VS Grenier ~ Award-Winning Author, Speaker & Podcaster

Too many characters in novels are too much alike. As a result, the stories and the characters' actions (and reactions) become predictable. You'd already know what would happen only a few chapters in the story! This is what you want to avoid when you're writing your own story – having characters that are too much like the other characters. There are way you can create characters that are different enough from each other that your readers won't get bored. Here are a few tips on how to do just that...

Got one (or two) of your characters stuck? Don't know what to do with  him/her? Is he/she getting too boring or predictable? Want to know more  about his/her personality? Or maybe you have a story forming in the back  of your mind but you don't know what to do with it just yet; you have a  character but he/she isn't clear at this time. Here's a quick, but fun, fix -- set your character up for a surprise and  find out how he/she reacts. A. First, choose a number from 1 to 5 -- quick! Done? See what you chose: 1. a pearl anklet 2. a bottle of expensive perfume 3. a silk shirt 4. a plain gold ring/band 5. a high-end cellphone B. Next, choose another number from 1 to 5. Now see what you picked: 1. moldy bread 2. a used toothpick 3. a bottle of dead cockroaches 4. cotton buds drenched in blood 5. a dirty sock C. Next, pick another number from 1 to 5. Here's what you picked: 1. a knapsack 2. a laptop bag 3. a plastic bag 4. a gift-wrapped box 5. a gym bag