⌛ By Kaylin R. Staten ⌛

Characters can make or break your narrative.

If a story doesn’t have even decent character development, there is a chance that your reader will put down your book, stop watching your movie, or stop playing your video game. Character development is an increasingly vital part of the elements of a story.

Character development is how your protagonist and other characters respond to internal and external obstacles. Depending on your story’s theme, you will also want to consider how that, as well as the rest of your story’s trajectory, affects your character’s growth throughout his or her journey.

Here are some tips to ensure that you’re developing your character in myriad ways and doing your story justice:

Make a list of characters you love.

While you want to create a unique character and experience that will resonate with your readers, it also helps to know what inspires you. You want to craft a story that matters to you because writing is a commitment. You have to do what feels right for you and your character. Make a master list of characters you have loved throughout your life and why that character matters to you. Tap into your knowledge of real-life people, as well as characters in books, movies, TV shows, video games, and other platforms.

Make a plan for your character.

Do your research! Take the time at the beginning of the process to sit down and make a plan for each character. And don’t forget your outline for your story first and foremost! Answer the most basic demographic questions for your characters:

What are their names?
Where do they live?
How old are they?
What are their personality traits?
What will their journeys look like?

Create an entire avatar for them, much like you would for an internal customer avatar for a company. Check out our blog post about creating customer avatars here. You will have to tailor some of the parts of the template, such as the purchasing process, but this will give you a solid foundation to create your character.

Also, ask yourself how each character fits into the other elements of your story: setting, plot, conflict, theme, point-of-view, tone, and style.

Don’t make a cookie-cutter character.

There is nothing more banal than creating a one-dimensional character. This may or may not be a popular statement, based on your opinions about the Disney-led “Star Wars” sequel trilogy, but I see Rey as a one-dimensional character. They tried to make her struggle, especially with the knowledge that she was Emperor Palpatine’s granddaughter, but she came across as a very surface-level character. She was good at everything, and even “mistakes” she made didn’t seem authentic. I know any “Star Wars” character has incredibly large shoes to fill, but the writers just didn’t write her in interesting enough ways.

Ask yourself: What is his or her largest flaw? How does your character combat this flaw, and does he or she even know it exists? Which mistakes will they make throughout the story, and how will you address them as the writer?

Show and don’t tell.

My wonderful seventh- and eighth-grade teacher and first writing mentor, Theo Tippett, taught me to show and not tell. The best stories show you who characters are without having to tell you about them. Sure, you can give background information and talk about their experiences, but you don’t want to say, “So-and-so was anxious about the upcoming change in her life.” Instead, write something like, “Sweat culminated on so-and-so’s forehead as she heaved in and out. Panic swept over her like a current of fearful uncertainty about her future.”

Use the Iceberg Theory.

I’ve mentioned this theory before, but it’s one of my most beloved tactics in my writing. The Iceberg Theory, coined by Ernest Hemingway, allows you to immerse your reader in key details without being overly descriptive. Plus, you’re able to write in a bit of mystery about your character and unpeel the layers as the story progresses. Hemingway also emphasized dialogue, which allowed his characters to come to life based on what they said -- and didn’t say -- in those conversations.

This blog post also gives you a glimpse into the ins and outs of constructing meaningful characters.

Happy writing during this #NaNoWriMo!

Kaylin R. Staten, APR, is an award-winning, accredited public relations practitioner and writer based in Huntington, WV with 18 years of professional communications experience. As CEO and founder of Hourglass Media, she uses her compassionate spirit and expertise to delve into the heart of clients’ stories. She is a recovering perfectionist, mental health advocate, wife, Luke’s mom, cat mom, and Leia Organa aficionado. Connect with Kaylin on LinkedIn.

How To Develop Characters For Your Novels