Fiction Techniques: Character Development
Bringing Substance and Depth to a Story's Characters
Whether a novel is primarily character-driven or plot-driven, its characters greatly influence the story. In a character-driven novel, the story focuses on the characters themselves, whereas in a plot-driven novel, the story focuses on what the characters do and what happens to them. Each character's personality determines how he or she reacts to the events he or she encounters during the story.
Character Creation
The idea for a character may begin with a physical image in the writer's mind, a line of dialogue, or a role needed for the plot. It is common for a character to be based on a person or combination of people the writer knows in real life.
Characters should not be "good" or "bad." Real people have good and bad sides to their personalities. Even "bad" characters can and should evoke some sympathy from readers.
Character Development
A writer may discover more about a new character by posing questions directly to the character. For example, what does she look like? How does she feel about herself? Where did she grow up? What kind of home life did she have? How did she get herself into this situation? What does she most want in life? What do the other characters think about her?
Next, the writer must determine why readers should care about the character. Is the character likable? Does she evoke sympathy from readers? Is her goal noble? In order for readers to care about a character, the character must have a noble goal and he or she must suffer for it. Readers want a character to struggle and succeed, at least in some way. In the end, the character must change and grow, whether or not that involves eventually meeting the stated goal.
Larger Than Life
Readers want to meet characters who are realistic, but not ordinary. They want to be able to relate to the characters by sharing in their inner conflicts, but they want to share experiences beyond the scope of their normal lives. Readers want to meet characters who are larger than life. In other words, readers want to meet characters who say and do what the readers only wish they would say or do in the same situation.
Memorable characters may have unique characteristics, such as nervous habits or unusual interests and hobbies, but the most memorable characters of all are those who are larger than life. Each character's personality determines how he or she reacts to the events he or she encounters. So whether a novel is character or plot-driven, the characters play an integral role in how the story unfolds and the impact it has on readers.
For more tips on creating and developing fictional characters, see the free online course: You Can Write A Novel in Thirty Days.
Masquerade Characters
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