In a story, characters matter as much as the writing style, if not more. They are the ones who are the story so it's essential that they are relatable, and they make sense. "When writing a novel, a writer should create living people; people not characters. A character is a caricature," said Ernest Hemingway.

People often ask me how I make my characters have distinct voices. I'm nowhere an expert of writing nor characters but since this is a question I get often, I thought sharing my way to write characters would be a nice touch.

When you are writing a character, the first thing you should do is to get to know them. Of course, this isn't something you can do at the beginning of the story but from the start, you can at least specify some aspects of a character. For example, in my story Nobody, I identified Gail as strong headed, sensitive, and independent before I even started writing. Knowing your character helps you keep a solid voice throughout the story. A person isn't solid though, the plot you set may bend them, but they still have a skeleton and that won't change.

A story has lots of characters so it's a bit tricky to make them sound all different. Some people list down the traits of each character they write, and I think this is the most guaranteed method. Here's one example of a character profile I've made for River Hill in Misplaced:

What I often do is this: I try to get into the shoes of the character I'm writing. That requires knowing him or her well but this is also quite useful in real life experience. Writing distinct characters allow you to see the world from different perspectives and be objective. Empathy is the weapon we need to fix most of the problems right now and writing characters that are different from you helps you with that. Of course, writing them realistically—with research and discussions with people familiar with those issues or ethnicity if you're writing about a foreign character.

Another thing I do is not to mention their physical features unless they are relevant to the story. I'm not saying this is the correct way to do it. I personally think it's up to preferences but if you hate taking notes and you tend to forget, keeping the physical appearances vague is an effective way; otherwise you may end up calling a character blue eyed in the early chapters and brown through the end. (This happened with me in the past so yeah, it happens.) If you have careful readers like I do, your job is even harder.

This proves planning and taking notes are good things to do and we all should do them. We shouldn't be lazy, duh. Noelle (hepburnettes) and Elle (stereohearted) are some people I know that are so organized and good at planning.

"This is just a book. This isn't real."

I heard lots of people saying this. You're right, a book is a book but what is reality? I'm not here to discuss the meaning of existence or so but every fiber of a story is inspired by reality. Maybe the character you're writing is not like you or anyone you know but they are probably the mixture of them—they are similar to someone. Or the place your story sets in may be fictional, but it's also inspired by somewhere you've been or seen before. They are the reflection of our knowledge and that makes them real.

People care about consistency. It's important in your plot or characters as much as it's important in real life. People are tired of unrealistic or inconsistent characters. While writing your story, ask yourself this question: would I read this? Yes, inconsistent people exist, but people want to read about strong characters with solid personality and good development. Give them a reason to relate to the character. Make them ordinary, relatable, and real. Of course, your character may be an outcast but why? Are they insecure? Are they alone? I have a body of a model, but I don't like myself trick doesn't work anymore.

Long story short, give your characters some insecurities and problems. Every single person has a problem or fear, minor or major. Show your readers that your character isn't perfect. Perfect characters may be dreamy but they don't sound so appealing. They get boring throughout the story and in the end, you end up thinking you will never come across such a person. To me, this isn't the point. I want every story that I read to improve me in a way. I want to learn something from them.

Here, I mean writing about POC or LGBTQ+ or diverse characters. I definitely support diversity in literature and I think everyone should try including them in their stories. However, please don't write a diverse character by using only the name of it.

I wrote a Chinese person in my story Baby Keeper, but I think I did okay with showing his ethnicity. We are all a part of our country and ethnicity from the things we believe to the way we behave. So, writing a character isn't basic. Especially if you're writing a character from a culture you aren't familiar with. I've been learning Chinese for four years and I think I have a decent knowledge of Chinese culture. I've been to China as well. So, I tried my best to reflect Chinese culture in my character.

If you're writing about a character, you need a decent knowledge of their background to make them 3D because including their culture makes the story even more interesting. I love reading about diverse cultures and languages. I usually include some short dialogues of different languages in my books.

Or if you're writing about a gay character, for example, you should put yourself in their shoes or so, otherwise it may offend them. Same goes for everyone. Be sensitive. Do your research and ask people who are familiar with the culture you're writing. Wattpad is full of people and if you give a shout-out about it, I'm sure you will find people who are willing to help you.

Diversity is the best ever—but please don't include them just to get some popularity. Study your lesson and write them as they are deserved to be written.

This is all I have to say about characters. If you have further questions, you can always contact me by visiting my profile! I'm always happy to meet new people. 😊

To celebrate Wattpad Block Party, I'll be giving shoutouts to five people. My giveaway is open internationally. Make sure to participate!

Thank you so much for reading! If you liked it, please don't forget to vote/comment. Eager to hear your thoughts!

With love,

Sev xx