How to Create a Dynamic Character in 3 Steps
Once upon a time, I took a course where we had to create a PowerPoint presentation that taught our class something about writing. I know. Not super specific, but I thrive in ambiguous territory. I created an in-depth PowerPoint on Building Characters. It began as a list of traits, qualities and things I worked on to create my own characters. It feels like a great place to spring from and share some helpful things I learned along the way.
First, only use what you feel suits your style and process. I can tell you one thing I wish I had learned early on was that there is no “right” way to write. We each have our unique thoughts and processes, just like we have our own fingerprints. Your story will be yours and a story that only you can write.
Now, down to the good stuff!
There are three main parts I like to consider when building a character. I sometimes refer to this process as character sketching. I want to preface this, especially the physical traits with an important bit of info-think about how the characters traits affect their role in the story. For example, if I have a very tall girl, how does that affect her relationships? Does she get teased? Does it work for her? Say in sports? Also, be cautious of writing characters that you have no experience living. Yes, do it, but research it first. There is nothing more off-putting than reading characters who clearly are written by someone who is clueless about how their culture and or looks really are and how that affects their lives.
- Physical– Think about looks here. Is the character tall or short? Hair type/color? How much does this matter to the character’s role in the story?
- Personality– Who is this person? Are they kind and courageous? Are they harsh and dishonest? These personality traits can be driving forces for how and what a character says. Make sure to choose a minimum of six. A character can be contradicting things. They can be loyal, but they can also be greedy and kind at the same time. The variety here will bring depth to your character.
- Experience-Last but never least, we have experience. A character who has had nothing of note happen in their past is going to behave and speak much differently than one that has gone through some major trauma. All of these areas are open to personal experience and might benefit from first-hand experience. If you write about a character type that is nothing you have ever experienced, I urge you to do adequate research. For example: If you are writing about a character who became a widow with young children, but you are a twenty-year-old man. I urge you to either speak with or research what that might be like for a woman before writing about it. Readers connect with characters on such a personal level. There is nothing worse than reading a woman’s character written by a male writer who knows nothing about women and vice versa.
Your character might evolve, and you may not need some of these traits. The better you know your character and the better you can see your character in your mind, the better you can write as if you were them.
Ask yourself: Why is this character liked or disliked? What makes them human? Remember: All perfect, all good characters without any flaws are typically super boring. Flaws are part of humanity.
We cannot end character building without talking about dialogue. It seems like a different topic maybe, but hear me out. I will share an example I used in the past.
What do we learn about Jane here by what she says and the word choice? Our character’s words can be as powerful or even more than our descriptions of them. Make sure they are working together.
I would love to hear about your latest character. Who are they? Can you answer these sections about them, and can you share a clip of dialogue that shows who they are?
