How To Write Characters That Feel Like Real People And Not NPCs In Your Brain

how to write characters that feel like real people and not NPCs in your brain

You ever read a book and think “this character would survive maybe five minutes in a real conversation”? Yeah. Let’s avoid that. Here’s how to make your fictional friends feel real:

everyone wants something

Even if it’s small. Even if it’s stupid. Every character—from your MC to the one-line barista—should want something. A promotion. Revenge. A nap. World domination. That want shapes how they act.

give them contradictions

Humans are messy. Let your characters be brave and terrified, kind but petty, loyal but deeply in denial. That tension? That’s where the magic lives.

let them make bad choices

If your character is right all the time, they’re either boring or a liar. People mess up. Let your character mess up in ways that feel true to them, not just to move the plot.

interior life > cool dialogue

Quippy one-liners are fun, but what’s going on underneath? What are they afraid to say out loud? What thoughts would they take to the grave? That’s what makes a character feel alive.

how do they show emotion?

Not everyone cries when sad. Some get mean. Some go quiet. Some rearrange their bookshelves obsessively. Find their emotional language.

backstory = spice, not soup

You don’t need a 12-page trauma dump to make a character real. Drip in bits of their past when it matters. Let it shape them quietly.

voice matters

Everyone shouldn’t sound like you. Think about how your character talks. What words do they overuse? Do they ramble? Are they blunt? What don’t they say?

tl;dr: believable characters aren’t perfect—they’re specific. They’ve got fears, flaws, favorite snacks, weird opinions, and conflicting goals. Make them messy. Make them human.

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acid.archive very important for me to use👉👈

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acid13rain

3 weeks ago

sometimes you need dialogue tags and don't want to use the same four

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acid.archive rawrawrawrawrawr

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acid13rain

1 week ago

my teacher is talking golf terms and saying shit like foursomes and threesomes and im over here acting like a child laughing and the two guys at my table who plays golf called me immature </3

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rambles.in.shambles

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acid13rain

3 weeks ago

if i close my eyes and hit send its like i got possessed and didnt really send it

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rambles.in.shambles IM SO FUCKING ANXIOUSUSUSSUS

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acid13rain

3 weeks ago

They loved to smile.

They always smiled.

Smiled here, smiled there.

But it was empty.

Devoid of a soul, devoid of a life.

Hollow on the inside, full on the outside.

Their smile was bright, it was infectious

Their laugh was like wind chimes, the ones that made you feel lighter.

Their eyes were as clear as a cloudless sky, as perfect as a diamond.

But it was all hollow on the inside.

Within them lay cobwebs.

Within them laid something deep and dark that never once showed its ugly face.

It tightened its coils around their neck day by day.

But despite it all

They smiled.

Their smile was bright and fun, quickly soothed any child’s cries.

Their smile charmed those they walked past,

Enamored those they met.

It even made others jealous.

‘How could they be so happy?’

‘Why must they flaunt their happiness around?’

But no one ever thought they were overcompensating to hide what was true.

No one noticed the coils trying to drown them.

No one noticed their smile start to fade. No one noticed their presence begin to lessen and lessen.

No one noticed

Until their smile

Disappeared.

~~~~~~~

oh i love writing melancholy stuff so much.

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acid13rain

3 weeks ago

i mean its not like if i mess up people will come after me

hopefully

god dammit i really want to

seeing ask blogs really makes me want to make one myself...

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rambles.in.shambles i also want to make a selfship blog atp i think i have too many wants and not enough..do

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acid13rain

3 weeks ago

ill be the minions?? 🥺 🥺 🥺 🥺 🥺

i need to like.... Steal the moon...

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acid13rain

3 weeks ago

big sigh

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Bro rambles.in.shambles me when i literally cannot talk to some people like this is literally for the best outcome of things maybe when things are safer but right now it isnt safe it literally is not safe and i need whoever sent me that ask to know that because right now it aint safe for me

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acid13rain

3 weeks ago

@mouse-rain hi :>

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rambles.in.shambles wiifeeee

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acid13rain

1 week ago

you know you love them when your dash is full of their interest and not yours because you've started grtting more into their interest

<3333333 my wife

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rambles.in.shambles bye gilbert hi stupid cookies i guess i mean im not against it even though theyre fucking COOKIES damn theyre gay tho so i ship them i even made sims of them....

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acid13rain

3 weeks ago

YAY ill bring strawberries :>

do you wanna walk through a field of flowers