Building a Character
Now that we have established what makes a good story and a good character, you might have some questions on how to create your character.  There are thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of books on character design, and the subject is too exhaustive to cover in great detail here.  Instead, I’ll try and give you a little insight on how writers I know build characters and leave the rest up to you.  You’ve got a great imagination!  I know you can do it.
Character History & Personality: Â Careful Planning vs. Jump Right In
Characters can be built from the ground up with lavishly detailed back stories and prior planning, or they can jump into the action with only a few notions about who they are and where they’re going.  If you’re having trouble coming up with a character concept, some of the techniques below may help.  I’m listing them from the most free form to the most writing intensive.  You can start from the top and work your way down, but never look at character creation like a homework assignment.  Let your imagination flow, follow any tips that seem fun and interesting, and ignore the rest.  Those parts of the character that interest and excite you most will be the same things that excite others.
Inspiration
Sometimes a character idea leaps out and feels completely right.  Everything writes itself.  Everything falls into place.  People love the character and it’s easy to play. Â
Consider yourself lucky:  not everyone has the natural talent to produce an awesome character from thin air, and virtually no one can do it at will.  Ride the wave of inspiration and enjoy it.  There’s not much else to say about this, but I thought I’d include it for completeness sake.
Motivation Â
A good technique I learned was to ask two simple questions: Â what does the character want, and what does the character really want? Â Interesting, complex characters have an immediate, tangible goal that is achievable and a second goal that is more internal, subconscious, and difficult to achieve. Â This internal goal is the true motivation for everything the character ultimately does. Â For example:
Michonne (The Walking Dead)
Michonne spends time alone but always comes back to the people she has grudgingly come to trust.  We can sense that she wants to join the other survivors whole-heartedly but something holds her back.  Is it self-doubt?  An unwillingness to lose someone close to her again?  We can think of a million ways to answer this question, and as the series continues we’re sure to get answers (if the Walking Dead writers are worth their salt).
Walter White says again and again that he does everything for his family, but he continues to cook meth, expand his empire, and crush his enemies. Â He has more than enough money to support his family through many lifetimes, but he continues his criminal lifestyle even when the consequences begin to cause real problems for the people he loves. Â Only at the end of the series when he makes peace with his own mortality does he admit to Skyler that he did it all for himself. Â He was good at being a kingpin and it made him feel like he was worth something again.
Eowyn argues with Aragorn and Theoden about her role in the coming war. Â She is ordered to stay behind when the riders of Rohan march, but she lies and conceals her identity to join the battle at Minas Tirith. Â She confronts the Witch King, striking fear into his heart and defeating him through courage and determination.
Batman trains like an insane person and fights criminals in Gotham.  At his core, he’s still the child who lost his parents because he wasn’t strong enough to save him.  The character motivation remains the same in comic books, cartoons, movies, and video games.  Batman can’t rest, he can’t stop doing what he does because he can’t undo the past.  He can’t save himself.  Bruce Wayne died that night outside the theater and Batman was born.
Commander Shepherd wants to stop the Reapers but the character’s TRUE goals shift depending on how you choose to portray her.  Paragon Shepherd is inspiring and generous, she makes sacrifices and chooses the path that’s right even if it’s not the easy road.  Renegade Shepherd is self-serving and puts the good of Humanity over the other species in the galaxy:  she’s willing to do whatever it takes to ensure the future is one where Humans are dominant.  Bioware does an incredible job weaving these story lines together such that each seems like a complete game when considered by itself.  (No, don’t ask me about the third one.)
You can build a really great character if you decide on an immediate, tangible goal and then consider a deeper, hidden goal that dovetails with the tangible goal and drives it. Â Such a character becomes nuanced and layered, and the complexity builds itself quickly in the imagination. Â This is a great quick-and-dirty way to develop a good character for those that like to fly by the seat of their pants. Â If you need inspiration, think about movies and television shows you know that have won awards. Â Consider the characters there. Â Chances are they have many immediate motivations but only one hidden, driving motivation that guides their actions as the story develops.
Real Life and Media Models
Colorful people you know from real life can inspire characters.  You could build a character based off a friend, a relative, or maybe a co-worker.  You don’t need to know everything about the individual’s personality or motivations, in fact it’s better if you start with the basic shell of that person and then build the RP character around it.  If you’re feeling stymied for motivation, check out the topic just above this one and ask yourself two vital questions:  what does my character want, and what does my character REALLY want?
