All the world's a stage
And all the men and women merely players
Yes, I am aware that he meant it as a metaphor of sorts regarding life. But it rings true in this instance anyway. It just happens that in this particular instance, we create the stage, and by virtue, we must create the players in it, as well.
A story cannot function if there is no life in it - literally, for the purposes of this tip. One can only do so much with a setting, and the story is - literally - empty if there's no one moving in it. Even the most plot-centric tales ever woven had memorable characters.
Again with Shakespeare, I'm sure everyone recognizes Romeo and Juliet. Again, Romeo and Juliet, but the play, in its roots, is a tragedy. Star-crossed lovers put in an impossible situation: love or family loyalty. The whole thing is a message wrapped up with a love story as its main catalyst.
Now, I'm not going to spoil the ending for those who still don't know it, but everyone else knows how it ends, and for all intents and purposes, understands the message there, whatever their personal take on it may be. But, think about it, when people say Romeo and Juliet, they see the balcony scene, they remember Romeo making a promise in the moon's name and then Juliet telling him not to do so, they even remember that penultimate scene and its aftermath. They remember two [fictional] people deeply in love. Why?
Simply put, the characters defined the story, despite its strong plot/message. Consider, if the pair were not born as members of the Capulets and Montagues, just somehow caught up in the whole familial rivalry stuff, the story would be half as effective. They're not even the most clearly-defined characters - just a boy and a girl in love. They don't even get the best possible ending. And yet they're almost [not quite sure, but it must be close] the measuring stick for a literary love story. Why?
I can't tell you. Some characters are just like that. And that's why they matter.
...
Okay, enough with the fancy literary mumbo-jumbo. First things first - a character that is forced, however good, will never measure up to a character that was built up, evolving and becoming a part of the overall story [IMHO]. Make your character, make him/her/it [some characters don't need genders, right?] yours, care for them, but be ready to kill them off at a moment's notice [more on this much, much later].
Characters can be conveniently [if not easily] categorized as main characters and supporting characters. There's a wide spectrum in between - and sometimes, outside - these two boundaries, but to put it simply, a character is either one or the other. And so far, I've mostly been discussing main characters, which is what most people latch on to, and while it may be unfair to the other characters, the main characters are always going to be the focus [other than the occasional weird nobody that somehow gets a cult following].
The first thing a writer needs to make a character is knowing what kinds of characters he likes. I think we've stressed enough that writers all start as readers, and as humans with feelings and opinions, it's only natural that they will like one kind of character more than the others. This is important.
Since I've no better example, let's take what my favorite kind of character is into scrutiny. Now, not all the characters I like are from written works, but there's a general profile for them. I'll list some:
L [Death Note] [manga/anime]
Enma Ai [Jigoku Shoujo] [anime]
Hit-Girl/Mindy Macready [Kick-ass] [comics/movie]
Hannibal Lecter [most famous for Silence of the Lambs] [books/movies]
That's all I can think of at the top of my head [it's a quarter to 5AM here when I started this]. Anyway...
What's the common denominator? 2 of them are way too smart; 3 can kill someone without blinking; at least 2 have conflicted pasts. But these aren't it. The common denominator is: they do what they do because they want/have to.
L says it isn't Justice - he just likes solving the puzzle
Ai has long since finished her revenge, she's just tied down as jigoku shoujo
Hit-girl does the whole costumed vigilante bit because it's what she was trained to do
Hannibal... Well, I wouldn't even try to explain how that character's mind goes...
That's it: I like characters who do what they do, won't apologize for it, because, simply put, it's what they do. The kind of characters who won't be the same if they weren't doing what they do [I hope that wasn't confusing]. Characters who define what they do, and vice-versa. As much as I go on about Harry Potter, and Katniss Everdeen, etc etc et al they're not really my kind of character. At least not exactly.
So, if you can find the character type you like, here are the next questions: do you want to create this kind of character? can you?
That's the most important thing. You'll never fully create a character if you don't want to, and especially not if you can't even do it in the first place. You'll just set yourself back. Like I said, a character that is forced will never be as good as he/she/it could be.
If the answer to both questions is yes, then go ahead. If the answer to the first question is no, then determine what kind of character you want to make. If the answer to the second question is no, then it's only a matter of practice. Once you've settled around to the point where you can answer yes to both questions [if you didn't already in the beginning] then you should be fine making a character.
Now, back to the earlier example: I do want to create a character like that. And so far, I'm succeeding [I think], so I think I can do it. And so, as much as possible, the template for most [if not all] my main characters is like that - someone who does something because he/she/it wants/has to. Obviously, all of them are different, in accordance to their stories, and the genre, and other factors, but that's their root, so to speak.
In general, when you've found out the character you want to make, and you've determined that you can make one, you'll always make your protagonist first. This is natural, and in terms of fiction, it's almost always the way to go. After all, the story being written is all about that protagonist, so one way or the other, the protagonist has to be the first character created for the purpose of making the story fit the character and vice-versa.
Of course, later on, you'll start making characters that don't fit that mold. You might even stop using the mold altogether. That's fine, and in all honesty, it should be expected. It just means you've found a different type of character you want to make, and more importantly, you can make such a character.
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Xdqwerty:
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Psionic Roshambo:
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The Real Jdbye:
