When learning how to write a book, creating characters is essential, especially if you want to resonate with a curious audience. In the last article, I discussed creating characters and conceptualizing them. In Part 2 of How to Write a Book, I will discuss developing these characters and giving them traits that make them fit.
How to Write a Book: Developing Backstory
Where did these characters come from? What are their motivations? I have mastered the art of giving great backstory in all my books. When I created the character Jon Drake, I gave him a detailed backstory with chapters set in the past and showcased how he got to this point. Likewise, I always do this with antagonists.
Key Events That Define Their Present
In my first book, I showed how Vladimir Ramirez, the leader of the Legion of Samurai, was an ordinary man before violence marked him. I showed how he found the Legion of Samurai and eventually rose to become leader, mainly through violence. Because of this, it twisted him from the gentle, loving man into the heartless monster he became. It also affected his relationships with his children. You need to flesh out the backstory by showing how everything that has happened to them has put them at this point.
Relationships and Pivotal Moments
Using another example from one of my books, I will go into context with Megan Clayton, the antagonist of the Twisted Society. At the heart of it all, Megan is not a bad person. However, some tragedies shaped her outlook on life, such as the death of her parents when she was a teenager, which forced her to grow up pretty quickly as she had a younger sister to take care of. Because of that, Megan’s heart grew cold. Once she opened her heart to Kristle Webb, the protagonist, and gave herself a chance at making a friend, she could not help herself when she realized Kristle would not always be there for her. Relationships and pivotal moments in the story drive everything.
How Backstory Influences Actions
Every single one of my antagonists had a reason for their actions. In their deluded minds, they believed that they were in the right based on what happened to them. Vladimir hated the world and believed the best way to cleanse it would be to destroy it. Likewise, Megan believed the world was cruel, and men were the worst of society, based on what happened to her family.
My antagonist from the Secret Link, Eduardo Benitez, also had a similar backstory. He was once an ordinary businessman. Then, the world turned him into the heartless cartel leader he became. There was only one instance in any of my stories where the character was already despicable before they became a full-fledged villain: Odell, from my latest book, the Gridiron Vendetta. But then again, even his backstory can be influential, as he dreamed of becoming an NFL superstar until his dreams were crushed. He could have achieved something from his point of view, but his interaction with the main character, Ulisez Saucedo, ruined that.
Conclusion
When creating characters, especially antagonists, you need to give them a backstory that shows what makes them tick. It also has to make sense. Your protagonists operate under the same scope. When I created the Deathstalker, I gave AJ Walker the intense backstory of a man simply looking to make money when the government denied him the opportunity. From there, he created his own opportunities and became the world’s most dangerous hitman.
Backstories and defining events will carry your characters forward and give them more depth. Additionally, it will help your readers understand what made them into what they are. When figuring out how to write a book, creating depth-rich characters will help you make it as captivating as possible.
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