Creating an original character is one of my favorite past times. Being able to utilize everything I've learned and all of my inspirations and create a "living and breathing" character is incredibly interesting and fantastic to me. A fully fleshed out character requires so many components to be figured out in order for them to work; this includes a backstory.
Backstories are one of the many ways one can make their original character stand out among the rest. They create individualism by formatting how a character reacts to present events through their experiences in past events. These past events can include experiences with family, lifestyles, you can even be creative and come up with your own unique turning points for them! However, in order to ensure your character is interesting to the audience and not overpowered, there are steps one has to take. Here are some tips to make your character's backstory great!
-Turning Points are necessary, BUT are only circumstantial
As explained in the previous paragraph, turning points allow a character to react to present events through their experiences in past events. However, these reactions can only happen in certain situations. For example, this can be used if one would like their character to develop an illness or have an injury from their past that continues to affect them in the present. PTSD is a fantastic example of this, as a character suffering from PTSD would experience flashbacks and have an immense reaction to something that reminds them of their trauma. A character should NOT be having flashbacks or reacting to present events at random intervals. Clever use of turning points help not only with storytelling, but it can also bring about character development if used properly.
-Divide Into Chapters
Backstories are exactly that, a story within a story that revolves around a specific character. With this in mind, dividing a backstory into chapters like one would with a novel is a great way to make sure that a backstory isn't too long. It also helps the creator make sure each chapter flows into the next one smoothly. For example, the audience would be confused if a character went from being a thug on the street to the ruler of a province with little explanation. The best way to go about a dramatic transformation such as that would be to spread them out; perhaps the character meets someone along their journey, or they discover something about their family. The theme of each "chapter" should revolve around a specific event in a character's backstory.
-Get Feedback!
There is nothing wrong with asking for help! Even if you go to someone with no experience with storytelling, they can help you! Reading your backstory to someone aloud is a great way to not only hear the flow of the storytelling, but to also see their reactions to it. If a backstory has too many elements or events, the audience could get disinterested or confused. This is important, because there's an unwritten rule in storytelling: the author is always going to see the story more in-depth compared to the audience. So this means the author has to ensure that they get their ideas out in a way that the audience understands.
-Less is more!
Backstories come in all shapes and sizes. However, an overcomplicated one is never good. An overcomplicated backstory makes a character less appealing to the audience and could even confuse them if there are too many elements blended together. If you feel like there's too much, take one thing off that you feel is a little less important. Remember, less is more!
Designing a character is essentially a hidden form of visual storytelling. It's a great way to keep a main storyline interesting and keep the overall plot moving forward. I hope these tips are helpful and you guys create some amazing characters! Remember, don't forget to have fun with it!
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