Character descriptions, back-stories and love stories

by Chelsea

Hi, this is Chelsea and for as long as I've been writing, which isn't very long at all, I have had trouble with creating the perfect back-story and or description of a charcter.

I'm not talking about the average beauty queen living next door with the great life, no. It's boring and unorginal stuff you hear everyday. I hate reading about it over and over again.

I also happen to be OBSESSED with tragic love stories. As in the vampire/human or werewolf/humans but, those are also becoming boring. You hear about it over and over so...

I was asking if you could help me with character descriptions and back-stories for orginal characters and possibly, an orginal love story too.

Thanks again!

LJ Responds

Hi Chelsea!

Sorry for taking such a long time to respond to your question. I should, in fact, apologise to all my dedicated visitors for being AWOL.

I was caught up with my studies and didn't happen to have the time to repond to all of your questions. But, I am now determined to attend to each of your queries.

You are asking how to create the perfect character descriptions and back-stories. You also want help on how to create an original love story.

Let us start with character descriptions. How do you create a good character description? I have read a good number of character descriptions by good writers and one thing always stands out: they bring out the correct details, details relevant to the plot.

When describing a character, your aim should be to help your reader visualise the character, that is, see her mentally. You create a picture of your character by describing relevant details. For example, you can use descriptions like: Mr. Fogg was a tall, burly man with large, broad shoulders and a chest as wide as a wall.

The use of metaphors, hyperboles and similes helps achieve this end. By the way, you should not try to develop a character all at once. Endeavour to develop the character as the story stretches out, filling in relevant details as the narrative progresses.

Excellent character descriptions make good use of metaphors and similes because these vividly paint pictures in the mind of the reader.

I have already written about how you can create vivid character descriptions. Following this is a link to this article. I hope the information will of help to you. If it does not, you are free to get back to me:


How to Develop Your Characters

Now let's talk about back-stories. Back-stories are described as events that occur before the main action of the story begins.

A typical plot of a story ivolves five parts:

1. The Exposition
2. The Rising Action
3. The Climax
4. The Falling Action and
5. The resolution.

Since the back-story refers to the events that occur before the action starts, it falls under the Exposition.

The Exposition lays the foundation. It sets the background in which the action of the story occurs. It reveals the time period of the action and the social, economic, political, etc. atmosphere present at the time the story starts.

Understanding what the essential elements of a plot will greatly help you to develop good back-stories and narratives.

Check this article out to find out more on how to effectively develop the setting/back-story of a story:

Creating a Good Setting

Chelsea, about creating an original story, I would advise you to think out of the box. Since you know the essence of typical love stories, I would say you already have what it takes to write an original and refreshingly different one!

In your case, it would help to use a technique I would call the element-of-surprise. It is all about making your readers expect one thing and then slap them in the face with something totally opposite.

Even in the typical tragic love stories, endeavour to create something different. The ability to create something totally different and original lies entirely in you.

DO NOT copy other writers if you want to create something original. You may glean, of course, from other writers, but endeavour to find your own style and voice. Each of us has a unique view point, so try to use that. Do not be afraid to write like yourself!

Finally, Chelsea, I would advise you to use your imagination to the full. You are definitely bored with the typical stuff floating around. It is time you put your ideas to paper and told us your version of the typical love story!

If you need more personal help on how to write good stories, you can use the form on the following page:

Contact Me