How to make yourself a hero. How to create a character in a work of fiction from scratch. An ordinary person as a character

How to come up with a character? This question is asked by almost every Author who strives to make his work as interesting, colorful, and believable as possible. After all, if the hero does not look real, then the whole work is perceived as fantasy or utopia.
To make it more convenient, we will first consider the creation of the main characters, and then the secondary ones, which some Authors deprive of their attention.

So, creating a main character is a painstaking process. It is necessary to cover all aspects, all facets, because main character- not a dummy that no one would write about. This is, first of all, a person, although invented, he has thoughts, feelings, as well as habits and principles. And often the Authors present to us only a small fraction of that inner world.

First, readers should have a rough idea of ​​what a particular character looks like. After all, every Author, like an artist, draws pictures with words, and readers subconsciously imagine what is happening. Therefore, it is imperative to indicate at least the silhouette - a tall character or a short one, thin or plump, or maybe stooped. It is not necessary to describe every centimeter of the body, it is enough to just describe the main external signs: hair and eye color, again, height and build. And to give the hero individuality in appearance (even if the character is a blue-eyed blond with an athletic build, whom all the girls run after), a couple can distinctive features. For example, a large mole on the neck that cannot be ignored, or a dragon tattoo, or a scar on the cheek. This is how the hero will be remembered.

Secondly, you need to describe the character. It is incorrect in a work where the narrative is told on behalf of this main character to write something like: “I am smart, kind, affectionate, brave...”. Even if a character calls himself smart or cowardly, for example, then he should do it differently. Eg:

“I finally solved this complex equation with powers, immediately jumped up from my seat, and, under the admiring glances of my classmates, I put the solution on the teacher’s table. He looked at me in surprise - no one in our class could find the roots of the equation. I was incredibly proud , because now everyone knows how smart I am!”

But in this case, we should not forget that, having told in this way about the hero’s mind, the Author reveals other qualities: in my example, the character looks somewhat boastful, you can even imagine how he approaches the teacher’s table, proudly raising his head. If the work is written in the third person or the hero is described by another character, then the same concept applies: “An act is an assessment.” Such small descriptions should be present throughout the text, not only in the character’s thoughts, but also in his behavior and actions - after all, readers evaluate the hero precisely according to these criteria, classifying him as more positive or more positive. negative characters work.

It’s worth stopping at this point - negative and positive heroes. Unless the Author is truly writing a utopian work, then it should be remembered that there are no people who are good or bad in everything. This is where individuality lies - one person is brave, but a little stupid, so he gets into different troubles; the second is smart and cunning, therefore he cowardly avoids danger, caring only about himself; and the third is smart and brave, but at the same time extremely evil. Again, everything is the Author’s imagination, but more goodies there must be at least one bad habit(biting your nails out of excitement) or a nasty trait (slamming the door and being rude), despite the fact that such heroes most likely strive for perfection, and more negative ones have, for example, a secret passion for kittens, when a selfish and arrogant teenager suddenly becomes moved and begins care for an abandoned kitten.

Biography is not the most important part of character description in works small size, but the necessary part in big works. At least a mention, but it must be, since it is in childhood that the basic principles and “life scenarios” are laid (certain plans for the development of events, patterns passed on by inheritance), and some an important event- the death of parents or the betrayal of a friend - can explain the appearance in character of such traits as distrust and disappointment in life.

The same applies to behavior. A gallant young man will not slam the door right in front of a girl’s nose, and a drunkard will not curtsey to his acquaintance. Again, the example is far-fetched, and in most cases the Author does not even think about how exactly his characters speak, but there should not be any discrepancies.

Thus, there were several main points for creating the main character:
1. Description of appearance. Against cliches - a certain “zest” that gives individuality.
2. Character description. Against cliches - a habit or trait that is diametrically opposed to character (worse or better).
3. Speech and behavior of the character.
Perhaps each Author will add another item to this list that will make his story special - my list serves as a framework, a basis. We move from the main character to the secondary character.

