by Conner Good

Created on: July 05, 2009

You've just come up with a bombshell idea in your head, and you had to jot it down. Now you're looking at it and thinking, "Wow, this could be a great story." Except in the back of your mind, you realize one thing- the only way to have a believable story is to have solid and reliable characters. You know this is tough- you've tried before and haven't done so well, so now you are looking for the perfect way to develop those amazing characters you always wanted.

Unfortunately, that is not how it always works. There is no "foolproof" way to develop great characters because each character is unique, and their conception must be unique as well. Fortunately, you can have that unique process while keeping an organized outline and still produce compelling and reliable characters.

1. Solidify Your Idea

The first thing you should do before proceeding is to make sure that your idea can be supportive and flowing with multi-dimensional characters. Do you think it is believable? Do you think that readers will connect to it even when your characters don't? Make sure your story is reliable or your characters won't matter. Your character is the one that drives the car- he doesn't pick it out.

2. Choose and Analyze the Mood

If you want a reliable backdrop for you characters to fit in, you have to choose a "mood" that your story communicates. With this mood, you can make a "Common Character Model," which, ideally, all of your characters can fit into. If your story concerns events that are apocalyptic, your characters would all be scared and anxious. Therefore, "scared and anxious" would be part of your Common Character Model. If your main characters are all on a treasure hunt, part of the model would be that they're all on a quest, so they are determined and hopeful. I think you get the idea.

3. Create a Character Portfolio

Now that you have the idea, the mood, and the model, it's time to start filling out your characters one by one. Instead of starting with specifics such as names and physical descriptions, it is sometimes better to plan out your character with the essential influences from his/her past that shape your characters more than anything else. So, let's look at those first. Ask these questions to your character just before the events in your novel take place. Record the answers.

Family- What was your family like? How did they interact with you? How did your parents influence you? What was the relationship between your parents like? What is it like now? Families

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