“Unlocking the Mystery: Do Our Favorite Characters Mirror Us or Transport Us to Unseen Realms?”
Character creation can feel like standing at the edge of a diving board, can’t it? You’re high above the water, heart racing, peering into the deep unknown of your characters’ lives. Will they make a splash, or will they belly flop into a sea of reader indifference? As writers, we grapple with the challenge of breathing life into our characters—layer upon layer of complexity, quirks, and triumphs that we often struggle to make resonate. Just recently, I found myself pondering three radically different approaches to character creation, each with their own merits, yet intriguingly, they share a common thread that binds them. Can these diverse techniques coalesce into a more potent and enriching writing experience? Let’s dive in! If you’re curious about the craft behind building multidimensional characters, you’re in the right place. LEARN MORE.
Three approaches to character creation with more in common than meets the eye
Character creation is one of the most difficult challenges every writer faces as they brave the blank page. We are as multifaceted as we are individual, and as we write, we tend to do so from a reasonably unified perspective. Sometimes, we use first-person and step directly into the shoes of our protagonist. Sometimes, we hop heads and bounce from lead-to-lead. Those of us who prefer the third-person point of view may choose to hang over their protagonist’s shoulder, or over the entire world with omniscient dominion. Regardless, each writer approaches their work with one set of eyes in front of one chaotic brain. In order to produce the living, interpersonal flora and fauna of our worlds, we must become a multi-mind.
Recently, I encountered three drastically different takes on character creation and craft. In the midst of their imaginal bickering, I found myself wondering how they might be spliced to result in the most efficacious storytelling possible. If they cannot be spliced, I wondered if they might — at the very least — work in tandem with one another. Regardless of if it is possible, I’d like to examine each one a bit more closely. Also, I’m very…
