Creating a realistic character ,the dos and dont's

In storytelling, characters are the main tools involved in telling your story. Your Characters are the pivot of the story , without a well developed character, your story is incomplete and might possibly end as a debacle. Most especially, your protagonist, The  hero/ protagonist character in a book ,determines the success of a book. Your character should be relatable with, easy to fall in love with (but not all characters must be likeable), easy to take sides with(still not all main characters can be taken sides with). 

Many authors ,self published ,published, amateur, pitching. Seek to create a character whose story would be exciting to read. What kind of character is this?

    Earlier, I told you that your character(s) is/are the pivot of your story telling, you can't tell your story without them.

Imagine, if you want to tell a story about falling in love as a teenager and the perks that come with it. You can't just start ,without creating your characters protagonist or not. 

There has to be, for instance  the naive pretty high schooler or a secondary school girl that fits your story.

Her perky, honest best friend.

And,

A handsome tall lean guy who is age wallflower.

What develops your story are the thoughts of your main characters and their interactions and dialogue with other characters and how they react to certain circumstances.

There are different types of characters when writing fiction work in literature.

 i.Protagonist

iiAntagonist

iiiSecondary

ivStatic

vFoil

viStock

viiDynamic/Round

The Protagonist , is the main character of the story the one whom the story revolves around ,the one who carries the story ,who owns the story ,whose story is being told ,who is telling the story. For example, Harry Potter is the protagonist of the Harry Potter series.

The Antagonist , the antagonist is frequently depicted as the opposite of the protagonist , but that is a cliché now. The antagonist doesn't have to be a black witch if the protagonist is a white witch…

The antagonist opposes the protagonist.

The Secondary ,character is less important than the protagonist. It could the protagonist's best friend, mother or lover.

The Static ,character does not change or grow through out the book. The character is a minor one in a book. For example , the annoying old lady your character sees everyday when walking to school. 

The Foil , acts as an antagonist and usually aids  in the emphasis of the features or traits of your  main character. 

The Stock , the stock represent certain types of stereotypes in your work. For example the jock ,the flirt ,the drunk, the nerd.

The Dynamic, character is all rounded. As its name implies ,tabihe character is not static. It has well rounded features and traits just like living real life human being would. It has behavioral patterns. It doesn't end as the same way he/she began at the end of the book. Dynamic characters are very common in coming of age books. 

Now that we know the types of character. Let's move on to ,Archetype and Stereotype.

The Archetype is not a stereotype, and the stereotype is not an archetype. Let's go back to our drawing board.

The naive pretty high schooler or a secondary school girl ,is an archetype because she fits the story you are writing about. 

The naive pretty girl's name is Angel ,she is very gentle ,she doesn't like to talk too much and if she is not African ,she is blonde… she likes pink.

This is typical character, a stereotype.

The naive pretty girl's name is René/Rayo. 

She hates hip hop, she hates onions ,she loves Celine Dione. She thinks she isn't pretty ,even though she is ,with her glossy skin , brown eyes and lips that are pale pink ,she is not too tall ,she is a 5 ft , she is very dark /very tan. She has small breasts that are very pointy. René/Rayo likes to sleep on her back , she has full wooly hair that isn't really black and short eyelashes even though she is pretty or she has hair that is cinnamon in color. She hates sneakers but loves espadrilles. She doesn't wash her hair every week ,she has a crush on Matthew the naive muscular lean guy in het school , she hates to think about her childhood because it is a very embarrassing past to her , René is afraid of spiders… the list goes on. 

René/Rayo is a well rounded character, who was an archetype before ,but definitely not a stereotype. With the descriptions and distinct characters, you would admit that the naive pretty girl had come to life and can even be imagined ,I can see her right now.

The Archetype, is your plain character that you have created to paint traits into.

Now why don't we make the honest bestfriend and Matthew , the tall wallflower , hour rounded characters, as an exercise you don't have to submit just write it down according to your taste and see how well you do.

For your story to continue and to be well developed, you have to create a well developed character.

These are ways,

1.Give your character a goal and ambition

René/Rayo wants to become a play screenwriter. She is working hard towards it.

2. What does your character do when he/she is nervous?

René/Rayo's heart beats faster than normal.

3. How your character reacts to certain circumstances. For instance, if your character  saw someone die what would it do to him or her.

René/Rayo saw her Dad die ,now she is scared that her mother would die too. That's why she never lives home apart from when she is going to school.

4.  Why does your character want to achieve his/her goal?

René/Rayo wants to tell stories, stories that will warm people's hearts and inspire them , she thinks the best way is through the screen. 

5. What is your character afraid  of 

 René/Rayo is afraid of her mother dying.

6.  Flaws are.important too ,not everyone is perfect.

René/Rayo's room is always dirty and she has a mole on her butt… hilarious

7. A backstory for your character is important.

 René/Rayo ,used to wear braces until she was 12 and was obese. She was the bully target of the class ,her dad's death was not easy to cope with ,so she escaped to Disneyland most times.

8. A present and future story is important.

René/Rayo is studying hard so she can get a scholarship to study  abroad. Her mother is getting older, she is torn between her ambition and leaving home. Knowing she might die anytime soon just like her father did.  René is in love with Mathew ,but love is not one of the things on her long list. She doesn't know what to do with her fast beating heart , when she is around Matthew. 

9. Do not let your character be a  flat character ,give them striking personalities.

10. Your character should have interests ,such as cooking or baking. 

Lara Jean likes baking.

René/Rayo likes blogging. 

11.  Make them a little strange.

René/Rayo likes to pick her nose when she is alone. 

Ill!

12. Your character should have weaknesses as well as strengths

13 . your character's life should not be abed of roses. Life is not a bed of roses!

Even Cinderella had to suffer for a time before she found Prince charming. 

14. What kind of people does tour character like? Add it in.

15. Create a specific attitude for your character.

16. Give him /her likes and preferences.

René/Rayo's favorite color is yellow. 

17. Sometimes, nervous ticks can be a cliché. But you can add it in.

For example your character bites her lips when she is nervous or licks her lips .

The list goes on…. You can add other attributes of your choice ,but what matters is ,you write what you know and what you have learned and researched about. 

I wish you good luck.

Thanks  for reading.