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Building an Unforgettable Character

Character building is one of my favorite parts of writing a novel. I love seeing where they’re going to take me and where their journey is going to end up. Even though I plot extensively before starting a new novel, I always leave room for the characters to lead me somewhere new.

So, what’s the secret to building an unforgettable character? Here are some tips to lead you in the right direction:

They need to be relatable

If your audience can’t relate to your character, that’s usually a huge problem. We relate to characters like Harry Potter not because we’ve been to Hogwarts and practiced magic, but because we can relate to his pain and to his connection with his friends. He represents emotions that a lot of us have struggled with and he doesn’t quite feel like he fits in. His struggle to find himself is relatable.

Take some time to figure out what your character ultimately represents and don’t be afraid to bring emotion into it. We want to feel connected to your characters and we want to find something in them that matches something in us.

They need to be realistic

It’s important that your character’s actions should remain realistic. Not in the sense of remaining true to our world, but to theirs. Their actions should make sense in context to what they’re going through. If you’re constantly questioning why a character would do something because it just doesn’t make logical sense, you’ll have trouble respecting that character. It’s important that we understand their actions.

They need to be proactive

A good character is a go-getter. I’m not saying they will always make the right decisions or that they’re all good people, but all main characters/protagonists should be able to do things on their own. I’m also not saying they don’t need help, but they need to overcome the big challenges on their own or through what they’ve learned. They can’t just stand around waiting for everyone else to finish things. They need to take initiative at some point, and this should be due to their personal growth throughout the story.

I understand that this point does depend on the story you’re writing. Maybe your character is an unmotivated person. Maybe they’re lazy.  This usually doesn’t matter because a story isn’t interesting if that person remains inactive. They can have periods of inactivity and become unmotivated during parts of your story, but ultimately that does need to change at some point.

They need to have flaws

Flaws will humanize your character and are usually what stands in your character’s path to success. A character that does everything right all the time and doesn’t have any growth because they’re already perfect is VERY BORING. They should fail and they should learn lessons. I’m not saying all their flaws should be fixed by the end of the novel because that’s not how people operate in real life, but character flaws should help build interesting layers.

-Kris Noel

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people related to leo and tamlen plus dirth

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Get to know my character

Reblog this so your followers can spam your ask box. Have fun! ♥

01. What does your character’s name mean? Did you pick it for the symbolism, or did you just like the way it sounded? 02. What is one of your character’s biggest insecurities? Are they able to hide it easily or can others easily exploit this weakness? 03. What would be their favorite physical trait about themselves? 04. What are their favorite traits about their lover? (one psychological and one physical) 05. Are they sexually confident or more of the shy type? 06. Do they have any hobbies that their lover finds unusual, odd, or otherwise annoying? 07. Is there a catchphrase or sound that they tend to make a lot (likely without being aware of it)? 08. What is, perhaps, their biggest flaw? Are they aware of this or oblivious to it? 09. Do they have a favorite season? What about a favorite holiday? 10. Is your character more feminine or masculine? 11. What is something that would make your character fly into a rage? 12. Is there some particular talent, skill, or attribute that they simply could not give up? 13. What are your character’s sleeping habits? Heavy or light sleeper? Blanket stealer? One that always rolls onto the floor? Pushes their lover onto the floor? Sleep talker or walker? 14. Do they live alone or with family? How do they feel about their family/roommates? 15. Is there a certain person in this world that they cannot stand? The very mention of this person’s name makes them tremble with anger or fear. 16. Is your character the athletic type or more of a couch potato? What are some sports/games that they like? 17. Does your character have dreams of getting married and/or having children? 18. What kind of home would they want to live in? Where would they place this abode? 19. Would your character be the kind to get into fights? (physical or verbal) Would they be a good fighter or cave in rather easily? 20. Does your character like animals? What are some of their favorite animals? Would they want pets? What about mythological creatures? 21. What is one of your character’s biggest fears? How would they react when dealing with this fear? 22. What kind of tattoos, piercings, birthmarks, freckles, and other such unique physical features do they have? 23. What is your character like when it comes to school? What subjects are they good/bad at? Do they get in trouble a lot or are well behaved? 24. In their own words, how would your character describe what their lover is like? 25. Is there something traumatic from your character’s past that greatly affects them even to this day? 26. What is their lover like sexually? How do they feel about their lover’s quirks, needs, etc? 27. If your character was going to get arrested, what would be the most likely reason for it? 28. If your character became a celebrity, what would they be famous for? 29. What is one of the most courageous things your character has ever done for a loved one? 30. When it comes to the arts (music, film, theater, etc), what does your character like? 31. Would your character be the kind capable of killing? Would they enjoy killing or only use it when necessary or, perhaps, refuse to kill no matter what? 32. If your character’s lover offered to take them out on a dream date, what would they want to do? 33. If your character wanted to be alone, where would they go? 34. Does your character have favorite foods? (breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snacks, etc) 35. Is your character afraid of death? If they got to choose how to die, how would they want to go? 36. Does your character have any medical conditions? Are they serious or minor? Do they affect their day to day life? 37. What are some of your character’s pet peeves? What are some things that annoy them or disgust them? 38. What kind of weather does your character like? Cloudy skies, rainy days, sunshine, etc? 39. When people look at your character, is there some assumption they might make about them just by appearance? Is that assumption correct? 40. Does your OC have any guilty pleasures they enjoy? Hobbies, past times, music, etc that they wouldn’t want known by others? 41. Does your character’s family affect your character in any way? 42. Is there anything in your character’s past that they regret, haunts them, or they wish they could change? 43. Does your character have a switch that changes aspects of their personality whether they are around friends, family, etc. Is there someone who gets to see their true self? 44. Is there a particular event that would emotionally devastate your character? 45. Is your character the kind to hide their true emotions or do they wear their heart on their sleeve?

