What is an Imaginary Character and How To Write Them

What is an imaginary character?

Well, they’re imaginary characters, of course! But, seriously. Imaginary characters, at their core, are just that: characters that originate from imagination. Whether that imagination is of an artist, or of another creation, is irrelevant.  As long as the character came from someone’s imagination, it counts! 

I know, it seems obvious. What can I say- this character type has an accurate name! 

 Types of Imaginary Characters

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In some contexts, "imaginary characters" are used synonymously with "original characters." These are characters created by an author or creator that are totally unique. (Ahem, original.)  They are entirely the product of the creator's imagination. They also aren’t based on real people or existing fictional characters. These kinds of imaginary characters are often seen in creative writing or art communities (like CharacterHub!). There, artists make new characters to inhabit existing fictional worlds. Or, to explore entirely new settings!

Image by Geoff Brooks on unsplash.com 

Alternatively, "imaginary characters" can refer to characters that exist only in the imagination. Of another fictional character, that is. They are not real but are crafted to be perceived as real by a character within the context of their stories. They’re your favorite imaginary character’s favorite imaginary character. 

Consider this: fictional characters are based off of some form of reality. Art imitates life, right? It’s not unrealistic for humans or other conscious beings to be creative. (Yup, I said it! Animals can be creative, too! Take the bowerbird for example. They make beautifully crafted, unique nests for their mates. They’re like nature’s interior decorators!) So, it’s not that wild of a stretch for fictional characters to have big imaginations, too. In fact, it can add a whole new layer to a character’s personality.

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Examples of Imaginary Characters

If you’re a little lost on what imaginary characters are, don’t worry! We’re going to go through a couple examples of both kinds of imaginary characters.

First, let’s look at Winnie the Pooh. (Psst! He’s in the public domain!) He is purely a figment of Christopher Robin’s imagination. So, only he can interact with his beloved bear best friend! In this case, Winnie lives in the imagination of another fictional character. It’s like fictional character-ception! 

Another classic childhood companion is Hobbes, from Calvin and Hobbes. Calvin is a troublemaker, getting into all kinds of wacky antics. His friend, Hobbes, helps him out, which usually results in even more hijinks. Hobbes is just a stuffed tiger to everyone else, though. So, they assume that Calvin has done all these things all by himself. (Of course, we know the truth!)

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Now, for the other type of imaginary characters. (These are synonymous with OCs!) For these examples, let’s take a look at some public domain imaginary characters.

Dracula is a fictional character created by Bram Stoker. He’s a vampire who lives in a castle, not anyone else’s imagination. So, he fits into the other definition of an imaginary character. 

James Bond fits into the second definition of an imaginary character. After all, he was created from one’s imagination. His actions impact more than 1 person, because he’s not fictional within the story he inhabits. 

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character who also fits into this definition. He is the brainchild of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Like the other characters in this category, he resides in the imaginations of many. (Just not within another character’s imagination!)

Finally, here’s one of my OCs. This is Riot! She’s a kitty OC I made to demonstrate the principles of character design. She was born from my imagination, so she fits perfectly into this label! 

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Too Many Types of Characters! What’re the differences?

Let’s break down a few common categories of characters you can make! As you can see, there’s some overlap between all of these types.

• Original Characters (OCs): Unique characters created by someone. some text
  • Imaginary Characters: Any character which originates from the imagination.
• Sonas: OCs that represent some aspect of the creator who made them.some text
  • Kinsonas: Sonas that represent some aspect of the creator’s kintype. 

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Now that we’ve defined these labels a little better, let’s throw them all away! Just kidding…kind of. The truth is that character labels like these can both matter and not matter. Like shrodinger’s cat. On one hand, it’s good to know what kind of character you’re aiming for. Creating a kinsona, for example, is a little different than making a regular ol’ OC. Knowing you’d like to make a kinsona specifically can help guide your creation process. However, it’s easy to get lost in the labels. You might feel paralyzed by the idea of having to choose between all these types of characters. Sometimes, it’s best to not worry too much about labeling what kind of character your new creation is. Just put pen to paper and trust yourself to figure it out later. Think of it like bookmarking the idea. Later, when your character is a bit more established, you can better define it. For example, maybe you’ll create a mischievous OC. Later on, you might decide that OC is actually a figment of another OC’s imagination. So, just go with the flow! 

