This morning as I was working on my newest book, it struck me just how many characters are in a story. How do we as writers keep them all straight?
I’ve found it’s important to establish if a character is going to be important to the story or just playing a part in the scene. It’s important to make this distinction because it will help determine the level of detail needed in creating the character. A major mistake I ran into when I first started writing was feeling like I needed every character to be some well thought out character. It made it a NIGHTMARE keeping all of these details straight… and for what!? You’re just opening yourself up for holes in your story. Unnecessary.
Since this realization I have worked hard to keep character details to the pivotal players of the book. The ones that we will actually see growth in. All of the other characters you just describe as you see them and move on.
For all of my characters that ARE important and need details- I literally have detailed notes on these character. What do they look like? How do they act? What motivates them? What scares them? My notes are very concise and to the point though. I do not have pages on each character. Just enough to keep me consistent when I’m writing about the character. You better believe I have these notes with me while I write.
Try it out!
Do you have any ideas or techniques you use regarding character development?
Let me know!
Also check out my book – The Kingdom: Hidden City
Link- The Kingdom: Hidden City
It’s my first book I’ve written and published and I’m quite excited about it.
Happy Reading!
~Cam
Author Cameron Kielb 