Before I get into the specifics of creating an antagonist, I feel you should know the major aspects of a well developed character first. I will get more in-depth with these aspects in future blog posts, but for now, here is an overview.
The first is: Think of your characters as real human beings, don't see them as mere characters.
If you consider your characters as real in-depth people, then there is more of a chance that your readers will too.
A well developed character has:
A background and clear cut, simple goals
From making a background, you can have a better idea as to who your character is and what they might do. My rule of thumb is “always know the why behind the what”. Ask yourself, is there a reason my character is doing/saying this? Or is there a reason why my character is not?
Vulnerabilities and human weaknesses.
As previously mentioned, think of your character as a human being. Have you ever met a perfect person? Well, just as in real life, a character cannot be perfect. So, when creating your character, make sure to give your character weaknesses of some sort. A few simple weaknesses that many people can relate to is procrastination or phobias of spiders and snakes.
Valid emotion and logic.
Having valid emotion and logic ties in with having a background/goals and vulnerabilities. By looking at who the character is as a person, you can more easily see how that character might act. For example, if you had a character named Alex who was deathly afraid of snakes, it would makes sense for this person to avoid snakes at all costs.
I hope this overview has given you a better idea of what a well-developed character should be like. Look forward to the next post: Forming a Background and Goals for Your Character.
References
Baldwin, F (2008, March 01). Infuse characters with sincere emotion. Writer (3), 20. Retrieved from http://elibrary.bigchalk.com
Kowalski, William (2006, December 01). CREATE flesh-and-blood CHARACTERS. Writer (12), 38. Retrieved from http://elibrary.bigchalk.com
There are a few situations where the character background is definitely irrelevant or simply used in a humorous way. Many children stories and television shows always have clichéd enemies that are simply there to be used once and forgotten.Do you consider those shows, which are popular, valid?
ReplyDeleteMy last sentence could use a little work, instead of valid lets say...appropriate for their audience.
DeleteYes, I would say it is appropriate for the audience. This post is for people who want to create a well-developed character. Sometimes a well developed character is not called for. If every character was fully developed, the story would be too complex. Also, in comedy shows or ones that are meant to be simple, maybe there is no call for serious development. You brought up some good points. Thanks for reading.
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