HOW TO COME UP WITH EXCITING CHARACTERS TO WRITE ABOUT...
Looking down at a blank sheet of paper and trying to think of a new character to write about?
It can be quite daunting, even for people who do it all the time. So, I thought I’d come up with some ideas to get you started.
Remember, first draft is PLAYTIME. There are no wrong answers, it’s all an experiment.
Spelling, punctuation and grammar rules all come much later in the process so just go for it and have fun!
So, where can you get ideas from?
I guess the very first question to ask is:
ARE THEY EVEN HUMAN?
They could be an animal. A hedgehog who keeps losing his spines, a misunderstood skunk, a baby joey… if there is a creature that fascinates you, why not use that?
Or it could be a mythical new creature, like the JABBERWOCKY or the GRUFFALO – try imagining what a rabbit with an elephant’s head would look like…
And what about people?
Ideas for great new characters can come from anywhere.
- Perhaps you see a family walking down the street and you start to wonder what their stories might be.
- Or what if your younger sister started to behave just like your head teacher? Or your favourite uncle turned out to be a spy?
- You could look into history and wonder what a modern day Joan of Arc would be like. What causes would she champion?
- You could look to fiction. Could you take a famous story like, maybe, Just William, and bring it bang up to date? How would the Railway Children turn out now? What if James Bond went back in time and uncovered the mystery of the Pyramids? Or you could use a classic fairy tale and add a new spin to bring a new message.
- Pictures or poetry might trigger your imagination. Perhaps there are old photos somewhere in your house of generations gone by. Or talking to an elderly family member about what life was like when they were your age.
- If you are still stuck, another great tool to finding inspiration is to do a web search for images of, say, ‘a quiet boy’ or ‘a bouncy girl’, ‘happy families’ or even ‘secret agents’. All sorts of images will come up and may start an idea for you.
The most important thing is to find someone that triggers loads of questions for you and gets your mind in a spin, coming up with ideas for their adventures…
Check out the resources below when you are ready to dig a little deeper into your character and their problems. And click here to find out more about me and my work.
