: Silly question about character creation I don't have technical baggage (e.g. a good knowledge on technical particularities like different kinds of texts) on text production. I'm not a student of

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Hello! Not a silly question. I'll share my perspective. I am not an expert.

First, you have an idea. Do you have a story mapped out? If yes, you are a 'plotter,' like me. If no, you may still be a plotter, or you may be a pantser. A plotter decides the storyline and then fits the characters to it. This approach has pros and cons. A pantser spends time developing characters, exploring human nature with them, and seeing where they lead without a plot in mind. This approach also has pros and cons. You will need some of each approach, in the end.

Your question is how to build a character.

OK. there are stock characters, and you have some in mind. A protagonist. Perhaps a villain. A loyal friend. A wise teacher. Perhaps family for each of these. You are developing your cast.

Maybe make a list of your characters.

Now, divide them into the primaries. (main characters, they are the ones the story is about.) The secondaries, these are characters that spend time with the primaries. Tertiaries, these are filler bodies needed and maybe used but not really as important. They can talk and whatnot, but they are less developed. There may also be crowds, people, etc, that are not characters per se.

For your primaries, and likely your secondaries, I recommend developing four things.

A motivation that you can tie to their moral dilemma. If your main character is perplexed at whether they should tell the girl how they really feel (because doing so means they will get beat up by her boyfriend), or if they should hide in a corner and avoid it all instead, they will ultimately be motivated by either courage/love or fear. Their moral choice is being true to themselves or cowardly. (Not the best example, but do give each character a motivation with a definable moral choice. I am going to call this guy Thomas. He's built like a tank.)
A secret. Thomas has a secret. It might be that he once beat up a guy who liked his own girlfriend. Or, it might be that he knows he has six months to live, but he really likes this girl and wants to break her up with her boyfriend anyway. Something. Not like a big reveal thing necessarily, just something intriguing that colors his dialog. Maybe he's a millionaire and can't tell anyone. Or he has an extra toe and is really self conscious about it and any comment about walking sets him on edge.
A contradiction. Thomas is both passionate and timid. His passion comes out in bursts, because he is usually timid. So the passion surprises other characters when it shows. Or, Thomas is both frank and secretive. people never know if he is telling the whole story. It seems like he is, but remember that time when he didn't? Give your character some sort of contradiction. We all have them. (I like to think I see the good in people, and I find myself judging others harshly, all the time. Contradiction.)
Vulnerability. Thomas will be completely undone if the girl shoots him down. Or, Thomas has a problem with alcohol. This is a huge vulnerability, because her boyfriend knows if he gets Thomas drunk, he'll be an easy mark to beat up.

These ideas come from here.

You don't need to find each of these items for each character straight away, but if a character feels flat these are real life human things that can add depth and make them interesting to others. You may find that you yourself have one of each of these.

Good luck.

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