Make Your Characters Real
One of the most important elements in writing a captivating story is developing complex, relatable, and believable characters. In this blog post, I’ll delve into the elements of character development and how to bring your literary creations to life. Whether you’re writing a novel, a short story, or even a screenplay, these tips will help you create dynamic, three-dimensional characters that readers will love, hate, or root for.
So, let’s get started!
Define Your Character’s Backstory
The first step in creating believable characters is to give them a rich, detailed backstory. This includes defining their family history, childhood, education, and past experiences that have shaped their personality, beliefs, and motivations. A well-defined backstory will help you create a character that feels real and rooted in the world you’re building. It will also give you a foundation for making informed decisions about your character’s behaviour, dialogue, and relationships.
For example, if you’re writing about a detective who grew up in a rough neighbourhood, it’s important to understand how that experience may have shaped their worldview and influenced their decision to become a detective. Maybe they’ve seen the negative effects of crime on their community and want to make a difference. Or maybe they’ve had a personal experience with crime and want to seek justice. Understanding these motivations will make your character feel more authentic and relatable to readers.
Getting the backstory fleshed out is crucial, without it your characters can feel empty. Plus knowing their history will tell how they will react in certain situaitons.
Pro tip: you don’t need to tell the reader the character’s background. As long as you know it, that’s whats important.
Give Your Character a Unique Voice
One of the most important aspects of character development is giving your character a unique voice. This means developing a distinctive speaking style, tone, and rhythm that is specific to that character. A character’s voice should reflect their personality, backstory, and motivations. For example, a confident and charismatic character may have a more lively, upbeat speaking style, while a reserved and introverted character may have a quieter, more contemplative voice.
Developing a character’s voice also involves paying attention to their choice of words and the way they express themselves. For example, a character who is well-educated may use more sophisticated language, while a character who is more down-to-earth may use more colloquial expressions. Experiment with different speaking styles and word choices until you find the right voice for your character.
Pro tip: look to real world cultures and countries for inspiration.
Show, Don’t Tell
One of the biggest mistakes writers make when developing characters is telling, not showing. This means describing a character’s traits, rather than demonstrating them through their actions, dialogue, and behaviour. For example, instead of simply saying a character is brave, show how they act bravely in the face of danger. Or, instead of saying a character is introverted, show how they retreat from social situations.
Showing, not telling, is a powerful tool for character development because it allows readers to see the character in action and make their own conclusions about who they are. It also makes the character feel more real and relatable because readers are able to experience their personality and motivations firsthand.
Personally I used to struggle with this, but that’s what editing and rewriting is for.
Create Conflict
Conflict is the engine that drives a story forward, and it’s also a crucial element of character development. Conflict forces characters to grow, change, and make difficult choices. It can be internal (such as a character’s struggle with a personal issue) or external (such as a conflict with another character or a situation). The key is to create meaningful conflict that challenges your characters and makes them feel like real, three-dimensional people.
For example, a character who is afraid of failure may struggle with the pressure to succeed. Or a character who is fiercely independent may find it difficult to form meaningful relationships. These internal conflicts can drive character development, providing a deeper level of nuance and complexity to the story.
Another way to create believable character development is by examining their external relationships. A character’s interactions with others can reveal their personality and motivations, as well as provide opportunities for growth and change. Whether it’s a romantic relationship, a close friendship, or a bitter rival, the way a character behaves in different relationships can reveal a lot about them.
It’s also important to consider a character’s backstory and life experiences.
What events have shaped them and made them who they are today?
This can include childhood trauma, significant accomplishments, or significant losses. These experiences can impact a character’s beliefs and values, shaping the way they approach life and interact with others.
Finally, don’t be afraid to challenge your characters. By putting them in difficult or unexpected situations, you can explore their limits and see how they react. This can lead to growth and change, as well as reveal new facets of their personality. Just make sure to balance this with consistent character traits, so they remain believable and relatable.
Something I like to do in my writing is to put the characters in the toughest situations possible and work out how they can get out of it and how it will affect them. Sadistic I know.
Conclusion
Creating believable character development in books is essential for making your readers emotionally invested in your story. The characters are the heart of any narrative, and without them, there is no story. By using the techniques discussed in this post, you can create characters that are unique, multi-dimensional, and relatable to your readers.
Remember, character development is an ongoing process, and your characters will continue to grow and evolve as the story progresses. It's important to stay true to your characters and their motivations, and to always consider how their actions and decisions will impact the story as a whole.
Don't be afraid to take risks and challenge your characters. A character who never grows or changes is not interesting, and a character who changes too quickly is not believable. Striking the right balance is key to creating believable character development in your writing.
In conclusion, creating believable characters is a crucial aspect of writing, and one that can make or break your story. By following the tips in this post, you'll be well on your way to creating characters that your readers will love, hate, and be invested in.
Till next time
If you want to learn more about building a believable and immersive fantasy world in your writing check out my other posts:
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