Q&A for How to Create a Character

Know what drives your character. Your character's motivation is one of the most important elements of the character profile. A novel is essentially a desire in conflict, so write down what your character desires and what is preventing them from attaining their desire. Describe your character's appearance. You need to know what your character looks like so that your readers can picture the character in their heads. Write down your character's background. The character's background is a large element in why they will do what they do. Situate your character in the world. Are they powerful? Or are they weak? Do they make themselves vulnerable? Or are they guarded? Try putting your character through the lens of psychological profiles to better understand them, for example, the Meyers Briggs test. Remember that your character is alive. Ultimately, your character isn't a compilation of descriptions. What's driving the character, what they want, and why they can't get it — that's the story.

Yes, OC means Original Character, so, technically, every character is an OC.

There are no limitations to your imagination. In Adventure Time, Jake is a talking dog. In Undertale, Flower is a talking flower. You can absolutely have a character that's a pickle if you want.

Generally yes, but try to change their appearance slightly to make them more unique. Switch their hair, change their chin shape, add a scar or birthmark. This is your character, so make him/her your own.

Of course! Visualizing your character is great, even if you aren't the best at drawing. You don't have to show anybody, if you don't want to - just keep it for personal reference.

It's your character, so he/she can be anything you want.

Absolutely! That sounds like an incredible, creative idea! Your characters can be anything you want them to be.

Of course you can, just make sure that you don't copy a real person. A good character should be believable.

There are no limits to what your character can be. Bunnies are a great idea.

Of course you can - it's your character.

That's definitely okay. That can make for some really interesting writing. Try to dive into the "why" behind their attraction.

Not at all. Authors commonly use real people as inspiration for characters, especially those closest to them, such as friends and family members. When you see someone often, you get to understand their personality as you do your own. This makes it easier to imagine how they would act in different situations and how they would make choices. As long as you don't just take someone you know and plonk them into the story, it's actually a really good idea!

That sounds like a beautiful name. It suits well for a more reserved and quiet hyena.

Are the compelling? Do they have unique characteristics and motives for their actions? And most importantly, do you like them? A lot of writers often feel that their characters or stories will never be "good enough," but eventually you have to release your writing out into the world (or to your friends and family).

Yes, that's fine. No one will know it's your birth date too unless you tell them.

It would be helpful to add your character's age as a reference for their personality and looks, but it's not absolutely necessary.

Use some of the physical descriptions you used for the parents and echo them when you describe the baby--like eye color, skin tone, the shape of a chin, etc.

You can kill them off--just be mindful of how that might impact your readers. Is there another character they'll be rooting for? Or is the villain taking over? There are a lot of possibilities!

It depends on how similar. If your character is almost identical in appearance and personality to someone else's character, you should think about changing it. However, if you just took several qualities or features, then that's fine! It's okay to get inspiration from other people's characters.

Usually boys are mostly written in adventure novels. But a girl adventurer protagonist will be pretty unique, also a great creative idea! Just make sure the character is very daring, that helps develop the plot easier.

Yes, you very much can. There are no limits to colors.

Of course you can! It's your character and you can do whatever you want with them!

You can do that for yourself and to show to your friends. You won't be able to use than image for a book cover or anything that people might pay you for (unless it is allowed in the character creator's terms of service).

You can make anything an OC, from flying pickles to a talking chimpanzee. Be creative.

Yes. Even though you might not see it, you may want to make it visible later in your story, so write it down for future reference.

There are lots of different options for names! Try searching online or reading books that feature smart, african american kids to get more ideas!

You could try modifying the character a bit with some other details. But in the end, if YOU like the character the way you wrote them, then stick with your gut.

It's really going to depend on what kind of story you're writing, how long it is, and what happens in the story. Generally, you want at least 1 protagonist, several secondary characters, and 1 or 2 antagonist. Some stories only have a few characters while other have dozens!

It depends--what kind of story are you writing? Are you using animals as your main characters, or are you writing humans who have animal characteristics?

Try and get to know your character more – their physical features and their personality. Do they look unique? Do they have some sort of birthmark, scar etc.? What sort of fashion style do they have? Think about their personality as well. What makes them tick? What hobbies do they have? What music do they like? Are they intelligent, yet short-tempered? Are they brave, yet they tend to be stubborn? Remember to realistically balance positive qualities with some negative ones.