Most, if not all of your characters need to be larger than life in some way during the process of writing a novel Finding people that in real life would be termed 'misfits' can easily be viewed as natural within the imagination of both reader and writer.
Dull, quiet types must make way for thrusting individuals with overblown desires and emotions- a true lust for life itself! Suddenly, the world that the reader inhabits is dominated by persons who can make instant decisions on the pressures that inhabit their lives.
They are also, strongly opinionated on just about every subject that is thrust upon them.
Each character must be highly defined, not only contrasting themselves against the others in the cast but against the backdrop of the novel, which, in itself should be colourful.
He or she must have a strong, individual personality with, possibly a ruthless streak to enable his or her's selfish ambitions.
A tried and tested recipe for gripping dialogue comes when two or more people of contrasting characters clash head on, particularly if they are powerful figures that command attention.
When describing a character, it's worth eking out the information slowly over time, rather than a boring, two page description.
When writing a novel, giving the barest facts at the beginning is the way to go, so that intrigue is never too far away and leaves the reader more curious than ever.
The real skill is to somehow sketch in the intricacies of the person while allowing the story not to miss a beat from it's natural rhythm.
Having an understanding of what drives the character forward is crucial and has to fit the plot of course.
What is their dominant thinking? Is it to be all powerful and therefore to dominate others or, is it to be wealthy or to have a different/ illicit relationship? Perhaps, it is more of a humane motivation than that: enabling the weak, making it more of a just world, maybe improving the lot of a downtrodden individual.
Is this person essentially a villain or a hero? With so much to consider, it is probably worth creating a small file on each character which you as the author can refer back to again and again when writing a novel.
So, to conclude, ensure that as much preparation and thought as time permits goes into 'discovering' your characters and to aid it all and record faithfully, all details that make up these people in a 'CV' type file.
Dull, quiet types must make way for thrusting individuals with overblown desires and emotions- a true lust for life itself! Suddenly, the world that the reader inhabits is dominated by persons who can make instant decisions on the pressures that inhabit their lives.
They are also, strongly opinionated on just about every subject that is thrust upon them.
Each character must be highly defined, not only contrasting themselves against the others in the cast but against the backdrop of the novel, which, in itself should be colourful.
He or she must have a strong, individual personality with, possibly a ruthless streak to enable his or her's selfish ambitions.
A tried and tested recipe for gripping dialogue comes when two or more people of contrasting characters clash head on, particularly if they are powerful figures that command attention.
When describing a character, it's worth eking out the information slowly over time, rather than a boring, two page description.
When writing a novel, giving the barest facts at the beginning is the way to go, so that intrigue is never too far away and leaves the reader more curious than ever.
The real skill is to somehow sketch in the intricacies of the person while allowing the story not to miss a beat from it's natural rhythm.
Having an understanding of what drives the character forward is crucial and has to fit the plot of course.
What is their dominant thinking? Is it to be all powerful and therefore to dominate others or, is it to be wealthy or to have a different/ illicit relationship? Perhaps, it is more of a humane motivation than that: enabling the weak, making it more of a just world, maybe improving the lot of a downtrodden individual.
Is this person essentially a villain or a hero? With so much to consider, it is probably worth creating a small file on each character which you as the author can refer back to again and again when writing a novel.
So, to conclude, ensure that as much preparation and thought as time permits goes into 'discovering' your characters and to aid it all and record faithfully, all details that make up these people in a 'CV' type file.
Source...