The Library · Workshop 04 · Practice
A Character That Feels Real
Five steps. About 25 minutes. Up to 7 stars. The constellation you're building is called First Person.
The Library · Workshop 04 · Practice
Five steps. About 25 minutes. Up to 7 stars. The constellation you're building is called First Person.
A flat character is a list of traits. A real character is one specific contradiction the writer didn't smooth over.
When a reader believes a character, they're not believing a list of facts. They're believing one or two specific details that don't quite fit the rest — and the writer left those in.
The brave kid who's also scared of the dark. The grandmother who curses sometimes. The villain who is unexpectedly polite. Real people contain contradictions; characters become real when they're allowed to.
By the end of this workshop you'll have built one character with three real, specific details — and one contradiction.
That's the warm-up. When you've actually read it — not skimmed — tap below.
Pick all that fit.
Click a detail kind, then what it does.
Pick any character (don't use one that already exists). Give them a name, three specific details, and one real contradiction.
Stuck? Start with a real person you know well. Use one of their habits and change everything else. Or invent a kid your age who's great at one thing and terrible at one thing nobody would expect.
Pick one. Say why in one sentence.