How to Flesh Out Your Characters and Plot?
When I was younger, I spent most of my time reading novels. I was usually sucked in by the story's characters as if they were actual humans. My friends and I even discussed the characters in the same book we were reading. We even argued about the events that happened in each chapter. It's amusing, but it's true. See? That's the impact of the characters of every story we read.
Now let's talk about how to flesh out characters and plot in a story. I understand that this is not an open-and-shut task, but as a writer, you are cognizant of your abilities. Know a few people. Observed. As a result, you can immediately detect the hidden depths of the people around you. From that, you can start to create people from your imaginations and bring them into existence.
Collect Memories
Memories. Who doesn’t have those? We all have—good and bad ones. Before creating characters and a story plot, Take some time alone to capture memories that will motivate you to write stories. You can try doing the following steps:
Recognize some memories you have with wonderful people in your life or some strangers you met with a sliver of hope.
Choose one fond memory, one sorrowful memory, and one mystical memory. You can reminisce using the old images in your family album if you're having trouble remembering.
Merely be precise. Choose memories that have a meaningful effect on the person you have become.
What sorts of happy memories can you think of? Perhaps, when you're sitting on the sand by the beach, reading your favorite book, or when you and a childhood friend went biking in the summer. Anything that you can think of that makes you smile.
For bad memories, contemplate your loved ones who have passed away and how you handled it in your grief or maybe the time when your heart was broken. If that's the case, I'm sure there isn't a more heartbreaking situation than that.
For mystical memories, consider an event where you acted like a prince or princess in a theater play or when you were lost in the wilderness or in a no man's land.
You can combine some of your memories into a short scene in your story to help you determine and control your characters. During this procedure, It would be effortless for you to establish the main characters you'd like to feature in your story. By using your experiences, You can recall the various characteristics you've encountered and utilize them as your adversary or protagonist.
Decide on the Identity that Aptly Represents Who You Are
Start by asking what kind of person you are? Do some brainstorming of your real personality. In short, know yourself.
Your national identity, geography, religious dogma, parenthood, profession, education, sex or race, are all examples of identities. For my part, I'd say:
I’m a writer.
I have a strong personality [which means I can handle problems well without blaming others].
I’m a learner. [I can tolerate constructive criticism].
Now, how about you?
Our self-perception and previous experiences have a massive effect on who we are. I recall winning the essay writing contest when I was in high school, for example, and I envision myself as a writer in the future, and I did it. I intend to devote my entire life to writing in the future. On the other hand, our future decisions, as well as those of your characters and plots, are shaped by the past. You can use some of your reflections when you create a plot alongside your characters.
Broaden your Perspective
As I previously stated, I was frequently enthralled by the characters in the stories I read, to the point where I imagined speaking with them. As for me, that gave me an idea of sculpting various personalities, which I can use in my stories.
Moreover, focus on new authors, genres, magazines, blogs, and websites by reading to discover new characters and themes because one of the most successful methods to enlarge your scope is to read. Or you can list some of your favorite people, know some facts about their lives and experiences, and reveal the bigger picture of who they are. In that way, you can apply the dimension to your characters.
Convert your imaginations into words.