Yes, I do want to have an idea of what they look like, and how they dress, because it *can* help show their personality, but it is not my first concern. I want to know the person wearing those clothes, and what makes them tick 6/14 #revpit

I first figure out what their emotional wound is--what has happened to them to define who they are in their own mind, and what lies do they believe about themselves as a result of that wound? This is VITAL because it sets the stage for the rest of the story. 7/14 #revpit

Next, I look into what personality traits do they have resulting from this wound? I want things that are positive AND negative (The Thesaurus series is exactly what you need for this--there is a positive/negative trait edition) I go for a good mix of both 8/14 #revpit

There are lots of great checklists/interview questions to ask about your characters, so look them up. I write historical, so they often don't work, so instead I think about what events are happening in their world, and how they feel about them 9/14 #revpit

I want you to know how your characters feel about their world and their place in it. For me, I want a mix of things they rail against as well as things that make them happy. Unrelenting hardship is hard to read, so give them something that is comforting! 10/14 #revpit

Now, it gets fun! I usually create a catchphrase for my MCs--something they say about once a chapter (don't go overboard!) In contemporary works, you don't want to rely TOO hard on trendy phrases because it gets stale QUICK (totes stale, ahem) 11/14 #revpit

How do they move? What do they do when they're nervous? Excited? Do they have habits they fall back on for self-soothing? 12/14 #revpit

How do they interact with their friends? What makes them laugh? Cry? What are their hobbies? Do they have any unique skills or traits? How do these help/hurt their journey? 13/14 #revpit

NOW--rubs hands gleefully--HOW do each of these contribute to the goals, motivation, and conflicts in their lives? Hope this helps you get your characters really well rounded! Add your tips in the thread! 14/14 #revpit