One of the most complicated aspects are usually the fun part. A gruelling task that we would rather forget can turn into one in which we enjoy. Now, onto Character Building. 

These are the steps I use in building well-rounded characters. Most would likely tell you to start off with a name. I say different. What I usually do is start off with a situation in which the character is struggling.

A boy trying to ask a girl out? A girl who does not understand why other girls like to gossip?

This does not only help us have an idea of who the characters are but also their likes and dislikes as well as their general world view. With just one sentence, 'boy struggles to confess to his crush', we already have a general concept of what type of boy he is like. And this also comes in handy when we are looking to write but is having trouble with plot ideas. Now, a boy confessing can be too cliche a plot, but if we explore further into why the boy is struggling, we will have more insight into what makes him tick. 

Is he afraid of rejection? Does he think she is too good for him? Or does he think girls are aliens in general? Perhaps he simply does not know the customs.

See? The first reason would tell us that the boy could be shy and has social anxiety perhaps. The second reason proves that he is somewhat self-deprecating by nature. The third turns him into a loveable dork. The fourth only proves just how young and clueless he is.

This technique, I believe, can continue to be use no matter where you are in the story. The method of Why. Whenever you feel you are at lost about your characters, ask them why exactly they are behaving in certain ways, why they have certain opinions on things. Why is our character scared of heights? There must be a reason even if the character themselves do not know it, the writer better does. Because if we are going to make a character believable we must treat him or her as a real person. And being a real person means backstories, secrets, fears, belief systems.

Of course you can start with their favourite colour, but the important thing is not the colour but rather why it is such colour. Why does your heroine love the colour red? Because it makes her feel strong? Powerful? That already says a lot of what this character values. Perhaps she believes in being independent, powerful, successful? Or something else entirely?

To round up what we have discussed into two easy steps:

1. Imagine a situation in which your character struggles
2. Ask why he/she is struggling

Now, there are other ways of building characters, but the most effective one for me is this. In fact, I do this to everyday and it does not even stop at people. I keep asking and asking why things are a certain way, why do certain people believe this and that. And most of the times, nobody answers, but that is expected. We writers must ask questions, we must make readers wonder, or at least that is the beauty of literature, as I and many others believe. And as we write, we discover the answers we seek.

Happy writing!