An important story element is the character. The characters are the people that the story focuses on, and it depends very much on the character's personality and if he/she is interesting.
For the first part you need a NAME. Names are important, as they can have secretive meanings that describe the character, or the other way around. A note: make your character's name fit the theme.
Bad examples: Princess LaTrina Shaniqua in a medieval setting, Empress Pollyanna of ancient China
Good examples: Abdul the Wise man in India, Elizabeth the Servant Girl in a medieval setting
Don't make them over done, too: Bethany Angel Lizbeth Rodriguez, the ordinary mundane schoolgirl. Unless of course, you want your characters to be out of the ordinary. Don't make them TOO boring, either: Bob Jones, the greatest wizard that ever lived, Anne the Super Woman.
Next, you need an AGE. Make these also fit.
Bad: the oldest man in the world, age 7
Good: 12 year old Mariana's younger sister, age 2
Then, you need personality. Make sure these fit, unless your character has multiple personalities. Try to make them interesting, not boring and typical.
Boring: smart, kind, friendly, bubbly, shy
Interesting: spunky, awkward, loud, patronizing
Next, you need a description. Make these interesting as well, not repeated over and over, and not perfect.
Bad: curly golden hair, violet eyes, small nose, slender, small
Good: black choppy hair, brown eyes, sunburnt, llama teeth, short, long limbs
Also add a biography, the person's past. Make these fitting as well, or it'll come out awkward.
Bad: monk nomad in rural Tibet, spent childhood playing video games, mother worked for nuclear plant, loved to go to McDonald's as a kid
Good: assassin, spent early years training, parents unaware of job choice, signed a contract with a mysterious man
In Part 2, the article will focus on a very annoying type of character: Mary Sues.
- bopitybop
