Keep Your Writing Strong With Solid Character Development
Even a plot driven story has to contain strong and completely developed characters. Characters that are able to be seen as complex, thought provoking, and human-like are essential to any good work. Having these types of characters in your work is more than possible to accomplish with careful planning and thought. Even so, I have found in my workshops though every writer believes they can create well rounded characters, it is also very easy for anyone to miss the small details that can bring each particular individual in their book to life. Five creative ways to develop solid and well thought-out characters include establishing:
- Unique Communication: Do you have more of a monotone or enthusiastic voice? Is your vocabulary centered around slang or does it ebb and flow with the eloquence of a Webster’s Dictionary? When typing up your characters’ dialogue, be sure to consider these types of questions for them. The CEO of a Fortune 500 company may not venture into informal language as often as the punk rock high school kid might. (Unless that is what your story is about, in which case venture as much as you wish.)
- History: You have a background right? The events and episodes you’ve encountered up to this point have made you the person you are. These particular events have given you depth and a mind unlike anyone else. Your characters’ must have some type of history as well. They didn’t just pop up out of thin air, y’know.
- Appearance: How do your characters look to you? Is the young, rosy cheeked boy full of a vibrant energy that shows in his eyes and in the bounciness of his auburn curls? Does the old, wizened woman with cataracts hold encyclopedias of experiences, some good and some bad, that can be seen in the calluses of her hands? These are crucial points that give your reader a mind’s eye view of what your main antagonist, father figure, best friend, or any other character may look like.
- Relationships: There’s nothing wrong with an introvert here and there. Not everyone is open to the idea of other people and that’s fine. However, did your character really do all of that by themselves? Did they go through your entire work alone? To make your characters, not only realistic but relatable, go ahead and show that sometimes they need a shoulder to cry on or a friend for the end of the world too. Don’t we all?
- Flaws: The following statement, no matter who denies it, rings true. Nobody’s perfect. If you wish to give your characters a more human like feeling, reflect the depression a mother may experience or the slight jealousy of a fellow class mate within an honors class. Doing this will enable you to possibly work in the overcoming of some of those hamartia into your story, making them that much more interesting, relevant and relatable.
Taking care to follow these tips and practice patient writing – your book will give your characters the medium to be seen in your readers’ own imagination. Hope it helps.
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