Revisiting Characterization: Adding the Spark of Life to Your Characters

There’s one thing some long-time members know well; if you play them right, and you give them enough of a spark of life, your characters will actually grow into their own. This doesn’t mean that they necessarily become their own human beings in cyberspace, but they will, in many ways, become live characters with desires and personalities of their own.
Sounds strange, right?
It’s really not, and all it takes is a little characterization. What your character says is good, and often necessary to move a plot forward, but it is the words in between what’s said that really brings a character to life. How they react to what’s said, how they perceive the environment around them, and how you describe them in general will provide the sparks that ultimately bring them to a new level of life.
Want to know more? Revisit last year’s tutorial on characterization and start writing your character in a way that will bring them into a new realm of realism. And don’t forget, be sure to share your successes with us here or on the forums!