One of the most useful exercises I use is to find photographs/ images (either in print media or online) that show what my characters look like. I tape these up on a board so I can visualize the characters while I write about them. I make lists of characteristics, honoring each character’s individuality: sex and sexual orientation, appearance, emotional, likes and dislikes, good points and bad ones, anything that may (or may not) be relevant to my story. With a clear view of my characters in front of me, and a defining list of each character’s traits, how could it not be real? Right?

It happens. We, as writers, surge ever forward in writing the plot and sometimes we lose track of what’s real and what’s not – especially when it comes to our characters.

Names are often a stumbling block. Sometimes a name just pops into my head and it seems perfect for the character. But that’s a rare occasion. Most of the time, I find myself searching different websites that list names in the hopes of finding the perfect name. The right name helps define the character, making him/her real. I have read many books where the character names just didn’t suit and I found myself inserting my own choice for a realistic name, to the point that, when talking about the book after I finished reading it, I continued to use my choice of a name instead of the author’s. Also, if the name doesn’t suit the character, the reader will find the plot difficult to follow. There are many books I’ve often put down after only reading a few chapters because the choice of names, like Piper and Moxie, didn’t suit and I was confused about the who’s who agenda. You don’t want to confuse and frustrate the reader, potentially turning them away from your writing. So, take care in choosing the right names.

There are times when I can’t decide on the right names when I start writing. If it’s a real stumbling block, I insert Male #1, Male #2, Female #1, Female #2, and so on, until I find the right name. It may seem awkward, but, if you have your picture of the characters, labeled with Male #1, Male #2, Female #1, Female #2, and so on, then it serves as a temporary solution until the right name is found.

As you sort through the possibilities of ‘real’ names to make your characters seem ‘real’, here are some questions to consider:

- Are your characters going to represent a specific ethnic or religious group? Make a list of your characters and describe their ethnic/religious affiliations. This may help you choose your character’s names.

- Do you want your character’s names to have a specific meaning? Look specific ethnic or religious sites for name searches and scroll down the list of names for boys and/or girls. Look at the meanings for each name. Does the meaning of the name suit your character? Does it really matter if the name suits? Some immigrants move to North America and choose primarily North American names like Samuel or Alice without caring for the specific meaning.

- When your characters were born (approximately) should impact your choice of names. Look up popular names for babies born in a specific year. For example, girl babies born in 1981 favored the name Diana (after the new Princess Diana). Boy babies born a few years later favored the name William, after her first son.

Character typing is another good tool to make the characters real. Perhaps you’re already doing this, but you didn’t realize it had a definitive classification. What does it mean? Basically, character typing is defining the psychological makeup of your characters. It’s identifying the cluster of personality traits that define the individuality of each one of the characters in the story.

So, how do we character type? First, we have to decide what character types we need to thicken the plot. Authors use a wide variety of characters to tell the story, above and beyond the standard definitions of the protagonist (the main character – hero or heroine) and antagonist (the main character or force that opposes the protagonist - villain). Each character plays a significant part and, in order to make the story interesting, each one must show inherent personality traits and psychological makeup. There are many different character types used in fiction. Perhaps the most common are:

- The Confidante: this is someone to whom the central character confides, allowing personality, thoughts, and intentions to be suggested or even revealed. The Confidante doesn’t have to be a person. It could be a pet dog.

Example: David Rosenfelt writes a compelling series of mystery stories based around the main character, Andy Carpenter, who has a special connection with his dog, Tara. As the plot thickens, Andy takes Tara for a walk and mulls things over in his mind, often talking out loud to Tara in the process. This helps develop the story and build excitement. In this example, Tara is the Confidante.

- The Dynamic Character: this is a character that changes as the story progresses. This change in character is permanent. The Dynamic Character is sometimes referred to as the Developing Character.

Example:  Ebenezer Scrooge, in Charles Dickens’ popular story, A Christmas Carol, was very stingy with his money. He worked his employees extremely hard for measly wages. After his experiences with the ghosts that visited him on Christmas Eve, he changed his ways, increased his employee’s salary substantially, allowed days off work, and actually gave gifts. In this example, Ebenezer Scrooge is the Dynamic Character.

