How to write a character who’s different from you
Maybe she's a king fu master. Maybe he's a skilled technician. Maybe she's the life of the party. How do you write a character who's different from you?
Image by Andrew Seaman on Unsplash
Step 1: Start with your similarities.
I don't care if they're the most toxic villain in the world — you can find something you both share. Maybe you both love the color blue. At the very least, you've both felt fear. Anger. Disappointment. Start with that binds you and work forward from there. They'll have something you can relate to — and that means your reader can, too.
Step 2: Dive into your differences.
Maybe they're afraid of heights, and you love heights. Tap into what scares them and relate it to your own fears. Does their heart beat faster every the bridge sways?
We all know what fear feels like. Draw from your own fears.
Maybe you're afraid of spiders: Use that to your advantage to add creativity to the experience. For example: every time the wind rushes by, it feels like thousands of tiny spiders crawling on their skin.
Or focus on what you love about heights and turn it around into a fear: Maybe that swooping feeling in your stomach you love when riding Tower of Terror makes your character feel sick. If you love the thrill, the freedom, the exertion, your character might find those deeply unpleasant. Use your own preferences and experiences to empathize with theirs.
Step 3: Do your research.
This is probably the most important step — and the one many writers prefer to start with. Particularly if you're writing a character with a different race, ethnicity, gender, or identity other than your own, it's critical to do your research. (In that case, I also highly recommend hiring a sensitivity editor.)
Once, I was writing a story about a girl falling in love with an alien, and I simply could NOT understand what anyone would find sexy about an alien — so I dove into some fanfiction to help me understand. (Were the aliens sexy because of their similarities to humans, or their differences? Turns out, some of both, as long as they lended themselves to great sex.) Sometimes, you need to get outside your own head to understand what makes someone else tick. If you're writing someone with a specific skill set, research that skill set and talk to experts. (See my upcoming blog post on how to do research.)
That’s it! Did I miss something? Let me know on my socials!