When sitting down to begin writing your novel, one of the first things that you will need to do is create your main and side characters. This can feel like a daunting task because these characters are the lens in which your readers will view your story. It is important that an author creates characters who are interesting, memorable and complex.
When creating great characters for your novel it can be helpful to think of yourself as if you are Victor Frankenstein when he is creating his monster.
I know what you’re thinking, “Why on earth would I want to compare myself to the man who singlehandedly created one of the most horrific monsters in literary history?” This is a reasonable response, but I will tell you why Victor Frankenstein and authors are not so different.
While studying at a university, Frankenstein was struck with an idea that he could not shake: He wanted to create life out of inanimate objects. He debated what the monster would be like and what its creation would mean for mankind. He went out and gathered the different pieces of the monster and he stitched them together to form a humanlike figure. In the end, Frankenstein stood before his lifeless creation and he recognized that it was missing the most essential element. That element was a spark of life. So, Frankenstein shocked his inanimate creation into the animated world.
Authors too will find that they are struck with an idea that they cannot seem to shake: A story. The author will obsess over this story, they will decide what the story will be like and what its narrative will mean for mankind. After working out the details of the story, it will come time to create the characters. The author will have to scavenge for the different pieces of the character and stitch them together until they have a humanlike figure lying in front of them. The author, like Frankenstein, will stand in front of their character wondering what is missing and then they will realize that their character does not have the spark of life. This is where Frankenstein and authors differ because, unlike Frankenstein, authors cannot shock their imagination into reality.
The way in which authors give their characters a spark of life is by imagining them complexly. I would argue that complexity is the most important element to consider when creating a character. Even Frankenstein’s monster, although not purposefully, was a vastly complex individual with a whirlwind of emotions and motivations. Your characters should be no different. When creating a character, you should consider their origins, their life’s hardships, their motivations and their weaknesses as well as their strengths. Realistic characters are flawed and they make mistakes, but that is what makes them likable to the reader. Characters, like human beings, are not perfect. If you find that your characters are perfect it might be because you have not imagined them complexly yet. Your character may just be lying in front of you waiting to be shocked into the animated world.
