David Farland’s Writing Tips – Twelve Exercises for Developing Characters
There are a lot of exercises that can help you create characters. Most of them simply force you to focus
on your character and stretch your imagination in some way by answering questions about the
characters. These questions might touch upon the outer looks of the character, the character’s history,
the character family and contacts, or the character’s inner hopes and fears. But creating characters for
fantasy and science fiction worlds offers extra challenges. Here are a few exercises that I’ve found
helpful:
What Happens When Characters Lose Control of Their Emotions?
When characters become volatile, it doesn’t matter if they have a good reason or not, only the mistakes and missteps that often follow.
How To Build A Flesh And Blood Character
If you’re like me, when you have an idea for a character you go into serious planning mode. You might fill a notebook, use character questionnaires, worksheets, and other tools to uncover their inner layers. Or if you’re a pantser, you may decide to start writing a discovery draft to find out who they are and what the story is about as you go. Plan or pants, we all must end up with the same thing: a character who is rounded, credible, and unique.
