Every story needs a cast, but before your character can speak their mind or chase their goals, you need to know who they are. Not just their name and hair colour, but what makes them tick, how they move through the world, and why readers should care about them.
The fun part? Characters are everywhere if you pay attention. Here are some tips to help you find yours:
1. Play at People Watching
Writers are allowed to be nosy. The person in the cafe who always orders the same muffin, the child on the bus who insists on narrating everything they see, the neighbour who waters their plants at midnight… they are all potential characters. One odd little habit can be the spark that brings a new personality to life.
2. Collect Curious Details
Start a “character notebook” and jot down anything that catches your eye: the scuffed shoes on a polished suit, the way someone hums while scrolling on their phone, a phrase overheard in the supermarket. Small details create texture, and texture makes a character feel real in our world, as well as the imagined world they were born from.
3. Ask “What If?”
Take an ordinary moment and tilt it sideways. What if the man checking his watch every two minutes is not anxious about the bus, but about the time portal in his garden? What if the woman who talks to her dog is not being sweet, but is actually talking herself out of being involved in a bank heist? The stranger the question, the richer the possibilities.
4. Add a Contradiction
Nobody is one-dimensional. A character who is shy might secretly love performing karaoke. A character who seems fearless might actually be afraid of the dark. And that tougher-than-tough personal trainer? Did you know he still sleeps with his childhood teddy? We all have our idiosyncrasies; give your characters a quirk that does not fit neatly with the rest of their personality, and suddenly they feel more human.
5. Give Them a Little Test
Before you set your character loose in your story, try them out in a small scene you will never publish. What do they buy at the corner shop? How do they handle being caught in the rain, or what is their reaction when their train home is cancelled? These short experiments let you get to know them before the “real” story begins.
From Sketch to Story
Designing a character is a bit like building a collage. You snip a detail here, a habit there, and gradually the figure takes shape.
My advice to you is that the more curious you are about the world around you, the more characters will step forward, ready to be written. This week, give yourself permission to sit somewhere busy, notice the tiny things, and let your imagination do the rest. Who knows which character will tap you on the shoulder first?
And remember, a character’s design is only the beginning. Once you know who they are, the next challenge is letting them speak. How do you capture their voice, so it feels alive on the page? That’s exactly what we’ll explore in the next blog.
And if you would like support shaping your characters, from their first spark to their full development, Aquilla Books can help. We work with authors to design characters that feel authentic, layered, and ready to carry your story forward.
Let’s create your character together. Get in touch today.
