What is your character all about? A character is more than just a name; he or she has something to say and to offer to the reader. Any reader who seeks a decent story won’t be satisfied with a character that exists in one dimension.

And, they aren’t the only ones who will balk at a character without substance. Publishers are reluctant to put their good name behind a book filled with characters that can’t produce. You won’t convince them that you can bring in millions with weak characters.

What your book is all about can be summed up in what is called The Sentence. Using less than thirty words convey the highlights of your story idea so anyone can follow and understand. In that one sentence, you will describe the main situation of the book, your protagonist, your antagonist, and why everyone should want to read your book. Call it your twist, if you will.

First on deck is the protagonist. He or she is the main character. Find the appropriate nouns or adjectives to describe this character with the following questions:

• Who are the people that shape the character’s life? (Examine their personal life)
• What is this character all about? (Examine his or her desires, needs, and struggles in life)
• What is the character’s occupation? (Examine their professional life)

Here is an example of what you are striving to accomplish. Imagine that the main character is a male. Using nouns, he could be “husband”, “father”, or “brother.” With adjectives, that simple man then morphs into a “workaholic husband” or an “irresponsible brother.” Your character becomes real to the readers who can envision him in their mind’s eye.

The antagonist springs to life using the same set of questions. There is always a villain in the story. His villainy results from his actions towards the protagonist. Whether the antagonist is truly bad or caught in an impossible situation will depend on your description.

I almost forgot to mention that your protagonist can take whatever form you choose. A palpable pulse is not required. Inanimate objects, ideas, ghostly apparitions, or a large conglomerate can be the ne’er-do-well of the story. Either way, the priority here is to make use of all your character’s dimensions to impress the reader.

Character description takes time to complete. Your first time out, you may have trouble getting the characters out of your head and onto paper. They are your creations, so reshape them as many times as you need to. Effective descriptions speak volumes that readers will “see” as they read.

Want to create compelling characters that help sell your writing? Holly Lisle is a full-time writer who has sold 30+ novels to major publishers and is the creator of the “How to Think Sideways Career Survival School for Writers”. Go to http://howtothinksideways.com/members/ and access 3 free lessons that teach you how to write a novel that sells – straight from her highly-acclaimed course.

Last 5 posts by Holly Lisle

• The Four Thinking Barriers that keep you from being a Successful Novelist - February 28th, 2009
• Create, Complicate, Resolve: The Keys to Keeping your Readers Interested - February 24th, 2009
• Assessing your Novel Writing Progress: Check These Four Things - February 21st, 2009
• 4 Steps to Finding the Market for your Novel - February 19th, 2009

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