How to Create Successful Fictional Characters

If you like to write fiction, an important part of the fiction is coming up with the characters in the story. A good plot is important, but it cannot move along without characters that will make it happen. So, just how do you make characters that will not offend others.

If it is very important to you to base a character off of one person, get that person's permission. This person should be a friend or a common acquaintance. If you still have a need to write a story that has a character based off of one person, write a simple story for yourself or yourself and a group of close friends.

However, in general, one character should be based on at least two people. In order to come up with good characters, they need physical attributes and personalities. For a male character, you may want to mix the physical attributes and personalities of both your father and your uncle. If one has short curly brown hair and the other has long blonde hair, your character may have long curly blond hair.

Then, perhaps your father is always gentle, but he has such a temper that he always yells when he gets upset. Then, your uncle may be the type of person who is always angry, no matter what, and does not seem to like anybody. Your character may be a very angry person, but one who always tries to do nice things.

After this is done, then give the character a name. It is best if the name is just picked randomly from names that you like for characters. The name should not be the name of somebody you know (though, yes, if you know a "Nick," the characters name may be "Nick," just do not give the character the same last name, too).

If you need to be able to figure out the different characteristics for your characters, write down the characteristics and physical attributes of the people who are your basis for the character. Practice describing these people. Then, start writing information about your character.

A really great writer will be able to combine three, four, or more people into one character. Perhaps you created a female character. Her looks may be a combination of your mother and that lady fourth grade teacher you had. However, her personality may be a combination of the lunch lady that seemed to hate you and Julia Roberts.

By creating a single character that is based on a variety of different people, you will be able to make characters that people will both like and hate. However, they will not be identified as certain people within the stories either, which is quite important so that others will not get upset that "they" were in your stories.