Top 5 Character Development Tips

Characters are the carriers of our stories. They carry the plot on their backs like rucksacks, or sometimes shawls, depending on your story. That is why developing great characters is so important for making your story stand out. As I write more, I have learned a few things from both the writing process and from friends and family who have helped me develop my skills as a writer. Here are five tips I have learned that will help you develop great characters.

Tip #1: Establish Their Back Story and Skills

Whether you do it before you start writing or after you have a rough draft, make sure you establish both in your notes and in your book what your characters’ backstories are and what skills they have at their disposal. This information should be presented in the first act. People need to know who your characters are, where they come from, and what they do. You don’t have to give all the details up front, but establishing a basic backstory and skills is important for setting your audience up to understand who your characters are and what they will be doing. However, don’t be afraid to hold some details back. Readers don’t need to know everything, just enough to understand where your characters are starting and hint at where they are going.

Tip #2: Solidify Their Needs and Motivations Early On

Making sure your audience understands what your characters need and want is important. Now, what they need is different from what they want. What your character wants is what motivates them. What they need is often what ultimately brings about change. Both play an important part in how your character makes decisions and how they develop as the story goes along. Oftentimes, they start pursuing what they want and end up having to change course to get what they need. Again, keep in mind my last point from the previous tip. There is no need to give all information. However, you want to establish in your readers’ minds where your characters are starting and where they are headed. Wants and needs are an essential for developing reader expectations.

Tips #3: Show Their Fears and Weaknesses

Along with needs, wants, and motivations, don’t be afraid to show your characters’ fears and weaknesses. These elements are important for similar reasons as needs and wants. But they are also important for creating relatable characters. We all have fears, and many of us prefer to read about characters who have similar fears as we do or who are struggling in ways someone we know is struggling. Showing people what your characters are struggling with will help your readers sympathize with them, and relate to them.

Tip #4: Create a List of Unique Facts About Each Character

Off the page, it can really help to create a list of unique facts about your characters before you write them. This can inform the decisions you make for your characters as you write, and it can help make sure they stand out in a cast of various individuals. One of my characters has a long list of fun facts that I am using to help inform how they would respond to people. Foe example, I am currently developing a character who is very good at slight of hand. While he won’t use this skill regularly, the idea that he is good at this kind of thing plays a part in creating the character and showing people who he is and what he is capable of. These details can also help you make sure your characters are each unique in their own right.

Tip #5: Compare with Your Other Characters

Speaking of making sure your characters stand out next to each other, a great way to check this is to create your list of facts for each character, then compare them. If you find that your characters all have the same facts and backstory, they may all end up blending together. Now, this may be helpful for some stories. In The Arlin Trilogy, Nadia, Ivan, and Ben all have similar backstories. I did this to help add to Ben’s world and situation. Everything that makes people and places unique is lost in this world of darkness.  

Have Fun with Your Character Development!

As always, have fun! Let your imagination soar, and don’t be afraid to come up with some really fun, unique qualities and backstories for your characters. What character are you currently working on?

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