Minor characters- people who surround the main character. Classmates, acquaintances passing by, sometimes even parents. Secondary characters help create an atmosphere of reality of the work, despite the fact that they do not particularly influence the main one. storyline. Therefore, with their creation everything is much simpler - sometimes the reader does not even think about what he is like, the same Uncle Petya who was mentioned in the fifth chapter, in the third paragraph.

Firstly, if a minor character still appears throughout the story (for example, the same parents), then you can also describe their silhouette, create a vague image so that the reader does not forget who this person is, and more fully imagined what the Author himself wanted to convey to him. You can do this with this unobtrusive phrase:

“I walked past a very plump grandmother sitting on a bench near the entrance and said hello to her - she looked at me gloomily, but didn’t say anything, just grumbling something under her breath.”.
And the reader catches his eye on this “very plump grandmother,” remembering her.

Secondly, we can highlight some main feature character, which will help you remember the character after ten chapters, even if you forgot the name. For example, the brave Uncle Vanya, who defeated a bear in his youth; capricious Aunt Vika, always dissatisfied with those around her.

Thirdly, speech and behavior play a big role even among secondary characters. For the same reasons as for the main characters, because if social qualities and manners differ, the hero becomes unreal.

The easiest way is to copy minor characters from people you know. By at least, you can associate them with them so that the Author himself does not forget who is who. Secondary characters are described by the main characters or from the outside, and this is similar to thoughts about someone you know. You don't have to resort to this method, but still.

Therefore, there are a couple of points for creating secondary characters:
1. Creating an external and internal image with a phrase.
2. The character’s speech and behavior.
I repeat, this is much easier to do than to create a main character who will reveal more and more new facets of his inner world as the story progresses.

Even the most ordinary hero or cliché hero can acquire individuality with the help of the Author. Creating a hero is not difficult, but it needs to be taken as seriously as possible. I hope my article will help you.

Many ficwriters ask the question: “ how to make a character interesting»?

Let's try to sort this issue out.

We all love to read works on ficbook, like them, send gifts to the authors, or write admiring reviews. Many newcomers go to the page of a popular author, look with envious eyes at the number of gifts and think: “damn, I’ll never achieve this.”

Hey newbie, pull yourself together!

Give yourself a mental (or not) slap in the face and start creating.

Your work won't be interesting if you write about girls who are looking for true love and dream of living on the shore Cote d'Azur, or men with a midlife crisis. And even better - these are the ideal main characters who are drowning in a drinking binge because of unhappy love.

Sounds boring, right?

How many such works do we know?

That's right, sit down - 5!

In order for your main character It seemed interesting to make the reader fully feel your character, to give him some unique quality. Let's skip the moment of introducing the character itself (name, age and character). This has all been said and written before me a hundred times, I think I won’t say anything new. If you want the reader to terrorize your personal message every two minutes with messages “where is it on sale?” or spent ten hours rereading one chapter, then I have only one phrase - there must be heroes interesting.

Descriptions

1) Try not to describe the girl in a standard way, telling her what “beautiful eyes” she has blue color, in which you can drown or choke at just one glance.” The only thing I want to choke on is the same text. It's all a template. Show this through another hero - what he experiences when looking into the heroine’s eyes, what emotions and thoughts come to mind. Then the melody will play differently.

It is no secret that the most informative and eye-catching thing is a person’s face. And the main thing that is reflected on him and expressed in facial expressions is emotions.

Descriptions vary. If we look through Tolstoy, Turgenev or Goncharov, we will notice that they described their heroes from a receding hairline to thumb on the left leg. Never forget that we are ficwriters, not Russian classics. You can present the character to the reader in detail, but do it gradually. Let your second character notice a mole behind his right ear or a scar on his foot. But present it in such a way that this small detail is noticed accidentally. The leg should not be exposed and brazenly spin around in front of the face shouting: “Look, see?!”

Most often, authors describe their character's eyes. Why? Because eyes are the mirror of the soul. And what just happens in these eyes: either they change color through the chapter, then they are associated with food (why food?), or they burn like two coals in a fire.