46. What is some random affectionate thing that your character always does to their lover? 47. Is your character outgoing? Would they be the leader of the friend group, or the quiet one that gets dragged along? 48. Is there anything in particular that would ignite your character’s jealousy? Or does your character not get envious? 49. What is something that your character has nightmares about? Are these frequent? Do they heavily affect your character’s mood? 50. If your character confessed love to their crush, boyfriend, girlfriend, etc, what would they say?

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there’s a goat! why is there a goat!? oh my god! there’s a fucking lama!

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Someday My Prince Will Come [ music box version ]

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The busy streets of Kings Row seemed even busier at this time of year. The holidays seemed to draw people out from their homes as well as the sound of carols being sung and the smell of hot coco. To most these things seem compleletly normal, however, to Hanzo Shimads they seemed a bit odd. He was used to celeberating the holidays within his family's large estate in Hanmura, rarely Venturi out into the public gaze. Now he was free to do so; despite his freedom he missed the familiar sights and smells of his home. He walked at a steady pace the breaze wiping agains his newly shaved undercut sending shivers down his spine. He scrunched his nose as if to sneez only to be reminded of the small metal bar sitting on the bridge of his nose. For so many years he had to keep up a particular appearance due to his status as the elder son to the leader of the Shimada Clan but that was in the past, those rules no longer applied to him now. As he turned turned a corner, while attempting to avoid running into the mass group of people that'd just crossed the wide streets, he spotted a bakery with a large sign stating in large, bold letters "Sponge Cake With Strawberries Sold Here". The corners of Hanzos mouth twitched slightly as he slowly smiled. In Japan it was part of holiday tradition to have a sponge cake after the decadent treat had arrived in the country from the west. Without a second thought he darted across the street clutching the strap of his bow case as to keep it on his shoulder as it bounced around. He came to a halt in front of the store taking a quick breath before pushing the slightly heavy door open. The bakery had a warm, welcoming atmosphere to it; poeple sat at small tables chatting over coffee and sweets while children attempted to convince their parents to buy them a slice of cake. He moved towards the counter as a young, bright teenager spotted him giving him a warm smile. "Hello sir!" They said in a cheery tone. "What can I get for you today?" "A whole strawberry sponge cake, if possible." "You've got excellent timing, we just put out a fresh cake." "I'll take that one then." Hanzo nodded slightly as he humbly replied. Alright the whole cake is going to be €30.97, just give me a moment to box it up for you." Hanzo moved over to the till; he paid for the cake in cash leaving a small tip before leaving the warmth of the bakery. The air was much colder now promoting Hanzo to move faster than he normally would. The warmth that greeted him upon entering the apartment was well needed. The sides of Hanzos head were utterly frozen; despite the fact that he now donned an undercut he did not always dress for the weather. He took his shoes off placing them neatly on the small shoe rack then made his way I no the kitchen. He set the cake down on the small oak tables then proceeded to remove his jacket. As he set it on the back of a chair he noticed thre was a message on their answering machine. "Probably just Genji sending me a holiday message..." Hanzo muttered to himself. He flopped down onto the couch after wrapping himself in a blanket. He felt fairly tired, mostly from having been chilled to the bone, thus decided that a short nap seemed wise. With a soft huff like sigh he closed his eyes, scooting