In the realm of storytelling, characters are the heart and soul of every narrative. They are the lens through which readers experience the world you’ve created, and their journey shapes the emotional core of your story. Mastering character development is essential for crafting engaging, memorable narratives that resonate with audiences. In this journal, I’ll explore the art of character development and share actionable tips to help you bring your characters to life.
Understanding Character Development
Character development is the essence of storytelling, where writers bring their creations to life, turning them into vibrant individuals. It’s the art of crafting characters with depth, complexity, and individuality, imbuing them with the breath of life and making them feel as real and vibrant as the people we encounter in our everyday lives.
At its core, character development is about more than just creating characters; it’s about creating people—people with hopes and dreams, fears and insecurities, strengths and weaknesses. It’s about fleshing out their personalities, examining the depths of their souls, and uncovering the layers that make them who they are. From the quirks and traits that define their mannerisms to the scars and traumas that shape their worldview, every aspect of a character’s identity contributes to their richness.
Key Elements of Character Development
Character Profiles: Begin by crafting in-depth character profiles that explore their backgrounds, personalities, relationships, and goals. Consider their strengths, weaknesses, fears, and secrets, as well as their external traits and internal conflicts. Sometimes, when you get stuck on these, you will find they develop and change through your story.
There are many ways to create a character profile. None of them are wrong. It’s whatever works for you and the character. You can find a lot of places online who have questionnaires waiting for you to discover. Here is mine.
Think about what you know about the character as the writer, but also think about the details you give the readers. How do you want the reader to feel about this character? What information out of your secret character profile will you divulge in the story?
Motivations and Goals: Understand what drives your characters and what they hope to achieve. Their motivations and goals will shape their actions, decisions, and interactions with other characters, driving the plot forward and creating conflict and tension.
Think of this in terms of your own life and your wants, needs, and desires. Where do you want to be in five years? What’s your next big goal in life? What have you already achieved? You can also look at your friends’ and family’s goals and motivations in life.
Backstory: Explore your characters’ experiences, traumas, and pivotal moments that have shaped who they are today in your story. Their backstory adds depth and complexity to their personalities, illuminating their motivations and informing their behaviour in the present.
When you meet someone new, you don’t immediately know their entire life story before you met them, do you? No. This is their backstory, their individual experiences and stories that you find out about more often in little bits and pieces from them, or friends, family, etc.
A nice trick here is also to look back on your memories. Do you remember everything? Think about what your character remembers and doesn’t remember. Does someone else in their life remember it, though? Does someone else remember it differently than your character?
Flaws and Strengths: Give your characters’ flaws, imperfections, and vulnerabilities that make them feel human and relatable. Characters with flaws are more compelling and dynamic, as they struggle and grow over the course of the story. You also need the other side of the coin of flaws as well. What are your character’s strengths and what do they excel at? What are their natural talents?
I often get stuck in this section. Here is a mega list for you I find useful.
Character Arcs: Chart your characters’ arcs from the beginning to the end of the story, highlighting their growth, transformation, and evolution. Whether it’s a hero’s journey of self-discovery or a villain’s descent into darkness, character arcs add depth and resonance to your narrative.
Example:
Harry Potter begins as an orphaned boy, unaware of his magical heritage. Throughout the series, he grows from a naïve and insecure boy into a courageous young man, confronting his fears and ultimately embracing his destiny as the one destined to defeat the dark wizard Voldemort. Harry’s journey is a testament to the power of resilience, courage, and the human spirit.
*While this website and it’s author like the Harry Potter universe and may use it for examples or talk about it in a personal way, this site and its author do not condone the thoughts, actions and opinions of its original creator, who shall not be named here. This site, and its creator, endorse a safe place for everyone and will not tolerate bullying in any form.
Tips for Effective Character Development
Show, Don’t Tell: Instead of simply telling readers about your characters’ traits and motivations, show them through their actions, dialogue, and interactions with other characters. Let readers infer and interpret your characters’ inner worlds through subtle cues and nuances.
Example:
Instead of telling the reader that a character is angry:
- Show their clenched fists, flushed cheeks, and furrowed brow.
- Show them slamming doors, pacing back and forth, or gritting their teeth in frustration.
Conflict and Obstacles: Introduce challenges, conflicts, and obstacles that force your characters to confront their fears, overcome their weaknesses, and evolve. Conflict is the engine that drives character development, pushing characters out of their comfort zones and propelling them towards growth.
Example:
- Person vs. Nature: The protagonist faces challenges from the natural world, such as surviving in the wilderness or navigating a treacherous landscape in adventure stories like “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer or “The Call of the Wild” by Jack London.
- Person vs. Society: The protagonist battles against societal norms, injustices, or oppressive systems, as seen in dystopian novels like “1984” by George Orwell or “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins.
Consistency and Authenticity: Ensure consistency in your characters’ behaviours, motivations, and personalities throughout the story. Characters should feel authentic to themselves, even as they undergo growth and change. Turn back to your character profiles often, especially when decisions are made or your characters are facing a moment of fight or flight. Do their actions and their words in these moments, reflect back to your profile? Do they fit the character?
Empathy and Complexity: Foster empathy for your characters by highlighting their humanity, vulnerabilities, and struggles. Avoid one-dimensional stereotypes and embrace the complexity and contradictions inherent in human nature.
Example:
- Atticus Finch, in Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” exhibits empathy by showing compassionate understanding towards others, such as defending Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of rape, despite social ostracism and personal risks.
Revision and Iteration: Continuously refine and iterate on your characters as you write and revise your story. Be open to feedback from beta readers, critique partners, and editors, and be willing to make changes that strengthen your characters and deepen their impact on the story. Remember that if feedback is negative, it is not a personal attack. You cannot please everyone.
Conclusion
Mastering character development is an ongoing process that requires patience, empathy, and dedication. By understanding your characters’ motivations, goals, flaws, and arcs, you can create compelling, multidimensional characters that resonate with readers and bring your story to life.
By going deep into your characters’ psyche, you reveal their complexities and contradictions, which make them more authentic and relatable. Embracing the journey of character development is not just about crafting well-rounded individuals; it’s also an opportunity to explore the depths of the human experience. By using your characters, you can explore universal themes like love, loss, redemption, and the quest for identity, inviting readers to connect with the emotional truths of your story.
Ultimately, the process of character development enriches your storytelling craft, elevating your work from mere words on a page to a profound exploration of the human condition.
Thanks for reading, I hope you learned, or re-learned something about character development.
*Separate articles will cover many areas of this journal article. However, if you have questions or want to request a particular topic, contact me here.
Further reading:
- “Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author’s Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development” by K.M. Weiland: This book explores how to craft dynamic character arcs that drive your story forward, with practical tips and examples.
- “Characters and Viewpoint” by Orson Scott Card: Orson Scott Card discusses the importance of creating memorable characters and offers practical advice on developing character traits, dialogue, and viewpoint.
- “The Art of Character: Creating Memorable Characters for Fiction, Film, and TV” by David Corbett: This book provides a comprehensive guide to crafting authentic and compelling characters, drawing on examples from literature, film, and television.
- “Dynamic Characters: How to Create Personalities That Keep Readers Captivated” by Nancy Kress: Nancy Kress explores the psychology of character development, offering techniques for creating dynamic and believable characters that engage readers from beginning to end.
- “Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Dynamic Characters and Effective Viewpoints” by Nancy Kress: In this book, Nancy Kress looks into the relationship between character, emotion, and viewpoint, offering practical exercises and techniques for bringing characters to life on the page.
Violet Redler 
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