Perhaps you don’t know any interesting people in real life, or at least none of them excite your imagination.  Choosing a historically important person, a modern world leader, or an imaginary character from some book, movie, anime, or video game may work for you.
If you pick a real life historical figure or a modern leader, chances are you’ll know very little about their personality.  It doesn’t matter.  The person you choose needs to inspire you and fuel your imagination, and everything else will build on that.  Concentrate on the qualities you associate with the figure you’ve chosen.  What sort of person was Joan of Arc?  Do you think she was warm and approachable or more spiritual and distant?  What sort of leader was she?  How did Abraham Lincoln’s family view him?  What did Gengis Khan’s friends think of him?  What are the best qualities of the person you’re thinking of? What are some nifty flaws you can add?  Once you begin to get a feel for a character, go back to the motivations post and ask:  what does my character want, and what does my character REALLY want?  You have to be careful or you’ll end up playing a caricature, but with just a few twists and a little creative energy you can make something truly unique.
Maybe a completely fictional character fires your imagination.  Just as people from the real world can seed your creative energy for a new and unique character, the same techniques work for popular fictional characters from books, movies, and television.  The more popular the character, the more important it is to put a twist on it.  What are some aspects of the character you like best?  These are things you’ll probably want to keep.  Other traits that seem less important can be switched out or forgotten.  Introduce new flaws or change the back story a little.  Avoid using the character’s catch-phrase…it’s a dead give away.  If you tweak even well-known characters just a little bit, you’d be surprised how few people recognize the inspiration.  If you really want to try RP but have been afraid, this is the technique for you.  Pick your favorite fictional character, tweak a few details in a way that seems awesome, and ask those two questions:  what does my character want, and what does my character REALLY want?
Just like me, with a TWIST
A method that works for some people is to play a character with the same personality as themselves, but twisted a little.  Or maybe don’t twist it at all.  This seems easy, but in my experience it’s incredibly tricky.  Don’t get lazy and assume your character would be JUST LIKE you.  Did you grow up in Eorzea?  Have you ever seen someone cast a magic spell?  Have you ever lived through an event like the Calamity?  Think about how these events could change you and tweak your character accordingly.
A related method that can work for people is to take an aspect of their personality and play it up.  Are you a little pompous or arrogant?  Those traits can make memorable characters.  Do you think you’re brave?  You could play a character that is foolishly brave or incredibly cowardly; both traits should be something you can play if you feel they’re a part of you, something you can understand.  The goal is to be inspired, so follow the inspiration where it leads.
Question and Answer Sheets
The final and most dogmatic technique for building character that I’ll discuss.  Google phrases like ‘character questions,’ ‘character building questions,’ and ‘character interview.’  You’ll come up with hundreds of web sites that ask all sorts of questions about character.  Find one that looks good and fill it out.  My recommendation is to only answer the questions that interest you.  If you read the question and you don’t immediately have an answer or find yourself thinking about the answer, chances are you should just skip that question.  I don’t think you’ll have much luck with this technique unless you have SOME ideas about the character before starting, perhaps inspired by the methods above.  Regardless, answering character questions is a good way to flesh out your history.
I’ll include a character questionnaire in the posts below.  I don’t remember where I originally found it, but hopefully it will be useful to you.
Building Memorable Characters
Memorable characters have depth and complexity, but a few interesting traits never hurt.  Your character might have exceptionally clear, blue eyes or thick, wiry hair.  Maybe you have fingers like sausages or you always wear the same pair of ancient, weathered boots.  These sorts of details make a character stand out and instantly show other people that you’ve put some thought into your story.  I’ll try and list a few categories of interesting character traits with examples, but be careful about making a character too quirky.  Pick one or two unique traits and forget the rest.  One quirk is memorable, more than two and you just seem weird.  The other key is to be subtle with these traits…just one mention of a nasty scar and the other players will remember it.  No reason to shoe-horn it in every time you talk or move.
Appearance- You may have an exceptionally ugly or beautiful character trait.  If possible, your character model in game should reflect this.  Can you really tell everyone your character has beautiful green eyes when the model’s eyes are brown?  Appearance traits need to be handled with a light hand…throw some information about your appearance out there at the beginning of your RP session and wait a while before mentioning it again.  Generally I’ll shoot for something about my appearance at the beginning of an RP session and try to make one more mention closer to the end.
Quirks- A blanket term for all sorts of odd personality traits.  Does your character twist her hair a lot?  Does he frown when he gets upset?  Does she take a swig from her hip flask whenever she’s stressed?  Does he bite his nails to keep from laughing?  All of these quirks make a character memorable, but it’s important to be consistent.  Don’t forget to do your quirky action or ignore it when it’s inconvenient; a good quirk may occasionally cause problems for you, but those problems can lead to new stories.  Good RPers will notice that you obsessively touch door knobs twice before passing through, and they may ask you about it.  In this case it’s a good idea to have a story in mind for why you do the crazy thing you do.  Other players will remember your hang up, and they’ll remember the reason for it too.
Props- Does your character always have a cigar in his mouth?  Does she wear a chain on her wrist and play with it obsessively?  Does he absently clean his glasses when he’s drunk?  Does she keep a pencil behind her ear for taking notes?  Any activity that involves an object goes here.  Again, subtlety is key.  People will get that you’ve got cigars if you enter the room puffing away at one.  You can reinforce it by lighting a new one at an appropriate moment, or better yet, offer them to others and you have an open door to potential role play.
Accents- This is the least subtle of any trait, but a memorable accent or unique way of talking is sure to earn you a special place in the hearts of other players. Â The problem is, depending on how well you pull it off, other people may find you annoying or tedious. Â We all remember how Gollum talked and acted, but none of us would really want to be his friend.
Consistency and legibility are important if you’re going to do an accent.  It usually only takes a few changes to get the overall point across.  Consider these:
Well-done accents are great, but poorly done accents are a real eyesore.  If you want to do an accent, don’t be afraid to ask people OOCly for feedback.  Do they like the accent?  Is there anything you can do differently?  A little fine tuning could turn a disaster into a triumph, or you may discover that everyone thought your accent was fine anyway.
Now that we have established what makes a good story and a good character, you might have some questions on how to create your character.  There are thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of books on character design, and the subject is too exhaustive to cover in great detail here.  Instead, I’ll try and give you a little insight on how writers I know build characters and leave the rest up to you.  You’ve got a great imagination!  I know you can do it.
Character History & Personality: Â Careful Planning vs. Jump Right In
Characters can be built from the ground up with lavishly detailed back stories and prior planning, or they can jump into the action with only a few notions about who they are and where they’re going.  If you’re having trouble coming up with a character concept, some of the techniques below may help.  I’m listing them from the most free form to the most writing intensive.  You can start from the top and work your way down, but never look at character creation like a homework assignment.  Let your imagination flow, follow any tips that seem fun and interesting, and ignore the rest.  Those parts of the character that interest and excite you most will be the same things that excite others.
Inspiration
Sometimes a character idea leaps out and feels completely right.  Everything writes itself.  Everything falls into place.  People love the character and it’s easy to play. Â
Consider yourself lucky:  not everyone has the natural talent to produce an awesome character from thin air, and virtually no one can do it at will.  Ride the wave of inspiration and enjoy it.  There’s not much else to say about this, but I thought I’d include it for completeness sake.
Motivation Â
A good technique I learned was to ask two simple questions: Â what does the character want, and what does the character really want? Â Interesting, complex characters have an immediate, tangible goal that is achievable and a second goal that is more internal, subconscious, and difficult to achieve. Â This internal goal is the true motivation for everything the character ultimately does. Â For example:
Michonne (The Walking Dead)
- Wants- To kill the governor
- REALLY wants- To find new life with friends and family
- Wants- To get enough money to support his family
- REALLY wants- To be a kingpin with money, power, and respect
- Wants- To serve her father the king
- REALLY wants- To be judged on her abilities and not by her gender
- Wants- To end crime in Gotham
- REALLY wants- To protect himself and save his parents
- Wants- To stop the Reapers
- REALLY wants- To unite humanity with the various alien species in the spirit of cooperation to overcome all future galactic threats…OR to unite humanity AGAINST the alien species, yoking them like mules to fuel a new era of human dominance sufficient to overcome all future galactic threats.
Michonne spends time alone but always comes back to the people she has grudgingly come to trust.  We can sense that she wants to join the other survivors whole-heartedly but something holds her back.  Is it self-doubt?  An unwillingness to lose someone close to her again?  We can think of a million ways to answer this question, and as the series continues we’re sure to get answers (if the Walking Dead writers are worth their salt).
Walter White says again and again that he does everything for his family, but he continues to cook meth, expand his empire, and crush his enemies. Â He has more than enough money to support his family through many lifetimes, but he continues his criminal lifestyle even when the consequences begin to cause real problems for the people he loves. Â Only at the end of the series when he makes peace with his own mortality does he admit to Skyler that he did it all for himself. Â He was good at being a kingpin and it made him feel like he was worth something again.