In general, here you can swing to the fullest. The main thing is not to bring the text to the point of absurdity. Re-read sentence two, three, or even more, write several options and choose the best and most suitable one.

Hobby

2) No one will be interested in reading a story where the main character collects stamps or coins, buys the most expensive cars or does he have endless wine Vault. But, if you are a sworn numismatic and see at night how your character collects coins, then change the strategy - make a character atypical.

How do we represent a numismatist? A middle-aged man with glasses on his hooked nose. With a dim table lamp in personal account you can see a small bald spot and gray hair. There is nothing interesting in his life except the coins that he dreams of every second.

I'll fall asleep now, that's the truth.

Do typical atypical. Let your big guy, the hired killer and the threat of all the streets grow violets on the windowsill, and let the formidable teacher, from whom you only hear: “sit down - 2!” shaking over his beloved chihuahua. And finally, give this damn dog a stupid name.

The most important thing is that the “zest” is chosen correctly.

Situation

3) Each person behaves differently in a given situation. Someone will walk past a fallen old woman and not even look in her direction, someone will help her up and silently leave, and someone will completely lift her up, take her home, and even offer compensation for her tripping over a pebble.

So, let the hero behave unpredictable. An eternal villain who dreamed of enslaving the world suddenly finds an abandoned child and becomes a caring father, or a young dreamer who sleeps and sees that she is being kidnapped by Superman turns out to be even that lecher!

Heroes usually have one thing distinctive feature, but are you the author, or who the hell are you?! Destroy this system, show the reader your character from the other side. The main thing is not to overdo it.

Don't you know what I mean? Let's take another example.

You created interesting character with everyone the best beautiful ones qualities. And then the hero had the urge to make lemonade. He takes out a glass, ice, water, sugar, reaches for a lemon... But it’s not there! There is no lemon in the refrigerator! He dresses lazily, takes money, goes to the store, buys a lemon, and in five minutes the lemonade is ready.

I'm sleeping again.

This story is boring, like my life. There is nothing interesting in it, just a sequence of events.

Now let's look at it from the other side.

The main character wanted lemonade. He takes out a glass, ice, water, sugar, reaches for a lemon... But it’s not there! He realizes that he wants lemonade more than winning at the skating rink. Everything would be fine, just get ready and go to the store. But our hero turns out to be a social phobe! Now he has to overcome his fear and make a plan for going for the lemon.

Such a character, and the plot itself, no longer seems trivial.

Character

4) Add a little negativity. If your hero is handsome, smart, attractive, well-mannered, charming, a jack of all trades, every woman dreams of falling at his feet, then he will bear little resemblance to real person. None of this is appropriate unless you decide to write a Mary Sue.

Give him a few vices. Write in your usual manner, adding his ideal qualities along the way, and then hop, and rain from a clear sky. Veil the plot in such a way as to show that the character also has “skeletons in the closet”, and even more than one. He can already open his own museum!

Draw up a biography on a separate sheet of paper, try to think through all the facets as best as possible. Make sure that an exemplary boy has his own dark past.

Eccentricities

5) Good, and most importantly interesting characters turn out to be eccentrics or even crazy.

Let's remember wonderful story Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland". Why do we all love this story so much, besides the endless moral?

That's right, again - 5!

There were interesting characters there. Hookah smoking caterpillar, disappearing Cheshire Cat, “out of my mind” Mad Hatter and many other bright personalities.

Not convinced yet?

Everyone's favorite Luna Lovegood from Mom Ro's Harry Potter. A very mysterious and strange character. I want to get to know her again and again. And I'm sorry that so little time was spent on her and Xenophilius Lovegood. Harry and Neville are perplexed by Luna, she infuriates Hermione, Ginny sometimes has difficulty holding back laughter in her presence, and Ron openly calls her crazy. This character with radish earrings causes bewilderment, but attracts with incredible energy.

And Sherlock Holmes? At night he plays the violin and injects himself with morphine.

Weirdos the characters are colorful, eccentric, paradoxical, self-willed and a little grotesque. Who would be interested in reading about a character who is always whining about life? Come up with a unique trait for him and bring it to the point of absurdity! Creating a character with quirks is fun and interesting.