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Gettin’ Down To Business

Enough talk! Let’s get down to business and actually make an imaginary character. Get your journals out or open a Word document, because it’s time to write!

OC Creation and Design: Back to the basics!

I know we’re talking about writing here, but you still need to design your character! You have to know what your character looks like. If you’re absolutely against the idea of drawing them, I get it! Drawing isn’t for everyone. You can use other tools like templates, avatar makers, or just write a physical description of them. Whether you’re writing a story or drawing a comic, how your character looks matters. It’s the little details in their design that can show the readers hints about your character, or their story arc. For example, imagine a rugged, war torn character, wearing a single silly band. There could be a million reasons why he wears that silly little bracelet. That gives you a chance to explain how and why he wears it in his story! Or, let’s say that you already wrote his backstory, and he was given that silly band by his child. Now, you can make sure to include that silly band somewhere on his design. It seems like a tiny detail, and it is, but it’s an important one to help readers resonate with the story you have to tell.

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Step by Step Guide: How to Create Imaginary Characters From Scratch! (And Write Them, Too!)

Before we can write an imaginary character, we have to create one first! Honestly, these steps don’t necessarily have to be done in any particular order. You might want to write your character’s entire backstory first. Or, maybe worldbuilding is at the top of your agenda. My point is to not worry too much about following this guide to a T. If something works for you, it works! Whatever gets you to actualize your creative dreams is a great thing.  If you need a more in-depth tutorial for OC creation, I suggest this one! 

Creating imaginary characters for your OCs is just like making a basic OC. So, let’s do a quick review of character creation!

1. First thing’s first. You gotta get inspired! This step is different for everyone. Listen, I’m not here to judge you for what sets off your creative spark. Some people scroll on Pinterest for ideas. Others need to sit in the forest until ideas come to them. If you’re not sure what best inspires you, try something new! Watching new movies or TV shows can be something for you to explore. It’ll introduce you to new types of characters and personalities. So, mayIt’s totally okay to take bits and pieces from the media you love to create something new and unique.
2. Next, you need to think about your character’s goals and motivations. What drives them? What do they want? Why do they want that? You should be able to answer these questions (and more!) before going to the next step. This part is more important than your character’s looks or personality. Why? Because these qualities are at the core of your character’s being. Let’s take you, for example. If you take away your personality, style, and physical appearance, what is left? That is what we’re working on in this step. Honestly, that very core part of a character can be the same for multiple characters, despite being totally different.some text
   1. Let’s look at an in-depth example. 2 characters, A and B have the same goal: justice. A is a king, ruling his beloved nation with a kind heart, seeking justice for all. B is an impoverished teen, who wants nothing but vengeance for the murder of her brother. While these two characters share the same goal, their lore has shaped their lives into different stories. 
3. Now, let’s tackle your character’s personality. This part is the tricky bit. Something important to consider is how your other characters fit into your storyline. Then, you’ll best know what role your new character is expected to fit into. Each character should serve their very own purpose. Plus, they should interact in ways that reveal their traits and motivations. For instance, how does your protagonist react to a rival? Are they calm and collected, or do they let their emotions dictate their actions? Delving into these dynamics will enrich your story. By the way, you don’t have to have all of this figured out just yet! It’s totally fine if you just have a general idea. 
4. Finally, design your character! This step might seem frivolous, but it’s more important than you may think. How your character looks is their first impression to the audience. First impressions count, you know! So, it’s important that your character’s design reflects who they are. It’s alright if you’re stumped at this stage! If you absolutely can’t think of anywhere to start, I suggest starting simple. I’m talking plain Jane, here! A messy bun and jeans never fails. As you pin down your character’s lore and storyline, you might be inspired to add on to your OC’s look.  That being said, don’t be scared to subvert expectations! I mean, who doesn’t love an old, grumpy man with a heart of old?

