How to Create Realistic Fantasy Characters
Describe your character’s physical appearance., Give your characters physical tags., Incorporate fantastical physical traits., Choose an interesting name.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Describe your character’s physical appearance.
You want your reader to create an image of what your character looks like in their mind.
Use a lot of detail when determining your character’s appearance, and use physical descriptors that also indicate something about your character’s personality.For example, instead of saying, “He had red hair,” say “He had unkempt red hair that looked as if he’d cut it himself.” In the latter, we know that his hair is messy and uneven from a bad haircut.
In writing fantasy, it’s doubly important to give the reader a good understand of what magical character looks like.
Is your character human, or part animal? Are human beings normal in your world, or do they all have pink hair and green skin? Be creative with your characters but always be sure to give concrete descriptions to keep readers from getting confused. -
Step 2: Give your characters physical tags.
When writing any kind of fiction, it’s important to create characters that are distinctive and memorable.
Tags are those small physical details – birthmarks, facial features
- that set characters apart from each other.
Give each of your characters one to three unique tags.Think of the tags of your favorite fantasy characters.
Harry Potter is famous for his lightning bolt scar, Gandalf for his long white hair and staff.
Try giving your characters a scar or accessory that has an interesting story behind it.
Make lists of various features such hair color, height, skin color, and eye color that you can then allot to different characters to make them unique. , Depending on what kind of fantasy you’re writing, you may have some characters that do not have strictly human traits.
Be sure to provide your reader with a simple and clear description of what your character looks like.
If your character is part animal, like a centaur, it is crucial that your reader understands that a centaur is half human and half horse.
Be careful not to make descriptions of fantastical characters too generic.
Many readers will know what a wizard or witch looks like.
They want to know what makes your version of a wizard or witch unique.
Don’t just tell us that your wizard has a wand or a pointy hat.
What kind of wand does he use, and what color is his hat?, You want to give your characters names that are memorable, but not too complex.
Ideally, the name will roll off the tongue and be unique but relatively simple.
Bilbo Baggins is just strange enough to catch a reader’s eye, but also simple enough that it’s easy to remember.
For ideas, try flipping through a phonebook or reading a list of baby names.
If possible, use different letters of the alphabet to start your characters’ names so that they won’t end up all sounding too similar.Since you’re writing fantasy, don’t feel like you need to use real names! As long as your reader can pronounce them, make up your own fantastical names. -
Step 3: Incorporate fantastical physical traits.
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Step 4: Choose an interesting name.
Detailed Guide
You want your reader to create an image of what your character looks like in their mind.
Use a lot of detail when determining your character’s appearance, and use physical descriptors that also indicate something about your character’s personality.For example, instead of saying, “He had red hair,” say “He had unkempt red hair that looked as if he’d cut it himself.” In the latter, we know that his hair is messy and uneven from a bad haircut.
In writing fantasy, it’s doubly important to give the reader a good understand of what magical character looks like.
Is your character human, or part animal? Are human beings normal in your world, or do they all have pink hair and green skin? Be creative with your characters but always be sure to give concrete descriptions to keep readers from getting confused.
When writing any kind of fiction, it’s important to create characters that are distinctive and memorable.
Tags are those small physical details – birthmarks, facial features
- that set characters apart from each other.
Give each of your characters one to three unique tags.Think of the tags of your favorite fantasy characters.
Harry Potter is famous for his lightning bolt scar, Gandalf for his long white hair and staff.
Try giving your characters a scar or accessory that has an interesting story behind it.
Make lists of various features such hair color, height, skin color, and eye color that you can then allot to different characters to make them unique. , Depending on what kind of fantasy you’re writing, you may have some characters that do not have strictly human traits.
Be sure to provide your reader with a simple and clear description of what your character looks like.
If your character is part animal, like a centaur, it is crucial that your reader understands that a centaur is half human and half horse.
Be careful not to make descriptions of fantastical characters too generic.
Many readers will know what a wizard or witch looks like.
They want to know what makes your version of a wizard or witch unique.
Don’t just tell us that your wizard has a wand or a pointy hat.
What kind of wand does he use, and what color is his hat?, You want to give your characters names that are memorable, but not too complex.
Ideally, the name will roll off the tongue and be unique but relatively simple.
Bilbo Baggins is just strange enough to catch a reader’s eye, but also simple enough that it’s easy to remember.
For ideas, try flipping through a phonebook or reading a list of baby names.
If possible, use different letters of the alphabet to start your characters’ names so that they won’t end up all sounding too similar.Since you’re writing fantasy, don’t feel like you need to use real names! As long as your reader can pronounce them, make up your own fantastical names.
About the Author
Megan Harris
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in lifestyle and beyond.
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