How do you find a hero for your story? Here are some tips to develop a main character for a fiction story or novel. The term hero applies to either a male or female character even if they really don’t do anything heroic.

Start with the stats

It is much easier to write about someone you know, even if the person is fictional. One technique that works is to make a drawing of the hero. Don’t worry if you’re not an artist, the basics should be good enough for you to create a word picture. Another technique is to make a list of features such as; height, weight, eye color, hair color, age, gender, species, etc. You’ll want to decide what occupation your hero has and what type of social group he or she belongs to.

Personality

A character must be consistent. If the hero is an early riser, don’t have him sleep in. If the hero is afraid of heights, don’t have her boldly standing on the ledge of a building. Those little quirks add dimension to the hero and to the plot of the story. If the hero must change, use it as a plot device.

What does the hero do?

The hero must have something he or she does. This isn’t just about an occupation. Maybe your hero is 10 years old. In that case hopefully your hero is in school, but maybe she also plays baseball, reads comics and has chores. There may be activities outside the central problem to be solved by the hero. Use the activities to help tell about the hero’s personality. These activities can be in direct conflict with what the hero needs to solve or they can be the solution to the conflict. Stay consistent with these activities or your hero will seem just too unbelievable.

Where does the hero live

The best place to put your hero is in your own home. That’s the place your most familiar with and chances are you’ve already included a few of your own personality into the character. The things in your home and the things you want in your home are easier to describe rather than some far off location. Your neighborhood can give you the inspiration to set up the story for the hero. Of course if you insist on placing your hero in La La land, you’ll need to some research. If the place is imaginary, you’ll need to make a profile just as you did for your hero, otherwise you’ll have a difficult time keeping everything straight. Historic or famous landmarks will require research for accuracy and can slow down the progress of your story.