Fantasy How To Start II: Characters

Once the quest has been set out and the beginnings of a plot evolving. The next step is to create characters and setting.

Characters will help the hero or hinder the hero. The troupe that travel with the main hero or heroine are basically to provide foils to the hero's personality traits, drive the plot forward, provide dialogue and information, add conflict support or interest and tie the plot together. Each character needs personality, background and motivation. They need to have skills and as the story progresses the reader must be able to follow character growth and personality development. Gender and racial background, skills and faults, habits and strengths are all important to how the characters relate to the hero. Friends can mean well but place the troupe in danger, while adversaries can be used to add foreshadowing and intrigue.

The antagonist should also have background and provide a worthy opponent to the hero and his troupe. Although the 'bad guy' if the readers can love to hate the 'enemy' they will be drawn into the story and hooked to the end of the book. Even the darkest character can have some redeeming features. Famous authors will enable their readers to identify with the villain's plight, motivation and drive. They are famous because they have the ability to make the reader believe in their story. There are heroes and heroines that capture the reader's interest. A successful author can make their readers laugh or cry. That is what is needed when creating characters. Empathy, an understanding of how and why they behave the way they do. If a threat is hanging over the hero's head, the reader must be concerned. If the reader cannot identify with any or all of the characters, then the author has failed to accomplish their goal.

Emotion Characters need to move through crisis the reader can share, and understand. They need real emotions and reactions to situations. Anger, frustration, happiness, love, hate all need motivation. Fear, courage and relaxation have their place and need to be balanced through out the story. Each character is entitled to reacting in a way that suits their personality. A successful author will know their characters well and will be able to instill realistic responses from them into the story. Even mythological creatures can have recognizable responses to situations. It is the ability to recognize and empathies with characters that keeps a reader hooked to the last page.

Things To Do
Write a short description of three characters that could travel together and with flaws and skills become a viable team.
Write a short description of a villain. Consider background, and see if an evil character can have some redeeming quality.