If you’re working on the characters in your novel, this article is especially for you.
Continue reading to learn about how you can develop characters in your story.
1. Give the character a purpose.
Why it helps
Giving characters dreams and motivations allows the reader to identify why the character acts the way they do or why they make certain choices. Defining a character’s purpose, not just in the story but in general, allows readers to feel connected to the character on a personal, emotional level. They feel they know what makes this character tick and can follow their motivations throughout the story more easily.
How to include it
When planning the main storyline, decide on why characters want to pursue certain actions. What does the protagonist and antagonist want at the beginning of the story and how do those purposes change throughout?
Particularly when planning the protagonist’s character, decide what the character wants at the beginning and what they want at the end: does that change because of the story? If so, how and, more importantly, why?
This will make your protagonist feel real and less ‘archetypal,’ which will allow readers to escape into them more easily.
2. Give the character an antagonist.
Why it helps
For your characters to discover their dreams, they need to develop as a character to achieve those dreams. The easiest way to get them to grow is to be in conflict with someone or something. The constant back-and-forth with an antagonist helps the character identify their weaknesses and work to develop their strengths.
This is also known as the ‘character arc’: the growth from original character into the new, improved character due to the conflict that takes place between them and the antagonist. Having this conflict not only improves the plot but also gives the characters depth.
How to include it
While the protagonist will have a main antagonist as part of the story, consider what minor antagonists will help develop the character more. Is there a particularly frustrating barista who always makes the protagonist late? Is there a manager who likes to micromanage the protagonist almost to the point of bullying?
Make a note of where you can add depth and development to your protagonist by introducing minor antagonists throughout the story.
This also works for the main antagonist: if, for example, you’re writing a detective mystery and the antagonist is a serial killer evading capture, add a minor antagonist like a nosy neighbor or jealous ex-partner that might get them caught through their meddling alone.
3. Give the character physical features.
Why it helps
Another way readers feel connected to a character is if they visualize them. Characters whose physical features are described as a natural part of the story seem more realistic than those without any tangible features.
Knowing a character’s features isn’t just about how they look physically. Features can also refer to their mannerisms. Tying the two together—the physical features and mannerisms—can add another layer of realism for the reader and even effect the story itself: a short character might wear heeled shoes to compensate and fall over a lot, which could lead to them encountering the person or event needed for the story to progress.
How to include it
When planning your characters, and your protagonist in particular, sketch out (in either words or pictures) what the character looks like. You don’t need to be particularly detailed but decide the important elements like height, hair, eyes, general face structure, body type. Do they have a scar or body deformity that’s important to their purpose and storyline?
Once you’ve decided on the physical look of the character, think about how they move and how those physical features impact those mannerisms. Do they have a particular way of walking, or do they use their hands to talk? Do they wear their hair a certain way to hide a scar or birthmark?
Even if you don’t use these elements in the story, knowing what the character looks like and how that might impact their impressions on themselves and others will make the character feel more realistic to both you and the readers.
4. Give the character a personality.
Why it helps
Readers will see more of a character’s personality on the page than they will any other aspect of a character: the character’s likes, dislikes, and actions are what will impact the dialogue and action most. In many cases, the character’s personality is what drives the conflict: in the Twilight series, for example, Jacob the werewolf’s empathy and willingness to be with Bella creates her conflict over whether to choose him over Edward and his tortured aloofness.
How to include it
Once you’ve defined the character’s motivations and physical features, decide how those work together to create their personality. Start with the personality traits that impact the story directly, like Edward’s aloofness and Jacob’s empathy, then work on the minor ones that add a bit of roundness to the character.
Don’t forget to give the character flaws; no person is the perfect archetype. To feel realistic, the protagonist needs to have something about them that isn’t agreeable, and the antagonist needs to have something redeeming to give them more depth.
You don’t need to define every personality trait, but try to describe the ones the other characters, and readers, are most likely to encounter, then plan for how you might include those traits throughout the novel.
5. Give the character a history.
Why it helps
A person’s experiences are what creates them. There are always reasons for why a person has a particular fear or why they might feel a certain way about their family. Knowing some of a character’s history allows a reader to understand them more fully, especially when a character acts outside of the reader’s expectations.
How to include it
It might be easiest to start with the character’s history in order to explain their purpose, personality traits, and some of the more defining physical features and mannerisms. You don’t need to decide on the character’s entire history, but knowing where and when they were born, who their family was, how close they were to their family, and any of the more significant events in their life is important to understanding where they are at the start of the story.
You should do this for both the protagonist and antagonist. You can then decide on side characters to include that might be relevant to their history or whose presence in the story might help explain their history more naturally for the reader.
For example, if a protagonist has a fear of heights because a school friend fell from a high place and died, having a sibling or friend character in the novel who explains that at some point would seem more natural than just describing the event as a flashback.