But, of course, when creating a character with quirks, you can, dear author, fail. It may turn out to be implausible, unsympathetic or stupid. It's hard to know if you went too far in trying to bring the character to life. It's always risky.

Those who don't take risks don't drink champagne, right?

And finally, I will say that try to find a few interesting facts from the life of your hero. It is unlikely that the reader will be interested in everyday life. To make your characters interesting, give them an intriguing background, intelligence, and original views, and some - quirks. Don't be afraid to take risks, create fresh, non-standard images.

Today in this article we will answer the questions:

How to create a three-dimensional hero? What determines the “volume” of a hero? What makes it alive, unique and makes readers empathize?

What is depth and how to work it out?

First, let's decide what the depth isNOT is.

Depth is NOT:

• characteristic;
• peculiarities;
• quirky and eccentric features;
• not a dominant character trait.

So what is depth?

A bright character is distinguished not by one, but by many features and traits, many of which may contradict each other. It is from this contradiction of character traits that depth is born.

We put forward the thesis:

Depth– this is a contradiction.

This is the simplest, but most important thing to remember when we talk about volume.

The contradiction may be:

• within a strong character ( internal conflict, which is born from two contradictory traits; for example, in Macbeth it is a conflict between ambition and guilt);
• between characterization and true character(brave fat man, kind ogre, charming thief);
• between character and behavior (For example, let's remember “The Lord of the Rings” by Tolkien. Aragorn is a king by vocation - he comes from a family of rulers, and the throne belongs to him by right. But he rejects his destiny and puts on the mask of a ranger and a wanderer).

Contradictions must be consistent, logical and consistent. If you position the hero as positive character, any of his bad deeds must be justified, understandable and accepted\forgiven by the readers.

Most shining example multidimensional character -Hamlet.

Here is a partial list of his controversies:

• religious - blasphemer;
• loving and gentle – heartless and sadistic;
• brave - cowardly;
• calm and cautious – impulsive and imprudent;
• ruthless - compassionate;
• proud - feels sorry for himself;
• witty - sad;
• tired - energetic;
• reasonable - confused;
• sane - insane;
• simple-minded - sophisticated.

The main character does not have to have such a huge number of contradictions. But there should be at least 3-4 of them. Minor characters have 2-3 contradictions. Passengers have no more than one.

The main character must have the most big amount contradictions from all the characters present in your work.

Even more than the antagonist (or equally). If the villain has more contradictions than the hero, he will automatically replace him.

Why are contradictions needed?

It is very interesting for readers to observe ambiguous, contradictory characters. They arouse interest and attract attention. The more interesting the contradictions, the more intriguing the hero you will get.

Examples of character contradictions:

1. “The Lord of the Rings” by Tolkien. Frodo.

The little hobbit is brave and selfless.

2. "Breaking Bad." Walt.

Compassionate - cruel.

3. “Jeeves, you are a genius!” Woodhouse. Jeeves.

The servant is smart and a gentleman.

4. “Frankenstein” by Shelley. Frankenstein.

A terrible monster - with a sensitive heart and a thirst for love and understanding.

5. “The Green Mile” King. John Coffey.

A huge Negro slave is kind and compassionate.

Conclusion:

The depth of characters depends on how strong and justifiable the contradictions in character are.

The skill of creating contradictions not only makes your character more interesting and multifaceted, but will also directly influence the plot component of the work.

We invite you to the next stream of the “Characters” course:

👉 Target– in 12 lessons, create characters that will intrigue, amaze and surprise. And the main thing is to influence the reader.

Or, for example, James N. Fry in the book “How to Write brilliant detective" indicates that the detective hero must have the following qualities: courage, professionalism, special talent, ingenuity and intelligence; and besides, he must have a wound, he must be an outlaw and perform selfless acts.

We can recall other lists of this kind.

However, they all have a key flaw: they are aimed at formalizing the qualities main the hero of the work and they are inflexible. When you look at such a listing, you want to exclaim: “What, all 62 heroes in the novel should be like this?” It doesn’t ignite... However, you can’t do without a methodology, at least if a structured approach to developing a work is close to you. (Someday we’ll tell you in detail about the character cards we use...)

