What would a story be without a hero, villain, or trusty sidekick? Arguably the most important aspect of a great piece of writing, characters act as vehicles whose purpose is to illuminate the plot and move the story along. While Harry Potter or Holden Caulfield may seem effortlessly constructed by their authors, the process of creating worthwhile, multi-dimensional characters is much harder than some writers anticipate. Here are six tips for creating characters that are much more than just literary devices.
VOICE
Just like you and I, characters have voices, both internal and external. A character’s voice is imperative to the progression of a story, so deciding which individual(s) will narrate a story and how they will go about doing so can seem daunting.
The first step in tackling the aspect of a narrative voice is to decide which character or characters’ voice will be heard by the reader. Essentially, this step entails a writer deciding who the main character is, not necessarily physically yet, but psychologically. Since we, as the readers, will be hear the inner most thoughts of this character or few characters, and decide how their voice should be shaped. Do they speak in a certain dialect? Is the tone of their language colloquial or formal? What are some characteristics of their voice that define them as a singular character (i.e. can you sense anxiety, arrogance, fear, etc. from the way they think and speak to you as the reader?).
Then, there is also the issue of deciding how your character’s voice will be brought forward. This does bleed into more structural prose choices, but the actual organization and structure of your words is important in understanding the depth of a character’s voice. Take for example, a story narrated solely in poetry. Due to the unique formatting, the narrator’s voice is heard differently than another in say, a regular chapter book. Deciding which format is best for your story and character is such an important step in creating a distinct voice.
BACKSTORY
Unveiling characters’ backstories for the reader creates a sense of realism. Like us, backstories influence the way one interacts with others and plays a significant role in decision making.
The first step to creating backstories is to brainstorm ideas on why your characters may act the way they do – whether this be positive or negative scenarios. It’s important to remember that although you may share the history of the character within your story, it will still be told in the present day. The development of your backstories influences how they will act now. Some starter questions you may consider in the formation of this are: What was their childhood like? Did they/do they have a good relationship with their parents? Where is the character from? Did someone have a significant impact on a character’s life/did your character face a major loss? Questions such as these will help flush out the small details of your characters, which will bring them to life.
Depending on the circumstances of these positive/negative scenarios, this should determine how your character interacts with others. For example, if a character was raised in an environment where they had limited interaction with children their age growing up, it may be difficult (in their adult life) to understand how to interact; since, of course, interaction at a young age is quite important.
Once you pinpoint the main cause(s) of their backstory, determine how you’ll place it in your story. While it’s important to show your reader flashbacks of past events leading up to who your character is now in the present, you want to make sure you have an even balance of both worlds: the present and past. Otherwise, if you spend too much time discussing past events, we aren’t able to see the character’s present development.
PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES
The usage of physical attributes in your story is critical to any story you might write. These attributes will help paint a picture of your character for the reader; most importantly, it will continue the process of bringing them to life.
Your first step in developing physical attributes is to ask yourself some of these brainstorming questions: How tall is your character? What color is their hair, eyes, and skin tone? Do they have specific mannerisms (gestures, things they often say)? Does your character have facial hair, and if so, is it long/short? Since there are no pictures of your character in the story you write, questions like these will help create a mental picture of each character for your reader. When you do this, your reader becomes more connected to the characters in the world you’ve developed – since now, they have a visualization of what they look like in their heads.
After brainstorming, you must take it one step further: add sensory descriptions to questions you’ve answered on basic physical attributes. It’s one thing to list several attributes for a character, but appealing to the reader’s senses allows them to know exactly what it would be like to run their hands through a character’s hair or to catch their scent. How do these physical attributes that you’ve attached to your character make them unique? Is your character’s hair smooth and silky to the touch? Maybe the palms of their hands are rough and are covered with calluses? Assigned physical attributes with sensory details, such as example questions like these, help to make your character(s) more 3-dimensional and pop out from the page.
PERSONALITY
Similar to voice, it is important to build a character through non-physical attributes as well. Thus, giving a character certain characteristics is the first step to crafting a character’s personality.
The first and foremost choice you have to make when building a character’s personality is deciding whether they are the protagonist or antagonist. Now, you as the author don’t have to stick to these concrete labels, but with these categories come specific characteristics and driving forces that should be addressed in a good story. Usually, protagonists are positive characters- characters with a sense of morality and drive. Antagonists on the other hand, are driven by a goal; one that is usually detrimental to everyone but the antagonist themselves.
From then, decide what supplementary characteristics your character will possess. Are they positive, negative, optimistic or pessimistic? Are they witty or dry, and does this sense of humor work with the narrative? Do they seek to relieve the conflict of the story for altruistic purposes and if not, what is driving them? Do these come from a past experience, memory, or trauma? These are all questions you need to ask yourself as an author to create a character with a multidimensional personality.
It’s a fact that we all have flaws, but does your character have a tragic flaw? In literature, a tragic flaw is a trait that leads to a character’s downfall. From this downfall, a character can recognize their weaknesses and attempt to curb such to be better and learn from their mistakes. If they do not have a tragic flaw, this is your choice, but such a trait is a very helpful way to build your character’s personality.
Lastly, we have the implementation of foils to contrast your character. Foils are sets of characters that contrast each other in traits, mannerisms, and/or beliefs. While foil characters may seem secondary, they are incredible ways to highlight and bring out important characteristics of your characters. By placing two opposite figures next to each other in a story, readers can see all of the traits that bounce of each other and subsequently see a multi-dimensional character.
CONFLICT
Conflict: the decision by you, as the author, to determine how the story will continue moving forward. Without an aspect of conflict in your story, no character development will be made.
To begin, there are seven types of conflict that arise in literature: character vs. character, character vs. society, character vs. nature, character vs. technology, character vs. supernatural, character vs. self, and character vs. fate. These seven conflicts listed, both external and internal, help your character make decisions. These decisions your character makes reveals who they actually are, based on the type of conflict thrown their way. If your character is faced with a rather challenging scenario, do they run away from the conflict or face it head on?
When deciding how to incorporate conflict into your piece, after reviewing the various types of conflict in literature, you must determine if an internal or external conflict best suits your story. External conflict centers around the main character vs. outside forces – for example, a bad guy attempting to cause trouble. Internal conflict, on the other hand, is when a character has inner struggles and deals with it throughout the story – for example, perhaps a drug addict attempting to overcome their addiction. No matter which type of conflict you choose, external or internal, your character should come out of it with a different perspective on things.
RESEARCH
If you choose to base your character in a certain time frame, it is extremely important to do your research! Make sure that you as the author understand various aspects of the time frame or event you place your character in. If your piece doesn’t capture the appropriate attire, environment, mannerisms and more, the story seems less realistic and credible.
The importance of understanding research is also necessary for certain underlying characteristics of your characters as well. For example, if a central aspect of your character’s persona is a disorder or illness, it is especially important to tackle these topics with extensive knowledge and care. Not only would it be a disservice to your character to portray them in a false light, but it would be problematic and disrespectful to speak about an issue so sensitive and life changing without doing proper research beforehand.
References
Character Development 101: Writing Characters Readers Won’t Forget. Reedsy, 24 Apr. 2020, blog.reedsy.com/character-development/.
How to Develop Fictional Characters: 8 Tips for Character Development – 2020. MasterClass, 16 Nov. 2019, www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-develop-fictional-characters#8-tips-for-character-development.
Identifying the Six Types of Conflict in Fiction. Reedsy, 1 May 2020, blog.reedsy.com/types-of-conflict-in-fiction/.