Hey All, I need some help creating my "sidekick" character. I have a foundation for her: religious background, shy and quiet, small and doll-like. However, I feel like I need more. How else should I develop a teenage best friend?
I suggest you write a short story, or just the whole story if its a novel. In short I'm saying jsut write and see where the stroy takes tha character. If you put too much work into the character without writing anything, the character may end up feeling very disconnected from their environment and thats troublesome.
Well, you have a foundation. Try questioning it. "She has a religious background. Does she enjoy being religious? How religious? What religion? How has this worked out for her socially? Why is she shy? Did something in her past make her shy?" and so on, and so forth. Usually, I would question the general idea of what a character is, and the answers would help to flesh the character out more. Then again, I'm no pro. Just a suggestion.
what she is, is not as important as what she does... let your plot decide what the various characters should be like... imo, too much agonizing over characters' back stories can be detrimental to developing a good story... concentrate on the story and make your characters fit that, instead of vice versa, is my best advice... love and hugs, maia
Is this a short story or a whole novel? I say if it is a short story only focus on a few aspects of the character. If your story is going to be a whole novel...well then you will probably need to create almost a "whole life" for her; a past, a present and a future. For example: Most individuals who are religious, are religious for a reason, especially if their a teenagers. Teenagers are always questioning and wondering about the world around them, especially if their religious. Her shyness could be a response to how other individuals treated her throughout life because of what she believed in. Religion is obviously the main "vein" for this character. How do other characters around her react to that? How is she going to appear in society. If she's a christian/catholic/muslim religious she is probably not going to show up in a mini skirt with her thong showing out the back and fishnet stockings. If she's wiccan/pagen she will probably wear darker clothing, etc. Next, how did she meet her character? What circumstances arose from that? What feelings and emotions blossomed and burst into each of the characters? First encounters, both in real life and writing, determine alot about your characters and how the stage is going to be set. Good luck with it!
I just want to ask, how much of a "sidekick" is she? Is she really important to the plot? To the main character? With important I mean how much she will affect the story. I agree with maia that actions speak louder than words, you might plan your character to be a certain way and end up writing them acting quite different from what you've expected.
Who she is is very important, in my opinion, but it should be shown by what she does. Her deeds will show "who she is." These are good questions to ask. I'm a big fan, as far as writing goes, in showing the reader, gradually, why people do what they do by answering such questions.
