Mixing, matching, and formulating characters.

I don’t know about you, but I feel a lot like a chemist when it comes to characters.

It’s the only way that I know to get it to work.

“So this guy is kind of like that cool guy I read about last week, mixed with the quirks of my brother, but with the personality that harkens back to an energetic version of...”

And when I’m in my most genius moments, I’m mixing combinations like an unforgettable madman. And then, when I’m done, I have a distinct character. And when I lay down anchors in the existence of a character, I tend to remember their personality better.

Tell me I’m not the only one.

…

But let’s take it a step further.

What if you need a table full of characters? Say we just sat down in a new pub and we’ve got to go right to left and meet everyone sitting at the table. How are we going to remember them—and how are the readers going to?

Doing this quickly and well is part and parcel of speedwriting.

Let me take you through my usually-subconscious process. I think this would be cool to put down on a sticky note if you have an actual issue with creating side characters (we really know that no one does).

1. Random but memorable stranger from your last outing.

2. The personality of a family member or close friend but subverted in some way.

3. A funny tweak to that personality to keep the person memorable in your mind (this is a great place for comedy too, if you make that quirk funny).

4. Add an unusual touch of mania.

5. Give them a specific weapon (I don’t do this—but you can).

I’ve got piles of stranger-and-sibling melts. Eventually everything becomes a blurry inkblot where nothing is clear anymore and the character comes to life.

The key to making memorable characters is to make sure that they’re based on real people in your life. That will ground them and give them a real reaction to every situation.