Okay, so I'm writing a story and I want to make them as real as possible. The only problem is, I have no idea. This wouldn't be an issue, but I remembered that it is never a good thing to have them just as black and white; I want people to be able to see them, or imagine as if they can meet them. (I tend to do this a lot) I think it would be useful to describe them... Adelaide: She tends to be mostly quiet, but when she is with her friends she talks a lot. If she thinks she is babbling, she shuts up. She does all of her homework, sometimes only putting half an effort in it. General goody-two shoes. (My only problem is she is too much like me) Lynn: Jumps to conclusions. Is normally hyper, due to her high caffiene intake. (Too... typical) Xavier: Spends all of his time texting, or online. Doesn't really care about anyone outside of his circle, including Lynn, his sister. (Too typical, again) Brandon: Sports nut. Bugs Adelaide (his sister) a lot. (Too "flat"; it seems like he is just a tool.) The parents don't matter, because they are parents, and this will be told from Adelaide's point of view, so they will be just... parents.
Every character is made real through the telling of your story. What will tell you if a character is "flat" is when you have difficulty finding the why you are writing them. Example: Cogito and I had a discussion a while back concerning a story I had been working on. My main character had stopped talking to me, so to speak. I couldn't find a reason to move him forward. He had no motivation. Cogito posed to me the shocking idea that maybe he shouldn't be there at all. I was like, "Wha? He's my MC!" Cogito was totally right. He was my MC only because I had this picture of some person in my head as a character. It was like the character was an actor that I was representing and trying to find a part for, but he had no business in this script. I removed him. (Actually I relegated him to a smaller roll.) My point is, pick you story first and then decide who you need (the characters) in order to tell the story. Don't be heartbroken when some of the characters don't make it to the final print. It happens.
Instead of just listing character traits in the manner you did, you could try letting the reader discover these facts slowly. But what really makes a character real is development. If your character's journey in the story can be fully described in a sentence, the reader won't feel them to be anymore than cardboard cutouts.
Maybe you're right. The only reason I wanted Brandon to be there in the first place is just someone to be there, you know? I think I'll take him out. Now that you bring it up, I shouldn't be able to list their traits; they should change as the story progresses. I was going to re-write, and since I lost my flashdrive (how sad) now would be a nice time to start.
Personally, when I develop a plot I like to add unusual twists. You'd be amazed, how many orginal ideas can be dragged out of the mind. A common example, the character we all learn to love ends up being the evil one. You could add a lot of creativity to that storyline. It also depends what person you are writing in. First or Third? When writing in first, you can give a lot of detailed inner feeling. This allows the reader to really connect with the narrator. When describing other characters, the narrator states their own opinion. The personality of your narrator can determine a lot when it comes to character description.
