Details Matter: Writing Memorable Characters
Three tips that help my characters shine!
Three years ago, I was a thirteen-year-old struggling to figure out what to do with my life. The pandemic was in full swing, so most of the activities I went to on a regular basis were closed indefinitely. During that period of time, I was an avid reader, so I immersed myself in worlds with characters I loved, like Sophie Foster from Keeper of the Lost Cities and Lucy Pevensie from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.
And then I rediscovered writing. It’s been a passion of mine for over three years now, and one I practice every single day. I love creating vivid worlds and dreaming up food that makes my mouth water. But one thing I deeply struggled with when it comes to writing is making my characters real like Sophie and Lucy are. They fly off the page and have grand adventures, so why couldn’t my characters do that too?
Details are the most important part of any character. It’s what keeps readers hooked and why we remember them. Sophie Foster has brown eyes, which keeps her isolated from most of the other characters in the book. That’s a detail we remember because it’s so important to the plot.
So, I came up with three tricks that have helped me craft memorable characters, and I’ll be using one of my own, a young woman named Koker*, to demonstrate how I use them!
(If you haven’t read my winter writing snippet, which features her and many others, click here!)
#1: Making mood boards helps reflect the personalities of characters.
Mood boards are one of my favorite things to do, because each mood board I make is different. I had a lot of fun putting together this collage for my character, Koker. She has a vibrant personality and likes all things purple. Most importantly, she’s a painter. The moodboard shows who she is and what she likes, which helps me write her consistently throughout the book!
#2: Interviewing characters reveals details.
Asking my characters questions often reveals details about them I miss, which is why it’s such a helpful tool for me. I keep a notebook where I write down the question and then what I think my characters would say. I usually make a list of three to five questions before getting started on the interview, but I don’t list too many. When I’m interviewing one of my more opinionated characters, like Leah, they usually shift the conversation pretty fast. Sometimes they even insult me!
Some questions I’ve asked Koker are:
If you owned a pet, which pet would it be? (Snake)
What’s your favorite food? (Strawberry ice cream)
What’s your favorite animal? (A griffin)
#3: Writing characters into different situations is key.
While I’m writing a series of books using this group of characters, I also like to write small scenes/vignettes out of order, to give me new insights into their personalities. It’s a lot of fun!
In Solstice Balls and Snow, I put Koker into a situation where she’s fighting in a training exercise against one of her friends, who has beaten most of the others:
“Who’s next?” Thea asked, her eyes going back and forth between Koker and Leah.
Leah glanced around, but Koker’s eyes were closed as she dug in her bag, feeling for something. She seemed busy.
“I’ll go,” Leah said, pulling out her bow and arrow and aiming it low, by the ground, blocking it with her body. It was risky, but she didn’t want Thea’s knife to cut her string in half. She managed to get the bow nocked and pulled the string back. The arrow flew through the air, but Thea knocked it away.
“Sorry, Leah,” she said, looking disappointed. “Koker?”
But Koker had disappeared. Her bag was on the ground, still open. “Koker?”
Leah watched as the young woman, now standing behind Thea, expertly reached into Thea’s pocket and took out one of her throwing stars. Thea turned. “There you ar-”
Koker didn’t let her finish her sentence. Their purple-haired friend tripped Thea, sending her crashing to the ground. With a flick of her wrist, the two paintbrushes in her hands turned into small knives. She held one over Thea, whose eyes widened in surprise.
“That was amazing!” Caiden said, rushing over to help Thea up. “Koker, I didn’t know you could DO that!”
Koker blushed and shrugged modestly.”
I included a lot of fun details about Koker in this short scene. Since she is an artist, I wanted to include the fact that her weapons are literally paint brushes that transform into knives. But she doesn’t prefer violence, which is why, instead of going straight for Thea, Koker trips her, sending her to the ground without injuring her. And she does this all silently, which is another clue to the fact that she doesn’t talk.
Knowing what a character looks like is important, but details really make them shine. I’ve loved getting to know my characters over the past few years, and being able to write them with such clarity has been amazing! I think my younger self would be proud.
Writer friends: if you have any tips or tricks you use to make your characters stand out, I’d love to hear about them in the comment section below.
Since we’ve talked so much about my characters in this post, I thought I’d share this Instagram reel, which is an edit of my main characters in my book! I had so much fun putting this together!
*Note: All of the names of my characters have been changed to protect their privacy.*
Would you like more writing resources? Check out My Writing Compilation Post!
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