Great, you have a character! Let’s write about them. If your character is a regular ol’ OC, you don’t have to do anything special. You can write them like you’d write a typical character. If, however, you’re writing about your OC’s OC, things can get a little sticky. 

1. Determine the purpose of the imaginary character. Why does your OC want or need one? Is your character mentally healthy? What is your character’s motivation for having this imaginary character in their life?some text
   1. All characters should have a purpose. (Yeah, even background characters! Their purpose is to be in the background. Haha!) Without one, there’s no reason for the character to be involved in the story. So, knowing why your character has an imaginary character is a great first step.
2. Does the imaginary character have a mind of its own? Or, does the host character project themself onto the imaginary character? If the latter is the case, good news! You don’t really have to worry about developing your imaginary character. In this case, your host character projects their subconscious onto their imaginary character.  For these scenarios, your imaginary character is a mouthpiece for your host character. Through their actions and words, we get an inside look at your host character. So, you can focus on developing your host character.some text
   1. Let’s say that your imaginary character has a mind of its own. Where did the imaginary character come from? Is it truly a figment of your host character’s imagination, or is it some kind of spirit or faerie? For the purposes of this article, we’ll focus on characters that originate from one’s imagination. Read on for tips on how to write these tricky characters! 
3. Now that you have the basics down, it’s time to get to writing! The main (and, really, only) rule is simple. Make sure that your imaginary character only interacts with a specific character. That means that imaginary characters can only impact certain characters…directly. It’s totally fine for an imaginary character to annoy the hell out of your host character. That’s sorta their whole purpose! While they can only directly impact one character, they can indirectly impact others. The most important thing here is to give the imaginary character plausible deniability. Just make sure that your host character can take the blame for their imaginary friend’s mishaps. This adds a layer of comedy, irony, suspense, or whatever you’re trying to achieve to the story! 

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Templates and Other Tools

Keeping your information organized is very important when you write. If you don't, you might make mistakes in your story. Firstly, you need to be able to reference things like how your character looks, their lore, and more. This way, you’ll avoid continuity mistakes. Let’s say that your character is allergic to the color red. So, you don’t want to write a whole paragraph about their wonderful ruby jewelry. You’ll have to throw out that work, plus, you’ll have to re-write that bit! That’s never fun. Plus, in roleplay settings, you can’t just go back and make corrections. You can only roleplay a character as well as you know them. So, having a reference handy helps! 

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The example I gave is pretty tame. What you really want to avoid are plot holes! Your characters are the backbone of your story. If there are plot holes, there are likely holes in your character arc, too. (That means, your character development is probably stunted!)  You need to be tidy with how you build your characters. That way, you can avoid problems in your plot. And you can make sure your characters grow in the right way as your story goes on.

Templates are your best friend here. Your reference material can be as unique and personalized as you want. Still, that doesn’t mean that you have to make everything by hand! There are tons of templates and other tools available to you online. Other tools you can take advantage of are character planners. If you have OCs, but no story yet, those are a great place to start! Planning out your character’s personality, lore, and growth is basically writing a story outline. Sometimes, the characters come before the story. Sometimes, it’s the opposite! Remember to let your ideas flow like water, so you don’t have to squeeze out all your creative juices. 

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Using CharacterHub

A great place to store all of your ideas, plans, and OC info is right here on CharacterHub! With a free account, you can make character profiles for all of your OCs. They’re totally customizable, from the color scheme to the types of info you keep in it! Whether you’re getting ready for a DnD campaign or just want to write a cool story, you won’t regret logging on. Listen, today’s the first day of the rest of your creative career. Get started now and be prepared to never look back!