How to Develop an Alter Ego
To develop an alter ego, you need to figure out several things to define it and make it realistic. Here are some questions and guidelines to help:
- What’s the purpose or goal of the alter ego?
- Who does it belong to, and what is the alter ego’s name?
- What are the character traits and personality of the alter ego?
- What is the backstory behind this alter ego?
- How does it influence the character it belongs to, and the rest of society?
- Does the alter ego have a special or distinctive appearance and/or costume of some sort?
- What is the most important or defining feature of the alter ego?
Overall, the important thing to remember when developing an alter ego is that it is or should take the form of a whole, realistic person. An alter ego isn’t just an idea, it’s the embodiment of a separate, unique personality.
When to Use an Alter Ego
The existence of an alter ego is a popular literary feature of several genres of fiction. Let’s consider two ways to use an alter ego—for yourself as an author, and for a completely fictional character.