The more I read, the more I realize how hard is it to make truly unique characters.
How do you solve this?
Don’t make exact clones of popular and known characters.
You can use an existing character as inspiration.
The process
Take three traits from the inspiration character. Write those down.
The character is going to seem bland, especially if you are making a main character.
Think of a different character. The polar opposite of the first character makes the best results. Take three traits from that character.
Now you should have a list of six traits.
With this list, you can add anything specific to your story’s world or something completely random. Making this a flaw or random quirk is best.
Example
The first character I will use is Geralt of Rivia from the Witcher series.
The three traits: white hair, monster hunter, and his bond with his horse.
A random quirk: being around mold makes him sneeze uncontrollably.
The second character I will use is Chrom from Fire Emblem Awakening.
Three traits: Ability to make fast friends regardless of social status. He is protective of family and close friends, and trusts too easily.
And most importantly, don’t forget to name your new character!
Character made
Our new character Cervil has long white hair. He is a professional monster hunter. His fellow hunters find his sneezing ill-timed during stealth hunts. He makes fast friends with anyone, which leads him to trust new people too easily. Cervil is protective of family and close friends. His horse, Finn, is always with him. He names all horses he’s ever owned, Finn.
The process can be tweaked to your needs as the writer and the world you are building. In a futuristic setting, a horse could be changed to a sports bike.
In short
Making new unique characters can be hard. There are many authors these days with the convenience of self-publishing.
You can take a few things from already existing characters and still make something new. The point is to try not to make direct clones or exact copies.
See you next time.
Marissa Moyer- Author 