Eowyn argues with Aragorn and Theoden about her role in the coming war. Â She is ordered to stay behind when the riders of Rohan march, but she lies and conceals her identity to join the battle at Minas Tirith. Â She confronts the Witch King, striking fear into his heart and defeating him through courage and determination.
Batman trains like an insane person and fights criminals in Gotham.  At his core, he’s still the child who lost his parents because he wasn’t strong enough to save him.  The character motivation remains the same in comic books, cartoons, movies, and video games.  Batman can’t rest, he can’t stop doing what he does because he can’t undo the past.  He can’t save himself.  Bruce Wayne died that night outside the theater and Batman was born.
Commander Shepherd wants to stop the Reapers but the character’s TRUE goals shift depending on how you choose to portray her.  Paragon Shepherd is inspiring and generous, she makes sacrifices and chooses the path that’s right even if it’s not the easy road.  Renegade Shepherd is self-serving and puts the good of Humanity over the other species in the galaxy:  she’s willing to do whatever it takes to ensure the future is one where Humans are dominant.  Bioware does an incredible job weaving these story lines together such that each seems like a complete game when considered by itself.  (No, don’t ask me about the third one.)
You can build a really great character if you decide on an immediate, tangible goal and then consider a deeper, hidden goal that dovetails with the tangible goal and drives it. Â Such a character becomes nuanced and layered, and the complexity builds itself quickly in the imagination. Â This is a great quick-and-dirty way to develop a good character for those that like to fly by the seat of their pants. Â If you need inspiration, think about movies and television shows you know that have won awards. Â Consider the characters there. Â Chances are they have many immediate motivations but only one hidden, driving motivation that guides their actions as the story develops.
Real Life and Media Models
Colorful people you know from real life can inspire characters.  You could build a character based off a friend, a relative, or maybe a co-worker.  You don’t need to know everything about the individual’s personality or motivations, in fact it’s better if you start with the basic shell of that person and then build the RP character around it.  If you’re feeling stymied for motivation, check out the topic just above this one and ask yourself two vital questions:  what does my character want, and what does my character REALLY want?
Perhaps you don’t know any interesting people in real life, or at least none of them excite your imagination.  Choosing a historically important person, a modern world leader, or an imaginary character from some book, movie, anime, or video game may work for you.
If you pick a real life historical figure or a modern leader, chances are you’ll know very little about their personality.  It doesn’t matter.  The person you choose needs to inspire you and fuel your imagination, and everything else will build on that.  Concentrate on the qualities you associate with the figure you’ve chosen.  What sort of person was Joan of Arc?  Do you think she was warm and approachable or more spiritual and distant?  What sort of leader was she?  How did Abraham Lincoln’s family view him?  What did Gengis Khan’s friends think of him?  What are the best qualities of the person you’re thinking of? What are some nifty flaws you can add?  Once you begin to get a feel for a character, go back to the motivations post and ask:  what does my character want, and what does my character REALLY want?  You have to be careful or you’ll end up playing a caricature, but with just a few twists and a little creative energy you can make something truly unique.
Maybe a completely fictional character fires your imagination.  Just as people from the real world can seed your creative energy for a new and unique character, the same techniques work for popular fictional characters from books, movies, and television.  The more popular the character, the more important it is to put a twist on it.  What are some aspects of the character you like best?  These are things you’ll probably want to keep.  Other traits that seem less important can be switched out or forgotten.  Introduce new flaws or change the back story a little.  Avoid using the character’s catch-phrase…it’s a dead give away.  If you tweak even well-known characters just a little bit, you’d be surprised how few people recognize the inspiration.  If you really want to try RP but have been afraid, this is the technique for you.  Pick your favorite fictional character, tweak a few details in a way that seems awesome, and ask those two questions:  what does my character want, and what does my character REALLY want?
Just like me, with a TWIST
A method that works for some people is to play a character with the same personality as themselves, but twisted a little.  Or maybe don’t twist it at all.  This seems easy, but in my experience it’s incredibly tricky.  Don’t get lazy and assume your character would be JUST LIKE you.  Did you grow up in Eorzea?  Have you ever seen someone cast a magic spell?  Have you ever lived through an event like the Calamity?  Think about how these events could change you and tweak your character accordingly.
