How To Write Believable Characters That Fly Off The Page!

Hey guys, I’m back with a new post! Today we’re going to discuss how to create believable characters.

Think of the characters you love the most: Watson, Moana, Elizabeth Bennett, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Kida, Anna, Anastasia (don’t deny it… we do feel a pang of envy sometimes) and many others.

What do they have in common?

Well, they’re relatable.

So, as you can guess, tip number one is….

#1. Make them relatable and flawed

Think about the characters mentioned above. Why do we remember them?

Because they have similar struggles as we do. We do feel outwitted by geniuses like Holmes… and that’s why we remember Watson. We do want to break out of our normal lives and (don’t deny it) almost everyone of us wants to discover a magical world beneath our monotone lives, just like Moana. Some of us are not accepted into this unfair world because of our disabilities, theories or religion — like J.L Seagull. What would you do if there was a Cinderella in your life? All goody-two-shoes?

I’d not be envious, but I’d definitely dislike her. Or switch houses.

Cinderella is only memorable not because of her character, but because of the romance that occurs, and because of the fairy godmother. But why can we relate with Anastasia, her stepsister?

Because we can understand that feeling of having to live with a goody-two-shoes, and not an adventurous risk-taker, who’s more lovable and fun to be with.

Sometimes, we make mistakes, and we then go to make it up to the person who has been hurt the most by our actions. This happens once every two months in my case: with me and my mother.

So what do I do? Now, in the lockdown, I’ve made e-cards and sign them with a digital signature. But when everything was not so digital, I used to make paper cards with flowery decorations and maybe a pun or two.

We can relate to Anna of Arendelle because of this. She had felt guilty about making Elsa go away, and even more so because she had lost her first and last chance of being good friends with her. So she’d ventured to find her.

We’d do the same, wouldn’t we? Or would we take the throne ourselves and then hand it over to our sly husband (Hans)?

Definitely the first option.

So you see, we can relate with them. Kida wanted a new life outside of her boring life in Atlantis! She wanted to save her people, and was a warrior, not a damsel in distress!

Don’t we relate to that? Women, especially? Aren’t we tired of being mistreated by our fellows?

That’s what made Kida relatable. And the others were relatable as well, though for different reasons, but they stuck in our hearts and never left our minds because we could relate.

And the last thing I could say about this tip from my experience (of writing 25 useless 100-paged drafts) is to not make your characters perfect. Give them flaws, misbeliefs, internal conflicts, weaknesses.

But give them strengths too. Strengths they can’t believe they have just yet. Your character will become a wuss if she’s got only weaknesses and flaws.

#2. Treat them not as Special Little Snowflakes, but as normal people

How would you deal with your older sister who is extremely strong, determined, but also paranoid and a little crazy?

A little cautiously, right? ‘Cuz she can jump at the slightest of noises and the beginning of a grin in a horror movie. You definitely won’t try to burst plastic bags in front of her, knowing the consequences, nor will you try to shove Slenderman’s photograph in her face.

Similarly, treat your characters, given their strengths and weaknesses, the way you would treat a real person with the same personality. Don’t gush over their dogged determination, muscle power or intelligence — and don’t treat them too bad because of their failures, language or religion.

If you’re writing a story in which your main character is a Muslim, treat her as if you were a CCTV camera and you’re recording the journey of a Muslim. Let’s face it, in India, majority of the people do not take kindly to Muslims. So, instead of making her popular or the perfect fit, try and make her a misfit in the crowd. That is what will make her unique.

Make the people look at her with disgust in their eyes. Make them snort or grumble when she tries to talk to them. If you’re bringing in some good people, make them smile when she says something.

If you always treat your flawed character with love and spoonfeed her in every step, readers will put your book away.

Because they’re imagining. They’re in your character’s shoes. If your protagonist was, say, a politician, make her deal with uncertainty, attitude problems and sudden attacks from opposing parties.

Similarly, if she was a nerd in high school, create another character who will always pour water on her head in the cafeteria, or bash her head against the locker after recess — in other words, a bully.

Don’t make the nerd successful or popular. Good things take time, and make the reader fall in love with her, so much that they will follow her in every journey, and their head will boil when she’s bullied.

Get it? Don’t make any of your characters, not only your protagonist, perfect. Don’t treat them as special little snowflakes. Treat them as you would treat a real person with the same personality.

#3. Give them logical thoughts, beliefs and questions

What would you do if you got a chance to make a lot of money — by taking on the job of painting supportive messages on walls for a particular politician?

If your character’s flaw is that she’s greedy, make her immediately ask questions like:

1. What’s the approximate salary
2. What message to paint
3. Whether she will get into trouble for this or not

She won’t ask:

1. About the inside information
2. About the politician’s personal life
3. About books on politics

Oof, Ahana! That’s SO obvious! I mean, this is completely unnecessary! Who needs this tip? Almost EVERY writer does this! you think.

I get your question. And I have the answer.

Believe me, almost 50% of writers make this mistake, especially fiction writers. As is said in Meghna Pant’s How to Get Published in India, even the greatest writers cannot spot their own mistakes.

I’ve seen so many conversations go off-topic, starting with the Harold asking for a favor, and the character responding with an example of her personal life. I’ve done this myself. And that’s why I’m warning you.

Make their dialogue, thoughts and beliefs logical, and absolutely realistic. Or else your character will just be a flat character on a white sheet with fancy fonts and awesome interior design.

If someone tells them something, or if they ask them to do something, their first question must be why.

Isn’t that obvious, realistic and logical?

But instead of knowing the reason or the details on the job, if the first thing they say is: Did you know my uncle’s wedding is coming up this week?… It’ll disturb the reader.

Because the reader is intelligent. Don’t think you can outwit her with flat characters, unrealistic dialogue and major grammatical mistakes.

That’s all for today, and I hope you’ve learnt how to create believable characters that fly off the page!