down in his spot a bit resting his head against the nearest cushion. Within seconds he was out like a light. ~*~ After reaching the voice several times and leaving one message Reinhardt had seemingly given up. He had decided he to return home in order to spend some well needed off time with his partner. Spending the holiday season with Torbjorn, his wife and several kids was how he usually spent them, however, having a partner now and knowing he was at their home alone was quite troubling. He had arrived back in London early that morning giving him time to surprise Hanzo with a gift as well as surprise the old archer with his glorious presence. The gift finding, however, took far longer than expected. Reinhardt decided that the best place to find a gift for Hanzo would be the Asian sector of the city. There they had items from China to Japan to the south east Asia and so on. He knew Hanzo had lived a fairly tradition life in Hanamura giving him the idea to find a gift that reflected that traditional life style. Finding the gift, however, was a completely different story. He knew Hanzo drank a large amount of tea on a daily bases. As he entered a small shop he noticed a rugged looking tea set near the store front. The design of the pot and cups reminded him of a photo Hanzo had once shown him of a tea ceremony he had participated in. He looked at the label next to the set noticing something in the corner written in small writing "crafted in Hanamura". Reinhardt donned his flashy smile as he carefully carried the set up to the front. The Japanese women at the till was very helpful when he asked about green tea, going as far as to give him a few tins of matcha for free. He had a nice little chat with her before making the semi long trip home. ~*~ Hanzo could smell tea as he slowly awakened. He yawned, stretching out his arms as he hear the clink of a tea cup next to him. "I'm home meine liebe." Hanzo looked straight into Reinhardts bright blue eye as a smile slowly crept onto his face. "Reinhardt, you did not tell me you'd be back tonight." Reinhardt gave a hearty chuckle. "Surprise." Hanzo reached up wrapping his arms around the man's neck. "I'm glad your back." Reinhardt swooped Hanzo into his arms setting him on his lap before giving him the bear hug of a life time. He placed hundreds of little kisses on the the top of the small archers head while pulling his hair from the small hair tie. Combing his large fingers through Hanzos hair had not been the same since Hanzo had updated his style. Hanzo claimed he didn't really notice a difference; he had become so accustomed to the feeling, even with his new style, he could not feel anything aside from the tingling relaxation sensation he'd received from the action. Without even thinking tears began to roll down his cheeks. It slowly dawned on him that he was not going to be alone, that he was with someone. "Hanzo, why you are crying?" "I am so used to being alone during these times, that I never once considered the possibility of sharing them with others. Knowing that I can share this with you fills my heart with joy." "Then I glad to be here with you for your first Christmas, with another." The couple cuddled for what seemed like an hour before Reinhardt gave him the tea set. Hanzo was beyond amazed that he was able to even find a set made in Hanamura. The intricate Sakura design that graced the sides of the pot and the cups was very detailed. The fact that Rein had also secured quite a bit of matcha also pleased Hanzo. He also made sure to show them man how to properly make tea using matcha powder. Rein noticed the cake asking Hanzo why it was there; he was very surprised to say the least when Hanzo explained it was tradition to share the cake with loved ones during the holidays. So while Hanzo made a fresh pot of tea Rein cut them each a slice; once both were ready they curled up on the couch to watch cheesy holding movies. "Merry Christmas meine liebe." Rein spoke in a soft voice kissing Hanzos head. "Mercy Christmas, Rein."

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