All compelling stories begin with strong fictional characters. Plot is vital but it’s well-developed characters that make the events in your plot matter. Characters drive your story, creating conflicts and resolutions as they overcome obstacles and pursue their goals. They are the lens through which the reader experiences your story. Creating characters that become more than cardboard cut-outs, that breathe real life into your story can be a challenge. Fortunately, there are some key questions you can ask to ensure that your characters are well developed.
1. What does your character want?
Every story can be reduced down to motivation. What is the driving force behind your character’s actions? Why do they do what they do? It’s important to identify what your character wants and convey this to your reader through their behavior. Their goals could be internal or external, expressed to others or hidden deep within their psyche. Make it clear what your character stands to gain from meeting their goals. Why do they want what they want? Perhaps a childhood of hardship has made them crave the security of being a millionaire or the death of a loved one has caused them to seek revenge. If your readers can’t understand the character’s motivation they will find it hard to identify with the character and immerse themselves into the world of your story.
2. What stands in their way?
While every main character needs a goal they are striving to achieve, there must also be an obstacle standing in the way of that goal. The struggles your character faces in achieving their goals creates tension and it is this tension that makes the story interesting. The character’s journey needs to be challenging, giving your reader a chance to cheer them on the way or, in the case of your antagonist, cringe when they gain the upper hand. Their obstacles can be internal or external. Internal obstacles are those that come from within, created by your character’s beliefs, habits and thought patterns. Your character needs to face their own inner demons and challenge the lies they tell themselves in order to achieve their goals. External obstacles are those that come from outside forces. An external obstacle is what happens to your character to stop them from achieving their goals. The journey your character faces in achieving their goals forms the basis of their character arc, changing them as the story progresses.
3. What is at stake?
What does your character stand to lose? What could go wrong and what would be the consequences for your character? These are the stakes. The stakes don’t have to be life and death but they need to hold some weight for the character. When the character has something significant to lose by not achieving their goal they are forced to rise to the challenge. High stakes drive the plot, increase the tension and keep your readers engaged.
4. What is your character’s backstory?
The events of your character’s past matter. Did your character have a happy childhood? Has their life been good until now? What events have shaped their personality? Your character’s backstory, the events and formative experiences of their past give them depth and authenticity. Backstory has an influence on how your character responds to the current challenges they’re encountering. A word of caution, avoid overwhelming your reader with the entire backstory and instead tease it out slowly. Weaving reveals about a character’s mysterious past into current events builds suspense as your story progresses.
5. What are your character’s flaws?
There is nothing more boring than an entirely perfect character. Just as people are not entirely well rounded in real life, it’s important that your character has strengths and weaknesses. Giving your character some flaws makes them relatable. Your character flaw should tie into your character arc, raising the stakes and increasing the difficulty of the journey. Consider how the flaw has developed. It’s not enough to simply give your character’s some personality quirks, they need to connect with your backstory. Compelling characters are created by linking past experience to negative traits that affect their current reality.
6. How does your character relate to others?
How does your character interact with others in the story? Are they allies or enemies? Do they bring out the best or the worst in each other? When there is no friction between characters the story falls flat. Conflicting personalities add interest and tension to your tale. Matching up your character's traits can give your reader an insight into who your characters are at their core.
Taking some time to complete each of these questions and delve into your character’s psyche can help you create authentic, complex characters for your stories. Aim to see your characters as real and imperfect personalities that your readers can relate to. Characters that adapt and change, that respond in inappropriate ways, that fail and win. Characters that your readers can love and hate as your story unfolds.
