How to write a novel – defining and describing characters 

Developing characters in a novel could be a headache without a plot outline. Plot and characters are greatly interrelated you need to know what part of the character’s life you are going to work in a certain setting. Start to imagine and draw some section of the scenes in your mind. Start to figure out how the main character would react and why they should act that way. Give bits and pieces of revealing information each time. Remember that each time you interact with real people you tend to change the intensity of your feelings by how you relate to them. Their behavior, attitude, outlook, and life events kept on changing and this include how you see them in their phenomenon too.  

Life is what you give them! Your characters life experiences are what you give them. They gained what you give! It is an author’s most interesting but difficult job to define each character in the novel and give them intriguing life experiences. Developing fictional characters could be easy or difficult depending on how good you are at observing people and taking other people’s real life experiences beside your own dramatic experience.  

Look at the people around you and start feeling how they feel. This will help you relay and emote their experiences on paper. One way is to go to the center of a very busy area or park and just sit down in a coffee shop then look at the passersby. Look at the people passing by and observe their faces. Their expressions could complete section and sections of your story. Expressions are everything. It tells how they feel, the level of their happiness or contentment, and how they take life. Then start defining your characters. You may need more than a pen and a paper for this task. Sometimes a mini laptop, a recorder, or a wi-fi phone by which you can type or record would be crucial and may come in handy anytime, anywhere you feel like writing your thoughts.  

Make a sketch of how your character would look like. Appearances help build characters and attitudes. People usually present themselves for what they are inside them. This holds true with creating fictional characters. You are creating people, giving up life experiences, and building up emotions. Describe your main characters appearances, likes, and dislikes first before you create the list of supporting characters. A short or long description depends on the role the characters play. The main character is the only one who needs long description.