The answer was found in a lecture by Paul Brown.
He suggested that the hero should have five bright qualities. This amount is enough to create volume for the hero. The qualities can be any. But when you set yourself the task of coming up with five qualities for anyone, even minor character, you willy-nilly specify and understand this character.
Paul Brown suggests going further. Any character is interesting when he has a “second bottom”, when he hides something. A person never presents his real “I” to others; he hides it under a mask. Well, and the scenario approach: it’s always interesting to follow a person when he has some kind of strangeness, an amazing bright feature.

So we have five qualities:
- Quality 1;
- Quality 2;
- Mask (what the character presents to others);
- Hides (this is the character hiding from everyone);
- Weirdness.

The system turns out to be flexible and defined at the same time.

“Can a hero have more than 5 striking traits?” "Yes. especially the main characters. Five is the minimum that gives depth.”
“Is it necessary to define the Mask, the Strangeness, the Hidden Feature?” - “No... and yes. In this case, the character will be more psychologically reliable, and therefore interesting. And his Strangeness will ensure that we remember the character.”
“Do these traits affect how characters interact?” - "Yes. When two characters communicate, they present Masks to each other; they get nervous when it seems to them that their Hidden Trait is being touched..."

Examples from our development:
Character 1:
He evaluates himself soberly, without unnecessary illusions. And generally honest.
A deep understanding of people beyond one’s age (wisdom beyond one’s years). Incl. prevents him from getting involved in adventures.
Mask: obedient son.
Hides: A categorically negative assessment of the decisions of the authorities (father).
Strangeness: Despite the fact that he is older than the other teenagers, he does not take command (including because in battle, thoughtfulness will make him a bad commander).

Character 2:
Performs the role and assignments exactly within the established framework.
He ignores his wife (necessarily long-distance relationship), but always refers to his marital status, the presence of children, when he doesn’t want to do something.
Mask: outwardly very calm, reasonable, serious.
Hides: sensitive, that his father knocked him out and knocked him out quite early.
Strangeness: Acts as if he is much older in age (walks leisurely, speaks “correctly”).

Character 3:
Fierce charismatic (iron adherence to the law is a consequence of self-restraint).
Eloquence.
Mask: everyone is subject to the law (that’s why I was so sensitive to the option “you’re a king, bypass the law”).
Hides: Humanism whenever possible (hides this carefully, but looks for loopholes in the laws).
Strangeness: Subtle high sensitivity with external state rigidity.

If you are working on creating your own character and even if you just want to write fan fiction for your favorite anime, or you want to create a character that will be interesting and make people read your story (without turning into a Mary Sue!) WikiHow can teach you how to create interesting characters, as well as teach draw them for you! Start with Step 1 below or check the Table of Contents above for more detailed help.

Steps

Part 1

Determine your blood type. Blood type is seen as a general indicator of personality in Japan. You can use this to determine what your character will be like. Blood types and personal qualities associated with them:

• O - confident, optimistic and strong-willed, but at the same time self-centered, unpredictable
• A - creative, reserved, responsible, but also stubborn and intense
• B - active and passionate, but also selfish and irresponsible
• AB - adaptive and rational, but also absent-minded and critical

1. Select your date of birth. To define individuality, you can use both Western and Eastern Zodiac. You can use this to determine a character's age or date of birth.

   Use the Mayer-Brigg indicator. If you are really passionate about the idea of ​​creating full portrait your hero, you can take the Myer-Brigg test. Personality types based on the study of psychology can be useful to fully reflect your character.

   Use the personality balancer. You'll also want your character's personality traits to be balanced. To create a convincing, believable image, you need a balance of positive and negative qualities. Count the bad ones and good features your character and try to make less negative qualities. At the end of your story, the hero develops and gets rid of a couple of bad qualities. Examples of negative aspects:

   • Manipulator
   • Lies often
   • Disappoints others
   • Doesn't think about relationships with others
   • Focuses only on own goals
   • Poor control of emotions
   • Often touchy, even to minor or accidental slights
   • Often careless and impulsive

2. Give the hero a great name. Many people believe that a name can influence one's personality. Studies have shown that people with incompatible names often get sick and suffer from personality disorders as a result of these illnesses. Some even believe that a name can completely define a person’s essence. True or not, this will help you determine the name.

