What is the most important element of a story? For most readers, the answer is simple: the characters. Worldbuilding, magic systems, plot twists — of course these are all exciting. But nine times out of ten, it’s the people inside a story who grab your heart and don’t let go.
To build 3D major and minor characters, I create in-depth character profiles during my outlining process. I do this after I write the blurb, but before I map out the story beats. This might seem a little backwards — after all, how do I know which characters I’ll need if I haven’t ironed out the plot yet?
The answer: I develop my characters and plot simultaneously. Thanks to my big-picture blurb, I typically start my character development process with a good understanding of my protagonist, antagonist, and at least one major side character. As I develop my outline, I return to step one of my character building process to fully develop each new character as they appear.
Here are the seven steps I use to build realistic characters for all my novels.
1. Start with an archetype
An archetype is a type of character that embodies a set of widely recognized traits, behaviors, or roles within a story. The most well-known of these is probably the Hero — a noble protagonist who sets out on an arduous journey, faces great challenges, and ultimately triumphs through perseverance and courage.
Of course, the Hero is far from the only character archetype at your disposal. Psychiatrist Carl Jung originally identified twelve of them, though there are plenty more across fiction! Because each one represents a different stage in the average person’s life, they make excellent guides for character creation.
So when I first sit down to sketch out a character, I start by asking myself: what point is this person at in their life? How old are they? Are they jaded or naïve?
Some stories make it obvious what archetype to use. For example, a younger heroine in a horror novel will likely fit the Maiden archetype, whereas a mother might be in their Queen or even King stage of life. To identify the pressures and obstacles that naturally fit their journeys, your first step may also be to understand which archetype your characters fall under.
2. Use a real-world model for reference
After I’ve chosen a general archetype, I like to use a real-life model to help me further develop who the character is. This might be:
- An actor who has played a similar character before.
- A historical figure who embodies the traits I’m trying to capture.
- A musician or comedian with a signature persona.
If you’re using a celebrity or historical figure as your inspiration, then your next step is already in front of you: read a biography or watch a documentary about them. As you do so, pay attention to their speech patterns, physical quirks that make them memorable, or anything else about their person that might spark your imagination. You can even combine attributes from several different people to further differentiate your character and help them come alive on page.
It might seem counterintuitive to use specific examples! But just remember this is only meant to be a reference point. As your character develops, they’ll take on a life of their own and naturally drift away from the original inspiration. So you can think of this exercise as more of a loose guideline to help you flesh your character out, rather than a strict template you need to follow.
3. Consider their psychological profile
Now that you’ve established your character's physical traits, it’s time to go in-depth with their personality. When creating a character, try to think deeply about what this person would be like in real life. Understanding what makes them tick on a subconscious level will give them that all-important fundamental layer of depth.
Return to your real-life model: which aspects of their personality inspired you to base a character off them? Consider filling out an online personality test like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator from their perspective to get a better idea of their character. You can also turn to their zodiac sign for some inspiration!
If you want to practice your understanding of personality profiles, try deconstructing a popular character to determine their personality traits. The more you understand how different personalities interact with the world, the more dynamic the characters in your story will feel.
4. Interview your character
In every story, there are two driving forces behind every character: what they want, and what they need. More often than not, these two things will come into conflict with one another throughout the story, which means you’ll need some idea of how your character will navigate balancing their needs with their desires.
A great way to accomplish this is by putting yourself in your character’s shoes and answering some simple questions from their point of view. Start with basic things, like how they would react to everyday situations:
- How would your character react if their food was running late, at a restaurant?
- Would your character hold a door open for a stranger?
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If there was an incident at their workplace, would your character prefer to blame it on a co-worker, or take an unfair reprimand to avoid causing a scene?
You can go one step further after this by filling out a character questionnaire! Inside, you’ll find a series of questions (like the list above) that will help you develop your character’s motivations, fears, and desires. Some questionnaires focus on your character’s past with questions like:
- What did your character want to be when they grew up?
- How often did your character get in trouble as a child?
- Where did your character grow up?
Others will dig deeper into their relationships, including questions such as:
- How many romantic relationships has your character been in?
- What was their first kiss like?
- Is there a “one that got away” in your character’s past?
You don’t necessarily need to include the answers to these questions in your story, but the process will give you some valuable insight into what drives your characters.
5. Give them distinct quirks
Whether it’s a distinct culinary preference or an endearing word mispronunciation, we all have a certain something that makes us unique. So do our characters. If you give them a memorable quirk or two, that will help take them from generic to memorable.
Struggling to think of any distinct quirks to give your characters? Try observing the people around you. It might be something as small as the way your friend scrunches their nose before they yawn, or how they never fail to sneeze after their first sip of soda!
Such traits do more than give your character their own distinct flair: they can directly contribute to your plot as well. For example, an involuntary pre-yawn nose scrunch might be the smoking gun that gives your character away while they’re in disguise. Since they’re true to your character, they also become a handy tool you can use to add tension, humor, and emotional resonance to every scene.
6. Match their internal arc with the external plot
At this point, you should have a solid grasp on your character’s appearance, personality, and distinct quirks. That means it’s time to go through your plot beat by beat and map the narrative highs and lows to your character’s internal arc!
First, identify your character’s emotional state at the start of the story. Are they distant from their loved ones? Maybe they’re insecure, or lacking in worldly experience.
Next, consider your character’s endpoint. Typically, this will be a natural evolution from where they were at the beginning of the narrative. For example, if your character was cowardly in the exposition, they should be more confident by the time the dénouement rolls around.
Of course, the path from A to B doesn’t need to be linear. Characters might falter at key moments throughout a story, but that will only make the peak of their internal arc that much more satisfying. As you go through each major plot event, ask yourself:
- How does this moment challenge your character’s worldview?
- Which of their beliefs is being reinforced — or broken?
- How would they have reacted to this event earlier in the story? What’s different about their response now?
By following a checklist like the one above, you can verify that your character’s internal arc fits them from beginning to end. You may even identify an opportunity to personalize an unexpected twist around your character!
Regardless of the structure you lay out for your plot, the goal should always be to make sure your character's actions make sense within the confines of the narrative. Remember, it’s their story, so make sure it stays true to who they are.
7. Apply these steps to every character in your book
By repeating this process for every character in my story, I make sure that each one feels real, no matter how brief their time on the page.
If you follow these steps, you might also find it easier to write character-driven stories. A well-developed side character can push your protagonists into making bad decisions, force them into interesting predicaments, and create consequences for their choices in a way that feels natural and engaging.
Remember, everyone has their own motivations, goals, and desires. By giving every character in your book the time and space to communicate theirs, you’ll create an immersive world that your readers can’t help but get lost in.
About the author
Jena Brown grew up playing make-believe in the Nevada desert, where her love for skeletons and harsh landscapes solidified. In addition to freelance writing, Jena blogs at www.jenabrownwrites.com. When she isn’t imagining deadly worlds, she and her husband keep busy being bossed around the Las Vegas desert by their two chihuahuas.
