Now that we have expounded on the reason for creating realistic characters, how then do you create them? Even though this process seems daunting, it is not as difficult as it appears.

One obvious tip is to give your character a flaw. There should be a balance though, such that the flaw is not too great as to override the good side. It is only meant to add authenticity. You do not want your lead character to turn and be the antagonist. There are many forms of flaws that could be used such as fear, pessimism, hunger for control or any other that could be fitting.

Tell the history of your characters, especially the main characters. The history could serve as an explanation of the character’s current attitude or their situation. It could also help the reader create a perception of the character in their minds. Explore the background too and see that it helps develop the kind of characters that you want for your story.

Explore the characters' interests. What do they like doing? What puts them off? What do they desire? These attributes make them more human. Every person has their preferences and the activities they like to engage in. It could be travel, or reading, even watching TV or going to the mall, anything that will suit the role of the character and give them a distinguishing feature from the rest. An extra tip on this is selecting habits that are not really common. This will preserve the character’s uniqueness and it will help the reader create the character’s identity that will stick with them to the end.

Everyone goes through some hard times in life in which they struggle and so should your lead characters. A family conflict, time spent in war or great loss at one point in their life could make great ideas for your story. Describe the emotions running through the mind of the person, make the emotions raw and real and let the reader feel the character’s pain.

What is your character’s personality? Are they warm, cold, introverted or funny? Giving them a personality makes them seem real. Their personality should be identifiable by the reader from their dialogues, their train of thought and their actions. The author should not necessarily describe everything about the characters to the reader. The reader should be able to deduce some of this information by themselves.

The most obvious one is giving a character some unique physical traits. Describe their height, their build, the color of their eyes and hair, everything that you think will give them a differentiating appeal. In this case, do not settle for the obvious; select qualities that are also not common. Probably, instead of the legendary blonde hair, try brown hair and a different color for the eyes other than blue. Redefine the reader’s expectations with your own twist.

In the end, you will realize that the inspiration for defining your characters is all around you from the people you already know. You only need to figure out what makes one person stand out from the other and you will be on your way to creating impactful characters.