Motivations and learning style. For me, a character needs to show me how they got to where they are. Sometimes I'll do an outline, sort of interview the character for their likes and dislikes. Sometimes, I won't.
Honesty. My ongoing work on my current book is about my experiences, therefore I write as honestly as possible.
I think that what is needed for a character to be believable is that they have a life of their own. They may be a caricature unlike any real person, but they will be believed if they have their own sense of life. The Three Stooges would be an example. One dimensional, yet convincing because of their authentic sense of energy. It is possible to put too much effort into adding on nuances of character which make a character more realistic, but not necessarily more believable.
As I said before explosions is a must. He needs to be seen walking away from an explosion without looking back.
When I write a character, depending on the character, I always begin with myself. If it has to be the star character or the main character I basically just write about myself, only adding stuff like "Knows jujitsu, speaks french, german and italian etc". If i have to write about a sidekick, I again think of myself, only more weak and less charming. If I have to write about a woman, once again I base her on myself, but instead I add more crying, irrationality and the odd desperation of always needed to be rescued.
Having every single detail available as if a normal person does. Background demographic data, physical characteristics and traits
What is required for a character is to be made with real elements. To be as human as we, all are, having advantages and disadvantages in his character, together with a good reason to be believable and catch the reader's attention.
My characters are somewhat based on real people that actually lived in sometime during the last few centuries. Good research helps when building a character.
Real-life dog-conflict: The cat belongs to the management. Management loves it. Should I still try to kill it? The management cherishes the oriental rug. Should I chew just one corner or honor its symmetry and chew both sides? Canine wheat allergy? Should I shun the piece of fresh baked bread that hit the floor or eat it simply because it tastes good and the vet assistant is built like Sofia Loren?
A character must be multi-dimensional and be sympathetic at some level. The reader must see some human element in the character with which he relates.
Honestly, this is a hard one to answer without being overly vague. I really just need to feel like a character is human (if they are). They need to have drive, motivation, feelings, goals (or lack thereof), and some vices. My characters need to have appetites and flaws, so that I can resonate.
My characters, however, tend to be overly dumb humans. I build mine with goals and driving factors. That's usually where I start. However, many of them are opinionated simpletons who received all their opinion from advertisements for cars, beer, medication, and colleges. The other side of the fence, my leftovers, are idealistic purists living in a dark, gritty world. The in-between is usually where I like to end up, a harmonized balance between light and dark.
I think you have to put a lot of yourself and those you are close to into characters to make them believable. This is particularly important in dialogue. It's very difficult to write dialogue for someone who is absolutely unlike you.
Again, my characters start out as voices in my head, and they tell me what to write and what they want to say. Really!
"Believable" is a pretty low standard. To be believable, a character typically needs not to be a complete and utter stereotype and, consequently, not completely 'predictable.' But to be a powerful, memorable character, on the other hand, the author needs to imbue his subject with a background or history, contradictions, inner conflict, imperfections (physical, emotional, intellectual and moral) goals (both stated and unstated), prejudices (a strong, defined perspective), idiosyncrasies, realistic manners of speech, carriage, etc. and certain consistent character traits. You create yours the same way you create your story premise and theme, by actively daydreaming about it and by challenging your imagination.
Verisimilitude is the key to all believability. My characters actually live in my psyche and have their own identity, character flaws and personality quirks. I was once advised to assign a living being (i.e. actor/actress) to each character to enable him/her to be "real". I love it when I can not identify anyone who actually fits my mind's description. That also helps me work harder to bring that character alive for the reader.
For first person I think you need to get into the role. Feel the character; maybe put a bit of yourself in there too like actors do when they make a part their own. For other characters you have to see them as friends or at least people you know. Get to know them and gain a feel for the kind of things they’d say or how they’d react to a situation. It’s ok to start off with loose stereotypes; once you begin to believe they actually exist then they can become more authentic. |
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