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  • Writer's pictureNahogani

Character Creation: Who Are They?

Let us start with a reminder: this is not the end-all-be-all or the “right way” to create a character, just one of many ways! If you find that you do something differently that does not mean you’re doing it wrong, it just means you have a different creative process and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. With that out of the way, let us delve into some of the elements to consider when creating a character for the first time.

Defining Desires


At the end of the day, your character’s actions are driven by their motivations. Their motivations are what drives them and causes them to act in a specific way. Let us take some time to explore those desires, as they can be what guides not only the character, but also what helps to direct the story. Answer the following questions:

  • What does your character want?

  • Why does your character want it?

  • Why is it so vital to them?

  • What will success mean for them?

  • Why haven’t they sought it up until now?

- If they have, why have they not succeeded?

Defining Needs

When considering what a character needs, something to keep in mind is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Understanding different kinds of needs might help you better understand where your character’s desires come from and how they affect them. The hierarchy goes as follows:


FIRST LEVEL: Physiological (Body) Need

These are biological requirements for human survival such as: air, food, drink, shelter, clothing, warmth, sex, sleep, etc. These are the basic things your character needs to maintain life.


SECOND LEVEL: Safety Needs

These are protection from elements, security, order, law, stability, and freedom from fear. These are what your character needs to feel safe and secure, be it physical or mental.


THIRD LEVEL: Social Needs

These needs are social and involve feelings of belonging. The need for interpersonal relationships motivates behavior by driving characters to attempt to connect with others.


FOURTH LEVEL: Needs for Esteem

There are two categories for these needs: esteem for oneself (dignity, achievement, mastery, independence) and the desire for reputation or respect from others (status, prestige).


FIFTH LEVEL: Needs for Self Actualization

This level involves realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth, and peak experiences. According to Maslow, this is defined as a desire “to become everything one is capable of becoming.”


Maslow stated that each level needs to be fulfilled before progressing on to satisfy or focus on the next tier. For example, a person’s physiological needs must be met before they can focus on fulfilling their safety needs. A person (or in this case, character) needs to have their basic life-sustaining needs met before they can feel safe. They need to feel safe before they can focus on feeling like they belong.

Connecting Needs and Wants


We know that “wants” are what drives a character and we know that “needs” are what a character requires to survive. Both of these are vital components to creating a character with its own thoughts and goals. Now let us take a look at some questions that will help you connect your character’s wants and needs!

  • Which needs are satisfied in their life?

  • What needs are not satisfied?

  • What occupies their thoughts most of the time?

  • How do their needs inform his or her wants and desires?

  • What needs need to be met before they can pursue their desires?

Flaws & Strengths


A perfect person is boring. When your character has no flaws, they have no room for growth. To make a character more well-rounded and believable, it’s important to give them flaws, strengths, and quirks. Just like you have things you may be good at or maybe terrible at, your characters need these same things to come to life. Ask yourself the following questions:

  • What are your character's strengths?

  • What are they skilled at doing?

  • What are some of their positive personality traits?

  • How would their friend describe them in a good light?

  • Are they modest about these strengths?

  • What are your character’s flaws?

  • What are they terrible at?

  • What are some of their negative personality traits?

  • How would an enemy gossip about them?

  • How do their flaws impact their life?

  • Have they ever lost something important to them because of these flaws?

  • Are they aware of these flaws? (How do they feel about them?)

We suggest one flaw for every one to two strengths. It’s important to have a balance between what your character is great at and what can create obstacles for them throughout their lives. Some strengths and flaws are different sides of the same coin. For more advanced writers, you may want to explore this. Here are two examples:

  • Someone who is skilled at diplomacy may also be manipulative and may lie often.

  • Someone who is overly optimistic might end being rash in their decisions or naive.

Writing Exercises

Now that you have explored what makes your character who they are, play around with them to get to know them better using these writing prompts. Short responses to writing prompts, either in character or out of it, describing your new character are a great way to explore what goes on inside their head. They also help delve into their history and how that has helped to mold them into the person they are now.

1. Write about either the first time your character fell in love or the moment your character realized romantic love was not for them. 2. Write about your character’s first experience with death. 3. Write about the moment your character realized what it would take to get the thing they want. 4. What sort of things in your character’s life do they romanticize? How do they romanticize them and why? 5. Write out your character’s ten year plan (career or personal). 6. Your character finds out they can travel to any era or any moment in time. Where do they go and why? 7. We regret to inform you that your character is dead. (Sorry!) Where do they end up? Heaven? Hell? How do they react? How did they get there? 8. Your character suddenly wakes up with their dream super power! What is the power? Why? What do they do with it? 9. What would completely break your character? What is their limit and what happens once they pass it? 10. What does their character feel that their role in society is?


11. How does the character react to different emotions? Write about a time they were overcome with emotion (sadness, anger, fear, etc.) and how they handled it.


12. What is the best thing in your character’s life? How did they acquire it? What is the worst thing in your character’s life? How do they intend to overcome it?


13. What is the image your character attempts to project, versus the image your character actually projects? How do these two images differ, and why?


14. Write about a scene in which your character is forced to react to or come to terms with something that is out of their control.


15. Write about a time your character was forced to confront someone. Was it physical or verbal? Were they apprehensive or ready to fight?


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