An Exercise in Building Character (Both Ways)

How do you write a character’s particularity in a way that ensures it’s different from your own? Check out this writing prompt from Ryan Chapman!

When it comes to fictional characters, there are a lot of conversations about flat vs round, believable contradictions, and writerly empathy. I focus on the sensations and details that enliven the characters particularity. But how do you ensure the sensations are sufficiently different from, say, your own?

Recall an incredibly private humiliation from your own past. It could involve just you, or you and another person. Whatever you’re thinking right now—that’s it. Now imagine your oldest living relative was there too. Don’t explain it. They’re just there.

Free write the scene from their first-person perspective. Don’t hold back, and don’t be embarrassed.

Ready? Go.