One of the most crucial aspects of storytelling is creating characters that resonate with readers. Engrossing characters drive the narrative, they evoke emotions, and stay with readers long after they’ve finished the book and that’s why you must think each character through holistically and bring out its true unique essence.
Here are some tips to help you craft memorable and believable characters:
A. Develop a Strong Backstory
A well-developed backstory gives depth to your characters- think about their past experiences, upbringing, significant events, and relationships that have shaped who they are. Even if you don’t include all this information in your story, knowing it yourself will help you create more authentic characters.
Tip: Create a character dossier or timeline to map out key events in your character’s life. I usually create a table and label, likes, dislikes, visions, missions, personality type and physical attribute amongst other things.
B. Define Clear Motivations
Understanding what drives your characters is essential. What do they want? Why do they want it? What are they willing to do to achieve their goals? Clear motivations make characters relatable and their actions more believable.
Tip: Use a character motivation chart to detail what each character desires and the obstacles they face. For example, my character Sadaar Khan from my book Modred’s Lullaby wants to break free from his duties as a warlord to pursue his dreams as a modern-day social influencer and businessman. This helps with conflict and allows us to delve more into the world of the Khan’s and their clans.
C. Give Them Flaws
Perfect characters can be dull and unrealistic. Flaws and imperfections make characters more human and relatable. Whether it’s a fear, a bad habit, or a personality quirk, these flaws can add depth and complexity.
Tip: Consider how your character’s flaws will impact the plot and their interactions with other characters. Seriously! No one is perfect, neither is your character.
D. Show Growth and Change
Characters should evolve over the course of your story. This growth can be driven by the challenges they face and the experiences they undergo. A character’s journey can make the story more engaging and their arc more satisfying.
Tip: Plan your character’s development arc, noting key moments that will lead to their growth or change. These may be simple changes especially in the case of side characters.
E. Create Distinct Voices
Each character should have a unique voice that reflects their personality, background, and role in the story. Pay attention to their speech patterns, vocabulary, and tone. This helps to make each character distinct and memorable.
Tip: Write dialogues and monologues for your characters to refine their voices and ensure they stand out. Remember, gender, specie, race, ideology and so on are aspects of your character that affect their tone too.
F. Use Physical Descriptions Wisely
Physical descriptions can help readers visualize your characters, but they should be used judiciously. Focus on distinctive features that reflect their personality or background. Avoid overloading with details; instead, let readers fill in the gaps.
Tip: Integrate physical descriptions naturally into the narrative rather than listing them all at once.
G. Show, Don’t Tell
Show your characters’ traits through their actions, dialogue, and interactions with others rather than just telling the reader. This technique makes the characters’ qualities more vivid and allows readers to draw their own conclusions.
Tip: Use scenes and interactions to reveal key aspects of your characters’ personalities and motivations. It becomes more of a discovery journey that way as we experience our characters one step at a time, helping readers build a familiarity with them.
H. Flesh Out Supporting Characters
Supporting characters should also be well-developed. They should have their own goals, motivations, and arcs. This adds richness to your story and makes the world feel more complete.
Tip: Give secondary characters their own mini-dossiers to ensure they are as developed as your main characters.
I. Avoid Stereotypes
While it can be tempting to use familiar archetypes, avoid falling into the trap of stereotypes. Strive for originality and complexity, ensuring your characters are multi-dimensional and not defined by clichéd traits.
Tip: Challenge yourself to subvert common tropes and provide fresh perspectives on familiar character types. In essence, be real with your characters and craft them as everyday people in a sense.
J. Get Feedback
Sometimes, it’s hard to see the flaws in your own characters. Seek feedback from beta readers or writing groups. They can provide valuable insights into how your characters are perceived and suggest areas for improvement.
Tip: Ask specific questions about your characters’ believability, motivations, and development when seeking feedback. AB testing is not just for websites, you must get feedback from a group of readers to know if the character is gelling.
Conclusion
Creating believable characters requires time, effort, and attention to detail. By developing strong backstories, defining clear motivations, giving characters flaws, and showing growth, you will create memorable and captivating characters that will captivate your readers.
Use these tips as a guide, but don’t be afraid to experiment and find what works best for your unique storytelling style.
Happy writing!
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