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By Harvey Stanbrough
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Creating Realistic Characters
SMASHWORDS EDITION
of a Writing the WorldTM publication
Copyright © 2011 by Harvey Stanbrough
Smashwords Edition License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.
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Creating Realistic Characters
What is a “realistic character”?
When you meet someone briefly—whether you simply observe them in a mall or a hotel lobby or an airport, or actually meet and speak with them—that person is primarily a cliché to you, a stereotype. He or she is a “typical” college student, construction worker, business person, truck driver or whatever. We don’t stop to think about the life experiences that have shaped other people. For example, the elderly poor person you see on skid row might be a former multi-millionaire. The tired old janitor at the local high school might be a war hero or the former CEO of a major enterprise. The young soccer mom might have been raised in an orphanage. The possibilities are endless. The point is, all human beings are stereotypes until you get to know them, and that’s a good thing. The stereotype enables you to identify with the person.