This Is Why Getting To Know Our Characters Is Hugely Important
Characters are one of the most important creative writing topics. They’re a crucial element of so many stories.
Without them, how do we follow the story? Who, or what, do we root for? Where would our emotional connection to the story come from? They’re the heart and soul of creative writing.
As writers, it’s important that we spend time with our characters, and really get to know them. Let’s explore why this is…
What is the role of the protagonist?
It’s important we spend time with all our characters, not just our protagonist. However, without an interesting main character, the reader may lose interest in the story. Our protagonist has a key role to play.
If we don’t flesh them out, readers won’t develop an emotional connection to them. They may not experience that urge to root for them through their journey. This emotional connection between the reader and the character is important.
Give layers. Give them depth. Make characters as interesting as possible. Try to get inside their head and get to know them inside out, and, back to front. The more you know about them, the more engaging they will become.
How to build the finer character details
Although physical descriptions offer an image of our character for readers, sometimes, it’s the finer details which can pack the biggest punch. These smaller, more subtle details can actually make our characters feel more grounded in reality.
Take a character who always wears a face full of makeup. This might seem like a trivial detail at first, but, it could be more significant than we realise. For example, it could suggest they suffer from insecurities.
Or, there might be a character who is very hard to make laugh. While this could be interpreted as moodiness, perhaps there is a deeper meaning to it. Did something happen in their past that still affects them now?
Think about quirks you could give a character to add intrigue. Perhaps a trait that readers can relate to. Things that suggest, rather than explicitly reveal. It can help make them stand out that little bit more in the reader’s mind. The details matter and if we can show these details, rather than tell them, the more impact they’ll have.
Character goals and motivations
Many of our stories depend on the character’s motivations. The plot is typically generated around what our character is after, what they’re striving for. That’s why it’s crucial to spend as much time as is necessary, getting to know them.
Ask yourself what drives them. Are they trying to make amends? Are they fighting against something? What do they believe in?
The more questions we can answer about our characters, the rounder and fuller their existence will be.
We need to make our characters as believable, as memorable, and as real as possible. But how can we do this?
How to Get to Know Your Character:
1. Bios
Write a bio for your most prominent characters. Work out the details. When you picture them, what kind of person are they? There are online character generators which can help with this. While you might not want to stick to what they come up with, they can be a good starting point for developing your character’s profile.
2. Letters
Write letters from your character to you, or, to another character. Putting yourself in their shoes can really help you get to know them. By inhabiting them, you might discover something new about their personality, or, their history for example, which you hadn’t thought about before.
3. Originality
Drawing on our own life to shape characters is one strategy we can turn to. However, try not to simply replicate in your writing. If we can give our characters their own, original voice, they become more alluring and interesting to readers. They become more real.
4. Writing Prompts
Writing prompts are a great way to help develop our characters. They can help get inside character’s minds and discover what kind of personality they have. Especially when we’re feeling stuck, writing prompts, such as our bespoke Creative Writing Prompt Box, can help unlock answers!
5. Your own reading experiences
Think back over the books you’ve read. Have you got a favourite character? What traits do they have? Why did you find yourself supporting them? When we think back over the characters we love, we can find inspiration for our own characters.
6. Take your time.
Creating a character that feels real and believable can definitely feel daunting, and, frustrating at times!
7. Start small.
Jot down whatever comes to mind when you think of the character you want to create. Any detail from the way they say hello, to what family they have, it’s all-important. As you begin to add more detail, the image will become clearer.
Most importantly, keep going! We’d love to hear about your process for creating characters, so please get in touch and let us know! And if you’d like to develop your characters with us, check out our novel writing course.
Our Creating Compelling Characters Workbook will help you to:
✅ Create lifelike characters with purpose.
✅ Make your story come alive.
✅ Understand why characters are so important.
✅ Create characters based on their motivation and desires.
✅ Link characters to your story structure.
✅ Build your characters through a step-by-step process.
✅ Understand the tools available to you to sustain your character development.
