So I wrote a book about how I wrote my books. In it, I covered things like lore, character development, dialog, and planning. I thought, what if I showed some of my chapters here.
What you'll find below is one of the chapters from my book "How I wrote my books, And you can too." I hope it helps someone, but I'll understand if no one bothers to read it. Still, if you do read it and get anything from it, I'd ask that you let me know. Also, feel free to check out some of my books and see how I used some of my advice to put together my work.
https://tapas.io/11keys/series
Chapter 5- Character
No story is without characters, so if you want a good narrative, the people in it have to be compelling. When you create a new character and write them into your book, you have to think about 5 things:
Who are they? This includes how old they are, where they're from, and how they grew up.
What do they want? This can include where their trying to go, figure out, or become.
How smart are they? Are they smart enough to say or do the things you want them to? Are they dumb enough? Are they creative or direct?
How do they feel? A person is willing to do different things depending on their mood. They'll also speak and carry out tasks in different manners depending on their current emotional status.
What is their moral stance? Do they believe in good and evil? Are they a saint? Do they live without care for consequences or those who might get hurt?
You can have all sorts of characters, but remember, people are people not ornaments. They have layers. Never make a character act in a specific way simply because you need them to. Think about what they would do and get creative when it comes to utilizing them in your story.
Everyone has their own motivations. They aren't always complicated, in fact some of the best motivations are simple. But people don't always work in the best intreste of themselves. Sometimes people only work to benefit themselves.
Everyone has differing levels of intelligence, so every one tries to fulfill their motivations in different ways. Sometimes characters act illogically because they dont have the intelligence to understand where they are wrong. Some characters won't care if what they're doing is stupid if they think it'll help them get what they want. Other characters will actively go against their own motivations to help others.
It should go without saying that your characters should help support your Purpose. Everyone doesn't have to think the same way (and they shouldn't) in order for them to expose your Purpose further. Your main character should be your most reliable source of delving into your story's Purpose.