A related method that can work for people is to take an aspect of their personality and play it up.  Are you a little pompous or arrogant?  Those traits can make memorable characters.  Do you think you’re brave?  You could play a character that is foolishly brave or incredibly cowardly; both traits should be something you can play if you feel they’re a part of you, something you can understand.  The goal is to be inspired, so follow the inspiration where it leads.
Question and Answer Sheets
The final and most dogmatic technique for building character that I’ll discuss.  Google phrases like ‘character questions,’ ‘character building questions,’ and ‘character interview.’  You’ll come up with hundreds of web sites that ask all sorts of questions about character.  Find one that looks good and fill it out.  My recommendation is to only answer the questions that interest you.  If you read the question and you don’t immediately have an answer or find yourself thinking about the answer, chances are you should just skip that question.  I don’t think you’ll have much luck with this technique unless you have SOME ideas about the character before starting, perhaps inspired by the methods above.  Regardless, answering character questions is a good way to flesh out your history.
I’ll include a character questionnaire in the posts below.  I don’t remember where I originally found it, but hopefully it will be useful to you.
Building Memorable Characters
Memorable characters have depth and complexity, but a few interesting traits never hurt.  Your character might have exceptionally clear, blue eyes or thick, wiry hair.  Maybe you have fingers like sausages or you always wear the same pair of ancient, weathered boots.  These sorts of details make a character stand out and instantly show other people that you’ve put some thought into your story.  I’ll try and list a few categories of interesting character traits with examples, but be careful about making a character too quirky.  Pick one or two unique traits and forget the rest.  One quirk is memorable, more than two and you just seem weird.  The other key is to be subtle with these traits…just one mention of a nasty scar and the other players will remember it.  No reason to shoe-horn it in every time you talk or move.
Appearance- You may have an exceptionally ugly or beautiful character trait.  If possible, your character model in game should reflect this.  Can you really tell everyone your character has beautiful green eyes when the model’s eyes are brown?  Appearance traits need to be handled with a light hand…throw some information about your appearance out there at the beginning of your RP session and wait a while before mentioning it again.  Generally I’ll shoot for something about my appearance at the beginning of an RP session and try to make one more mention closer to the end.
Quirks- A blanket term for all sorts of odd personality traits.  Does your character twist her hair a lot?  Does he frown when he gets upset?  Does she take a swig from her hip flask whenever she’s stressed?  Does he bite his nails to keep from laughing?  All of these quirks make a character memorable, but it’s important to be consistent.  Don’t forget to do your quirky action or ignore it when it’s inconvenient; a good quirk may occasionally cause problems for you, but those problems can lead to new stories.  Good RPers will notice that you obsessively touch door knobs twice before passing through, and they may ask you about it.  In this case it’s a good idea to have a story in mind for why you do the crazy thing you do.  Other players will remember your hang up, and they’ll remember the reason for it too.
Props- Does your character always have a cigar in his mouth?  Does she wear a chain on her wrist and play with it obsessively?  Does he absently clean his glasses when he’s drunk?  Does she keep a pencil behind her ear for taking notes?  Any activity that involves an object goes here.  Again, subtlety is key.  People will get that you’ve got cigars if you enter the room puffing away at one.  You can reinforce it by lighting a new one at an appropriate moment, or better yet, offer them to others and you have an open door to potential role play.
Accents- This is the least subtle of any trait, but a memorable accent or unique way of talking is sure to earn you a special place in the hearts of other players. Â The problem is, depending on how well you pull it off, other people may find you annoying or tedious. Â We all remember how Gollum talked and acted, but none of us would really want to be his friend.
Consistency and legibility are important if you’re going to do an accent.  It usually only takes a few changes to get the overall point across.  Consider these:
- “Hurr, eet doobie Lurd Vulky’s f’rst yun’gun June.â€
- “Here, it do be Lord Vulky’s first young one, June.â€
- “Guddim loike feesh ‘n leffim t’ doi, Oi did.â€
- “Gut ’im like a fish and left ’im to die, I did.â€
- “Weeee muuuuuuussstt haaaaasssss the preeeeeeeecioussssss, GOOOLLLLLUM GOOOLLLLUM!â€
- “We must has the precious, gollum, gollum!â€
Well-done accents are great, but poorly done accents are a real eyesore.  If you want to do an accent, don’t be afraid to ask people OOCly for feedback.  Do they like the accent?  Is there anything you can do differently?  A little fine tuning could turn a disaster into a triumph, or you may discover that everyone thought your accent was fine anyway.
