Characters

This is probably my favorite part of writing. The characters. Sure, they're hard to develop, and hard to create, but they breathe life into your story. Even in fantasy, characters have to be like real people. I don't care if they have magical powers, if they're people and don't act like it, I'm not interested. Study traits and characteristics in yourself and others and assimilate them into your characters. Make them have flaws, things they're good at, friends (because face it: no one is truly alone), and quirks about them. Here's an example:

Rain Timple- She is short tempered and loves to be around people. She often plays with her curly hair and picks at invisible dirt in her nails when nervous, and when she is bored, she chews on her gum loudly. She doesn't like silence, and often speaks randomly. She's best friends with Amy Crespin and Max Keron, and is constantly trying to help them with their problems. She's an expert at identifying people's problems, and is very empathetic towards others. However, when someone pisses her off, she won't hesitate to throw a shoe at them.

I based this character off of myself and my friends. Does she seem like a real person to you? Because she is a combination of real people. Now, there are other things you need to know about your characters that your readers may never learn, but you still need to know. For that, we use character sheets. They're convenient and easy to use and can help you learn about your character.

Developing a character is relatively harder than creating one. You have to make them develop logically. You have to make them develop period. Some characters in books remain static and learn nothing. They remain the same and are relatively boring to read about. If your character has to learn to accept something, help guide them through this. Think of how you'd grow and react to things, and apply it to your character. How would you react if you father was in a gang? How would you react if your best friend died? You may have never experienced these things, but just think of how someone would react.

Then, think of how they'd grow from their experiences. And remember, characters help each other grow. They're there for a reason and not just to stagnate. Use your characters as water and sun for each other. Also, use events. If something happens, how will that affect your character. In the end of the book, your character should have drastically changed and learned something.

Character Sheets:
http://www.eclectics.com/articles/character.html
http://www.geocities.com/poetess47/100questions.html