Writing a Novel: Techniques for Creating Realistic Characters

It’s easy to say you want to write a novel. It’s harder to do it. You have to create a plot with vibrant characters that’s engaging enough to draw your readers in and keep them entertained. Having a beginning isn’t good enough. You have to take that beginning and weave it into a story that’s truly worth telling, and you’ll need characters that have realistic emotions and reactions. Writing these reactions can be a complicated and difficult task. However, there are two techniques that can help you to engage with your own characters and develop them in a way that is both realistic and in keeping with your story.

Learn to Play “What If” With Your Characters

Once you understand the basics of writing fiction, you have to weave your tale effectively. However, sometimes you’ll not really know where to go with your plot. You may not have any idea what your characters should do, or what they might do when presented with certain situations. In this case, it might be helpful to play “what if” with your characters.

Get out a blank piece of paper and scratch out a few “what ifs.” Play with each idea for a little while. Keep some basic notes about what might happen as each idea is explored. Eventually, you’ll find one that works, but don’t discard your list of “what ifs.” Put them in a folder somewhere. You might find a place to use them later in your story, or they might be useful in another book, especially if you intend to reuse some of your characters.

Put Yourself in Your Character’s Place

If you’re not sure what your character might do or say in a given situation, try being you character for a moment. Use your imagination and put yourself in your character’s shoes. If your character is going for a brisk jog across an icy lake, and you have no idea how that feels or how to describe it, take yourself outside and jog across an icy lake. Be your character and you’ll soon figure out exactly how it feels and what your character would think about the icy lake.

This also works for entire scenes that you might be trying to construct. Get up and act them out, even if you have to play the role of multiple characters. By actually considering real reactions to certain situations, you’ll be better able to create a story that seems plausible and engages your readers.

It’s easy to write yourself into a corner and not be entirely certain how to write yourself out again. However, by playing “what if” or taking the time to imagine or enact certain scenes, you will be well on your way to writing your first novel.