<p>Creating Believable Characters by Jazzstar, article competition winner</p><p>Every writer wants their story to be believed by their readers, even if it’s totally fictional. A believable story = an enjoyable story and satisfied readers. </p><p>To create a believable story, you need credible characters. If your characters are not convincing enough, then your story won't be either. Characters are like the backbone to your story; you cannot have a great story without them. </p><p>Here are some tips on creating characters your peers can relate to easily and enjoyably; </p><p>* Describe: adjectives don't we just love `em. Use the adjectives to describe your character. Describe their characteristics, features and attitude. A good tip to memorize is not to list these describing words, as we don't want to bore the reader. Reveal more as the story opens up. </p><p>* Take inspiration from real people. I find this really helpful and one of the easier ones. </p><p>* Read other short stories and novels and see if you can spot what the authors are doing to make their subjects believable. See if this helps. </p><p>* If you writing a fantasy story, with characters other than humans, the same things apply. You may not be able to take info from the people around you, however you can definitely read books to help build up your fantasy figure and don't forget to describe! Research is a good helper as well. </p><p>* Remember to tell about your figures surroundings and if they have an accent see if you can tinker with the writing to make this noticeable. * Try telling family members and friends about your characters. Ask what they think. Two opinions are always better than one! </p><p>Keep a thesaurus handy to help you and keep writing! Hope I've helped in some way. OVER AND OUT</p><p>Copyright © 2010 by the Teen Writers Club. All rights reserved. </p>