Creating Characters That Jump Off The Page

Creating a character out of thin air is a hard task for anyone. 

So I’ll walk you through how I like to create a character.

I usually start with a character which is rather stereo-typical - it’s always easier to work with a template. I note down what traits they have and what stand-out characteristics. Then, I flip them on their head and make them the opposite.

In the 80’s, teen films loved these five character types:

The Princess.

The Jock.

The Nerd.

The Rebel.

The Goth.

Let's take "the princess," She's upper class, gets what she wants, has all the cutest dresses and most popular girl in school BUT her parents don't give her enough attention and put a lot of pressure on her to raise her social status.

Now, let's flip this:

Say her parents are loving and doting, perhaps too much. They're cotton-wool parents and don't give her any individuality.

This makes her want to break away from the family. She pushes away her family to get some space and acts like she's too cool for them. But amongst her peers she's needy, clingy and desperate for someone to be real with her. She has low self-esteem and low efficacy because she's never done anything on her own. Therefore no one wants to be friends with her.

Her mum buys her the cutest dresses but they don't fit in well with her peers and this gets her bullied at school.

She can stay upper class and get all the material goods she wants. Because of this, she runs back to her comfort zone causing an internal push and pull around getting what she wants in her comfort zone or pushing herself into a scary world to find what she needs.

Let's also make her a He.

Jason has loving, doting parents who want nothing more than to spend 24/7 with their baby. But their baby is now 17 and ready to venture into the world on his own. His parents buy him anything that he wants at the drop of the hat - one thing they don't give him, belief in himself. If there's a chore or a difficult situation, his parents are there solving it before Jason is even aware of the problem.

At school Jason doesn't fit in with his peers, they don't come from the same affluent background, nor do they understand his home life; Country clubs, networking and and exclusive events. Jason shows up to school in clothing from the 80s and lets his sharp tongue fly. His peers fear him yet at times Jason does nothing but beg for validation.

When the school dance is announced, he must make a decision. Will he stay at home with his doting parents who tell him he can do no wrong, or will he push through the hate and show his peers what he's made of to win over his dream partner?

Now the Jock. They’re sporty. Usually they have one sport they are really good at and get loads of scholarships because of their sporty talent. Often one of the parents pushes this character a little too far, sometimes they coach the team and encourage the character to forget all else (including friends) to get better at this sport. 

Let’s say they’re not sporty at all. They hate sports and prefer reading. They’re quiet and introverted with very little co-ordination. 

Let’s keep their pushy parent and say their mum was in the national team for netball. They encourage this character to get into Netball and bribe them with new books, clothing, room decor, whatever they want. They’re not an affluent family so the mum is pushing for the character to get a scholarship and hopes netball is in the blood. 

The mum also uses this as a way to push the character to socialise more. But what happens is, they’ll discuss technique and this character starts talking about the theory. 

Perhaps they grow into it and over the course of the story become really good at Netball. Then the world championships happens on the same day as a meet and greet with the characters favourite author. Will she pull through for the team and make her mum proud, or will she follow her heart and reach one of her own dreams?

Stereo-typical: Damsel in distress.

Flipped: Baddass woman.

Stereo-typical: Nerdy girl that gets saved by a man.

Flipped: Nerdy girl saving a man.

Stereo-typical: Rebellious teenager.

Flipped: Teenager trying to get by in an abusive family and causing a ruckus is the only way they know how to get their emotions out.

Now you try for the Nerd, Rebel, and Goth. 

Remember, just flip what you know.

Let me know what you come up with in the comments!