Creating Characters

I didn't get much writing done yesterday, though I tried, so I thought I would take some time to talk about the books I have been reading.  Currently, I have been on the Song of Ice and Fire series by George rr Martin.  I won't lie, these books are what inspired me to try my hand at fantasy.  As of date, there are 4 books in the series: A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords and a Feast for Crows.  I am about 200 pages into the fourth book.

Though I have read Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter series, I have never really been a huge fan of fantasy or at least, never thought about trying to write it.  I had always leaned more towards Historical Fiction.  I loved the idea of placing fictional characters into historical events and  making them responsible for particular outcomes.  Pillars of the Earth (Which I have read recently as well) and the HBO show Rome are excellent examples of this.  But after reading a Game of Thrones, I was hooked.  I had no idea that a fantasy could be so dark and seem so real.  It has made me look at elements of the fantasy realm I would have otherwise never thought of.  For example, having characters in a fantasy book being skeptical of magic, never crossed my mind.  Perhaps I have just been blind to it, but for most people as well, magic seems to be a natural fit for a fantasy book.  How could you write a fantasy about a mythical land with out wizards or magic?

While reading George rr Martin's books, I have also learned a lot.  I have not just been reading them, but studying them.  His characters appear so diverse and really make you care about what happens to them.  I want to be able to write characters like that.  I will just have to practice, and my first book will be an attempt at that.  Only time will tell.  I don't think my characters will turn out near as rounded or memorable as the characters from A Song of Ice and Fire, but if I could even create something close, I would be very proud.