- The Flat Character: this is a character who reveals only one or two personality traits in the story and these traits never change. This character is also referred to as a 2D (two-dimensional) character. Most 2D characters in novels are there to provide a specific service for the author. If your story needs someone to deliver a message or perform a brief function, he/she will be a 2D character.

Example: in David Rosenfelt’s series, Carpenter’s secretary Edna (Carpenter is a criminal lawyer) is seldom at the office and when she is, she spends most of her time doing crossword puzzles or talking to her friends and family on the phone. Edna hates being interrupted by her boss to actually do some work. Her character never changes and never affects the plot. Edna is a Flat Character, but necessary to fill the function of secretary.

- The Foil Character: this character is used to enhance another character through contrast.

Example: in the very popular children’s folk story, Cinderella’s grace and beauty sharply contrast with her nasty, self-centered stepsisters. Clearly, the stepsisters are the Foil Characters in this story. They are so disgusting that they make Cinderella seem even better, even more beautiful, and kind.

- The Round Character: this is a well-developed character who demonstrates varied and sometimes contradictory traits. Round Characters are usually Dynamic Characters with both inherent good and bad traits, but they change in some way over the course of the story. Round characters are always 3D characters.
Example: in Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind, Scarlett O’Hara is devastated to learn that the man she loves so passionately, Ashley Wilkes, is going to marry his cousin, Melanie Hamilton. Everyone is familiar with the passionate love scene where Scarlett throws her love at Ashely, only to have it rebuffed. She claims to hate both Melanie and Ashley and yet she spends most of the war taking care of both. Scarlett is an example of a Round Character, though she is also a very complicated character.

- The Static/Stock Character: this is a character that remains primarily the same throughout the story. Events in the story do not alter a static character’s outlook, personality, motivation, perception, habits, etc.

Example: in David Rosenfelt’s series, Carpenter’s partner/lawyer, Hike, is a very competent lawyer. It’s a good thing since Carpenter wouldn’t put up with him if he weren’t. Hike is a hypochondriac who is dying from just about everything, including a hangnail, and he’s not afraid to monopolize the conversation by going into extensive detail of his ailments, much to the other characters’ annoyance. Hike never changes. Hike is a Static/Stock Character.

Static characters are like window dressing. They enhance those around them.

As well as character typing, you might want to consider adding some real characters to cast fictitious characters in the plot – to make it more realistic. It’s impossible to avoid putting people, places, and events from your own life into your writing. However, whilst specific characteristics and personalities might add interest and excitement to the plot, authors who don’t like lawsuits must be extremely careful about what they write that might identify a specific character, place, or even event. Use people you know sparingly and, even then, mix their attributes with fiction so they are well disguised. Also, avoid using famous names and characters because they have the money for the big lawyers and they love to sue.

In my Four Seasons Series (Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter), I used my grandmother as one of the characters in the story. My grandmother had passed away years ago, but we were close and I knew she would be flattered that I had used her name and characteristics in the story. I portrayed her as she was in real life. My cousins thought it was quite funny to suddenly find their ‘Aunt Marg’ as one of my secondary characters. If you plan to use a real person, talk to them first, and obtain permission (always in writing) and let them read what you wrote about them. Have them sign your story to show approval.

Real characters in stories lend an air of reality to the story. The reader thinks, wow, this really happened! But, in truth, ALL of your characters should be so real that the reader can’t sort the fiction from nonfiction.

Some trivial things to consider: make sure you use details of what the characters are eating or drinking or wearing or even what they’re reading. This makes the characters appear more vibrant and it helps further develop their personalities. Also, be sure to make sure everything your characters do, every action they undertake is properly motivated. If the character suddenly does something, like indulge in a large chocolate brownie, when the character has been portrayed as hating chocolate, it throws the reader off. Even if the chocolate brownie eating scene helps motivate the plot, it only serves to complicate and confuse.

One key point to follow, however, is that the main character should stay in his/her character type throughout the story. An about-face will throw the reader off-balance and add too much confusion at a time when the resolution should be the next step.

So, are your characters real enough? Believable? Take another look at your work and have someone strictly critique your writing. Using beta readers in your targeted age group is also a good way to assess not just your plot, but the characters themselves. After all, you want to make your characters come alive.