Being a writer is an amazing thing, and I know there are a lot of people out there who want to be one as well. You're probably like me, the quiet girl who discovered that writing is way easier than speaking and want to take it on more seriously. Maybe your head is filled with fun, crazy ideas and you just want to get them out there and share them with the world. Now, just because you have the natural ability, or have a lot of crazy ideas, doesn't mean that writing a whole book will come easy. I learned that the hard way. Even the best of writers have a thing or two that they struggled with, and in this article, I'll talk about one of mine, and how I'm dealing with it.

Characters, that's where my weak spot is, or at least that's what I think. See, when I really started getting into writing, I was doing fanfictions. I never really had to create a character because there was already one made for me, the character in the show (Grey's Anatomy of course). When I finally decided to branch off into other genres, I found it difficult to build my own characters. But thankfully, I stumbled upon something from wordsandchocolate on Tumblr that's really been helping me out a lot.

It's called the Five P's, well, that's what I call it. It's this method I started using to create my characters. I'll talk about each of the P's and then show you how I use it one one of my characters Kendra from my ongoing book Wright Magazine (who knows when I'll actually finish this one). Kendra's character is based on me actually, but with some twists of course. 

1) PHYSICAL

The first P is Physical, it deals with all the physical aspects of your character. Basically, how they look, speak etc.

Above are all the aspects that fall under Physical. There are a lot of other aspects that aren't there, and you are welcomed to add to it. Not all of the aspects mentioned above will apply to your character, or may not be very important. If you like, you can leave it out.

Example: Now, using my character in this, I can say Kendra is in her late forties, early fifties. She's African American, 5'6" and has a petite build. She has brown eyes and dark curly hair. I'm just using a few of the aspects listed.

When you know what your character looks like, it will be easier for you to write them. If you know your characters is on the heavier side, or not really healthy, you can easily imagine what it would be like if she had to run away from a bad guy.

2) PSYCHOLOGICAL

This P deals with the character's mind, the way they think.

Above are what can be found under Psychological. Unlike the aspects listed in Physical, all of those you see above are important.

Example: Kendra is very smart, and she's highly aware of that. She's introverted and often keeps to herself a lot in her office. When she is alone, she tends to get lost in her head. She has this weird quirk or habit of highlighting everything using a color code.

This is one if those times when you have to really think about the mentality of your character. These aspects affect the way they behave a lot. Your characters mind and attitude can affect how they interact with themselves and others.

3) PERSONAL

The third P is Personal, and it deals with the characters life, like their family, friends, beliefs etc

To me, this is one of the easier P's. A lot of the times, as writers, these are the things about our characters we think of first, maybe even before their physical appearance.

Example: Kendra Wright is the CEO of Wright Magazine and Wright Publishings. She grew up in the south with her mother who raised her on her own. At sixteen, she too became a single mother when she had her son Kyle. After graduating college, she moved to New York with her son and started working for a newspaper. That was where she met her best friend Iris.

There's a lot more I can say about Kendra, but you get the picture right? It's like you're writing a biography for your character.

4) PERSONALITY

When you hear the term Personality, you may think of extrovert, Introvert and the Myers-Briggs Personality types. But this isn't the case here. The fourth P deals with the feelings, thoughts, and emotions of your character.

Example: In Wright Magazine, Kendra has already fulfilled her dreams, which was to own a magazine. She hopes and wants her son to take over the company once she decides to retire from it all. In the past, one of her hopes was that her son didn't become a young parent like she did. Her fears? Love. But that's something I haven't gone into in the book as yet.

I think that this P is very important. This is what give your character depth, meaning, and purpose. No one likes a character with no dreams, hopes or even fears. This is probably one of the aspects of your character that will really pull your readers in.

5) PRACTICES

The fifth and final P is Practices. This deals with what your character is doing in the present, or in the timeline, your story is being written.

This P includes your characters routine. The places they like to go, the thing they usually eat.

Example: Kendra is a woman of routine and doesn't really like to stray. She loves salty snacks and when it comes to her regular eating spot, it's her office with her best friend.

Adding in these little practices sprinkles the final bit of reality into your character. If we, real people, have practices, so should our characters.

And there you have it, the Five P's of creating the best character. But before I end this, here are some things I want you to remember.

1) One "P" can affect the other. Psychological can affect Practices and Personal. An introverted Kendra likes writing and would rather eat in her office alone, or with her best friend than go out to some restaurant. Personal can affect Personality. Kendra was a teenage mother, and one of her hopes was that her son didn't become a teenage parent.

2) It's important to stick with what you came up with using the Five P's and not stray. But it is also important to remember that your character can stray from who they are, or pretend to be different, based on who they are around and what situation they are in.

3) We all love the good guys, but your character can't be perfect. Give them some flaws, some conflicts. Your readers will love them more if you do.

4) Enjoy creating your character. You have a creative mind for a reason, use it. Go as big, as small or as crazy as you want. Let your imagination go there.

The Five P's has really helped me out. I'm still struggling with the whole idea of creating a whole character, but I'm getting better, thanks to this.

I hope that this technique helps all you writers out there struggling to come up with a solid character. If this doesn't help, get to researching. And who's to say that you can't come up with one of your own?

Do you have any techniques you use to create a character? I would love to hear them.