You have to create an interesting character for a story. Give your character a name , place of origin and a unique feature ( it could be anything - special powers , language , appearance , etc)
Answers
Essential Elements of Character Building
“No matter what, you are probably to have to let bad things happen to some of the characters you love or you won't have much of a story. Bad things happen to good characters, because our actions have consequences, and we do not all behave perfectly all the time.” - Anne Lamott
The above quote is taken from the book Bird by Bird written by Anne Lamott. It’s a great book about fiction writing which I highly recommend. I wrote an article about what I learned from it as well.
What creates interesting characters? Think about it for a second before you read on. Think about the characters from your favorite books. What do you like about them?
You may like Ron Weasley because of his wit. You may cheer for Arya in the Songs of Ice and Fire books. You may love Sherlock Holmes for his mind.
Someone’s past, relationships, motivations, and sensibilities shape who they are. Amongst other things of course. These things distinguish your characters.
So what elements make up for an interesting character?
Competence. This can be anything. If you write a story about a violinist who’s missing an index finger, go into the difficulty of playing the violin. How did this person become competent at playing the violin despite his physical inability? If you have characters who aren’t very competent (yet), it raises the tension. If he/she tries hard at becoming competent, your readers will cheer them on. Have someone people can root for.
Likability. Sounds obvious? Does it though? And do your characters necessarily have to be likable? No one is perfect. All people struggle and have different motivations in life. Get into that. A good trick to make someone likable in your story is to have another character in your story explain the likable traits about your main character.
Proactivity (or motivation). A character must want something. Kurt Vonnegut famously said: “a character must want something, even if it’s just a glass of water.” If your protagonist isn’t proactive (or forced into being proactive by another character), your story isn’t moving forward. What motivates your character to become proactive? What’s at stake?
Development. Ideally, your character(s) will learn something. They are a different person at the end of your story in comparison to who they were at the beginning. Why don’t they fit the role they’re put in in the story? What lesson do they need to learn?
Conflict. Stories reflect on aspects of our own lives. Nothing ever goes our own way the way we want it. Something always gets in our way. Who or what gets in the way of your main character? What hurdles do they need to overcome to get from point A to B? I don’t mean going from place A to B (although you can do this of course). I mean how do they get from state A to B? Conflict between characters creates progress in a story.
Flaws. Flawed characters are likable, but it’s imperative that you make them overcome some of their flaws. Or at least have them have a go at it. No one is perfect. Plus it may remind your reader of themselves. It may inspire them to grow just like your character. After all, stories grant us a way to see life through a different lens and learn something about ourselves and our place in the world.
Powerful pasts. Don’t tell your character’s whole history. You’ll be bored and your readers too. Use scenes and explain how characters are reminded of something from their past. What happened to them that prevents them from growing?
Humor. Lighten up the mood. Throw in a well-timed joke. Take the edge off. Us humans experience so many emotions during a single day, and laughter is definitely one of the greatest ones.
Relationships. How does your protagonist relate to the other character(s) in your story? How do they get along? Interaction can definitely drive your story forward. Use it.
As I said, don’t bore yourself and your readers with long descriptions and basically giving a bio of your character. That’s not a story. Give subtle hints to shape the character. It’s important you know as much about your characters as possible and have their personality shine through your dialogue and prose.
Perhaps the most important question you should ask yourself is this: why should your reader care about your character(s)? Go from there.