I am thrilled and honoured to feature this guest post from fellow writer zanthenewt!

Hello, Wattpaders! I am Kay Rose Zan. I've been on Wattpad for about two years now and it's safe to say that joining this site was one of the best decisions I've ever made. While I have a number of stories published and have won a number of awards, my most successful stories would be Crown of Thorns, a fantasy novel taking place in the BC era, involving tarot cards, magic and romance, and 2500, a dystopian, political, science-fiction piece set in the year 2500 in post-WWIII America.

When starting a story, it's imperative to craft a vivid, interesting, life-like character to drive your plot. Remember, an amazing character can carry a weak plot, but an outstanding plot cannot support a weak character. Your main character, or MC, is the eyes through which the story is seen.

Creating a protagonist

Every story needs a protagonist. Note that this does not mean hero. Your protagonist does not need to be a good person, but it is who the reader follows throughout the story. This is your main character.

The worst mistake you can make is to base your protagonist completely on yourself, or on someone else's character. You can borrow traits, but your character should stand on their own.

You don't need to figure everything out right away. A well-written character never stops evolving and soon you will learn things about them you didn't expect.

For example, in my dystopian novel 2500, I at first expected the main character, Jeanie Bennett, to see through the totalitarian rule of her country, but as I wrote I realized that while she's smart enough to see through its flaws, she is so desperate to fit in and prove she is an asset, she instinctively rejects any reasons as to why her country is less than benevolent, rendering her just as brainwashed as anyone else.

I had no idea Jeanie would have these blinders as I first started writing, but as I went along I saw that it was only natural for her character development. She is her own person and I am learning new things about her every time I sit down to write.    

Creating an antagonist

Antagonist does not mean villain. Sometimes the antagonist is a hero. The antagonist is simply a force that opposes the main character. If someone rewrote Harry Potter from the point of view of Draco Malfoy, then Harry, Dumbledore and the rest of the Order of the Phoenix would be the antagonists.

An antagonist does not exist simply to trouble the main character. They are a person just like everyone else. Why are they making choices that get in the protagonist's way? Give them a reason for every move they make.  Give them thoughts as complex. There is no story without conflict, so your antagonist is equally as necessary to the story as the protagonist.

Naming characters

This is never easy, but it says a lot about your character. There are a number of ways to do this.

Obviously, you could just pick a name. In the case of Jeanie Bennett, her first name just came to me. This worked out and I am happy with her name. However, in my fantasy novel Crown of Thorns, I picked the first name I could think of for the main character's little sister, Lalita, and the main character's best friend, Paltic. I wasn't expecting Lalita or Paltic to be such important characters, but as I wrote they blossomed and became major forces in the main character's development. Now that they're being constantly mentioned I wish I had given more thought to their names like I did with the other characters from that very story.

My personal favourite way to name a character is through research. Find a name with a meaning that alludes to a trait of that character. Your readers won't know unless they look up the name, but it's satisfying. Plus, if they did look it up it might give them a hint to that character.

For example, the main character of Crown of Thorns is Ayesha Ahkdir. Ayesha means "life," and Ahkdir means "women of the oak." This name alludes to Ayesha's connection to plant life.

I named almost all my characters by learning their meaning, and I found that I've never been unsatisfied with this method.

Of course, there are many ways to name a character, and when it comes down to it, that's not the most important thing. A character named Sue can be just as interesting as a character named Pasiphae.

Side characters

If you ever participated in school plays, you may have heard the saying "there are no small parts, only small actors." This is undeniably true when it comes to fictional characters. Harry Potter wouldn't have survived if not for Dobby the house-elf, and Dobby's arc and motivation are just as complex as Harry's.

A random man might be seen only in one chapter of your story. He might not have a name, only a few lines. But he is still a person. He has a backstory and a life just as complicated as any man in real life. He has goals, he has thoughts. He is a person just as complicated as the main character. Don't forget that. The main character and the reader might never know this character's life, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have one. You, as the author, should know it. Use it to fuel his actions. That way he's real. He's not a hologram man who ceases to exist after the main character walks away.

It is no easy feat to create a  character. You're creating life. Let the character live. Let them breathe. You're less of a puppeteer to your characters, but more of their god. They are their own people, you simply guide them. Cut the strings and let them speak for themselves.