How to Make a Believable Character
The best characters feel lived-in. Most writers know the basic building blocks to creating a compelling character. The broad strokes go something like: backstory, motivation, goals, etc. Of course, these are all important to a character. However, creating a character that feels familiar and truly human to the audience requires small details.
Here are a couple small details to try when creating the lived-in feel to a character.
FOOD
Everyone eats. As such, everyone is going to have a favorite or least favorite food. Decide on what sorts of food your character gravitates toward. This doesn’t need to be a significant part of characterization. Yet, it will give you a better understanding of the character. There may be a scene when someone is eating their least favorite or favorite food in front of the character, and they have some reaction. This helps humanize the character, especially if the character otherwise seems large than life.
HABITS
Whether it’s the ever-popular chewing on nails or something more individual, most people have little habits. When one isn’t thinking, their habits emerge. Giving your character a habit in which to absent-mindedly engage, to create the feeling that they are lived-in. They developed little habits in the same way we all do. Habits given to a character can also be used to say more about that character without ever having to actually voice it.
TELLS
Similar to habits, tells are something a character can’t control and shows what they think. Determining an action that a character does when elated or furious or shy can help the character feel more realistic. It may also aid in giving you as the writer a built-in action to keep the scene moving. A tell does more for showing characterization than trying to allude to a character’s feelings with words.
I hope these few small details I suggested above got you thinking. Characters emulate people. Adding as much human detail as possible will make a character better. Don’t overwhelm the character with detail, of course, but sprinkle in just the right amount!
