by LK Hunsaker

Created on: November 25, 2007

Characterization, more than nearly any other aspect of writing, is what binds readers to your story or steers them away. Plots are used and overused, and rehashed again. Let's face it, there are no actual new plots. There are variations and subplots, but the stories have been told. A writer can only hope to tell a story again in a new, fresh way.

That's where your characters enter.

I've heard writers talk about coming up with a story idea and then throwing a few characters in to support it. To me, that's backwards. Your characters should be telling the story, not simply falling in line with it. Before ever worrying too much about beginning-climax-denouement, you should "know" your characters. They should live with you from the beginning of the day to the end. This is what creates memorable fiction. Readers won't care at all about your "wonderful, exciting plot" if they don't care about your characters.

Here are a few tips to help create "real" living, breathing souls on the pages of your fiction.

Start with a Goal

What does your main character (MC) want? All stories must have character change. Something has to happen. You must know first what your MC wants more than anything else. This can be a straight-forward goal such as a mansion with room for seven guests or something more elusive such as a need for recognition. Her actions will all center around this main goal so it's important to know clearly what it is. After knowing what, know why. Why is this goal so important? Was she raised in a one-room cabin and so could never have friends over? Was she the sixth child out of eight and largely ignored? What is the motivation for her goal?

Play "Shrink"

After knowing what your MC most wants, think about what is standing in her way. There must be conflict. Something has to be pulling her from her goal. How she deals with this says everything about who she is. If her need for a mansion is thwarted by lack of money, how will she get it? Does she plan to get it on her own or use others to get it for her? Why? Whether or not you actively tell the reader why she makes the decisions she does, you must know yourself. Get into her background. Know how she grew up. Know what conflicts she's had or if she didn't have any to speak of. The story never begins at the beginning. There is always back story a writer must know, even if your reader doesn't.

Favoritism is a Good Thing

What is your MC's favorite color? What does he like to drink more than anything else? If he's at a store choosing

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