F.M. Faraz's Blog
February 6, 2025
The Challenge of Creating Characters in The Harmony
One of the biggest challenges I faced while developing the characters in The Harmony was that the story wasn’t tied to any specific time period or geographical location that we’re familiar with. That meant I couldn’t shape the characters based on American, European, or Asian cultures—or even associate them with a dominant cultural trend of a particular era, like the ‘90s. From the way they spoke to how they dressed, I had to keep things intentionally ambiguous. I wanted readers to constantly question: which of these characters belong to our real world, and which do not?
That being said, I can’t claim that my surroundings, the people in my life, or even those I’ve come across through social media had no influence on my characters. Another challenge was that The Harmony doesn’t have a single protagonist leading the story. Instead, multiple characters, all equally significant, drive the narrative forward. There wasn’t a central “hero” or a primary antagonist overshadowing the rest; each character had their own role, their own presence, and none were merely side characters lingering in the background.
By the time I finished writing, I felt a deep connection to every character I had created—whether good or bad—like they were my own children, each with a unique journey I had carefully nurtured. But if I had to choose the most challenging character to develop, it would undoubtedly be Nora. Throughout the story, she finds herself in drastically different—and sometimes contradictory—situations, reacting in ways that are uniquely her own. She occupied a significant part of my mind while I was writing, constantly pushing me to refine and redefine her.
As for my favorite character? I won’t reveal that, because it would give away too much. But I will say this—there’s a character I personally hold very dear, one who doesn’t appear much in the first volume and only becomes truly significant toward the end of the second. Beyond the effort I put into shaping this character, I infused a part of my own soul into them. There’s something of me in them, a reflection of aspects of my own personality.
And those who know me well? They’ll probably recognize the similarities the moment this character steps into the story.
The Harmony - Volume 1: The Spirit of Time
The Harmony - Volume 2: The Branches of Destiny
That being said, I can’t claim that my surroundings, the people in my life, or even those I’ve come across through social media had no influence on my characters. Another challenge was that The Harmony doesn’t have a single protagonist leading the story. Instead, multiple characters, all equally significant, drive the narrative forward. There wasn’t a central “hero” or a primary antagonist overshadowing the rest; each character had their own role, their own presence, and none were merely side characters lingering in the background.
By the time I finished writing, I felt a deep connection to every character I had created—whether good or bad—like they were my own children, each with a unique journey I had carefully nurtured. But if I had to choose the most challenging character to develop, it would undoubtedly be Nora. Throughout the story, she finds herself in drastically different—and sometimes contradictory—situations, reacting in ways that are uniquely her own. She occupied a significant part of my mind while I was writing, constantly pushing me to refine and redefine her.
As for my favorite character? I won’t reveal that, because it would give away too much. But I will say this—there’s a character I personally hold very dear, one who doesn’t appear much in the first volume and only becomes truly significant toward the end of the second. Beyond the effort I put into shaping this character, I infused a part of my own soul into them. There’s something of me in them, a reflection of aspects of my own personality.
And those who know me well? They’ll probably recognize the similarities the moment this character steps into the story.
The Harmony - Volume 1: The Spirit of Time
The Harmony - Volume 2: The Branches of Destiny