   • Try to avoid using unusual names that are inconsistent with reality. This makes your character irrelevant.

Part 2

1. Determine your hero's final goal. Where do you want your character's story to end? What is the lesson from this story? What would you like to teach the hero, what to change? You can show a comparison of your hero at the end and at the beginning of the story.

   Think about where it all began. Knowing how it all ended, you need to determine where it all began. This should be a logical start to the result at the end. If you want to show a hero who learns to value others, you must accordingly show at the beginning of the story how he does not value others.

   Decide how the hero came to change. Think about when you want to make the beginning and end of the story. In particular, what contributed to such changes in the character of the hero? It is in these reflections that you can find a brilliant idea for your story, because what led to the changes in the character's character can become a great plot or even an entire storyline.

   Avoid cliches. His girlfriend was killed. He has been an orphan since childhood. He grows up to be an immortal boy. All these cliches will jump over the stage of the beginning of character development. And since these are stamps, they will only get in the way. Try to avoid them. The originality of your work lies precisely in the development of your hero. This is what will make people more interested in your character and make them want to do the same as the hero of your story.

Part 3

Part 4

Study human anatomy. Creating a character that looks great starts with basic knowledge of anatomy. You wouldn't want your character to have too many or too few muscles, too many or few joints, a disproportionate body, etc. Get a good anatomy book and study the arrangement of bones and muscles, where they bend and extend.

Draw from life. Creating a manga character requires basic knowledge of the human body structure. The easier it is for you to draw a person, the easier it will be to draw manga. So start by drawing (for experience) your friends and even yourself while sitting in front of the mirror.

Use different, dynamic poses. To draw your character in a certain pose, take a photo of yourself in that pose and try to draw your character as well. You can also use the companion site PoseManiacs.

• As you draw these poses, try to keep a picture of the anatomy in mind. You don't want your character to end up looking like Rob Liefeld's drawings.

1. Keep training! The more practice you have, the better you get.

• Try to draw your character over and over again to get a feel for what works and what doesn't. The more you get used to drawing a hero, the easier it will be for you to depict him in a given situation. It will even improve your artistic ability over time, so don't worry if the hero looks a little awkward or weird at first. Also try to draw your character from different angles.
• If the hero seems too bland, that's okay! Get some criticism from experts or people who are also interested in this. If you create a public character, you will receive feedback from the target audience.
• When creating an image, do not overdo it with special effects. You don’t want to see 3 cool belts, 5 attractive bracelets and 8 machine guns on your hero! Keep it simple. Remember that a small person must first go a long way!
• Check these blood types and values:
  • O - cheerful, open, caring, energetic
  • A - even-tempered, cool, caring, positive
  • B - even-tempered, cool, negative with occasional expressions of joy
  • AB - prone to exaggeration, cheerful, positive thinker, cool, great personality!
• The shade can make your character more attractive. Shadows should be applied so that it is clear where the light is coming from. Shadows under the hair, between the strands, at the bottom of the neck and in clothes. Make the shadows lighter in the inner recesses and darker on the outer elements. Don't overdo it with shadows either.
  • Here's how to draw an eye - draw a circle and then make two curved lines - one above, covering a small part of the circle, and the second similar below. Add a small circle in the center of the circle and add a couple of bubbles in big circle. Make small lines coming out of the small circle. The length of the lines is equal to half the distance between the smaller and larger circles. Add shadows and you're done.
• You can make your character special by adding marks or scars.
• If you find it difficult to come up with something new, remember what you have seen in anime/manga before. Then connect or select features for your hero.
• Observe the people around you. You can use someone as a character.
• Practice drawing as much as you can. You will be rewarded for this later with compliments on your drawings.