No one is a cardboard cut-out; and our characters shouldn’t be either. Creating a believable character should encompass the obvious through to the hidden that is slowly revealed.
Regardless of the genre or type of story we’re writing, the characters have to be relatable in order for the reader to make a connection.
To do this, think real-life subjects and interactions. And what better person to draw from then ourselves, or people we’ve come across in life?
While physical appearance plays a part, it’s the behind the scenes, less tangible aspects that really build a believable persona.
So, what can add depth to our characters?
History
Everyone has one, right? Including the parts we don’t want anyone to know. E.g.-
- Past events. Something that’s occurred from ignorance that is greatly regretted. Is it something anyone else knows? Or is it a tightly kept secret?
- Family background and upbringing
- Family secrets
- Places lived
- Friendships that have changed, for either good or bad
Insecurities
Dependent upon whether our character is male or female, they could quite well have different aspects of themselves they feel insecure about. Of course, there’s also the common. E.g.-
- Social awkwardness. Misjudged social interaction, where they’ve mis-read the room or conversation, and said something completely inappropriate!
- Feeling uncool. Status perception
- Lack of confidence associated with looks (This covers a lot I’m sure I don’t need to elaborate on), relationships, skill sets
- Fear of failure. Living up to people’s expectations
- Perceived weakness due perfectionism. Fear of not being smart enough. Let me just say here, everyone is good at something, but we’re not always open to acknowledging our own strengths. Which leads onto the next point.
Strengths
So, as above, let’s not focus only on a person’s perceived weaknesses. Afterall, we’re all human. And I do mean ‘perceived’! What someone might think is a personal flaw, another will consider a strength they wish they had! E.g.-
- Empathy. It can be a curse, but a valuable attribute at the same time. To be able to read a room, people, emotions. To be able to place yourself in another person’s shoes. Emotional intelligence is highly underrated.
- Focused. Persistent. Analytical. Some might think that these border on perfectionism and OCD. Maybe they do. But they’re still valuable attributes to have.
- Integrity. Ethics. Courage. These can be a major driver in a character’s development and personal growth, through tough decisions that need to be made, or going against the norm and taking a risk for a better outcome.
- Versatility. Being able to adapt to changing circumstances. Having talents that don’t necessarily align with each other, or are even a little bizarre, but prove to be useful when needed. And being resourceful when circumstances aren’t playing fair.
Gestures. How they speak. Mannerisms.
Everyone has their quirks, so we shouldn’t be scared to dish them out to our characters as well (not over the top of course). It’s what helps make them more believable, instead of being a mannequin. Show their personality!
- Annoying habits – Who doesn’t know someone who drums a beat on the desk with their fingers or a pen? Eating with their mouth open (ew). Checking their phone in the middle of a discussion, or just obviously not paying attention. You get my drift.
- Hand or face gestures. Eye contact or avoidance.
- Idiosyncrasies. I love an eccentric character, don’t you? (Immediately I think of Sherlock Holmes, ha ha!). Perhaps the character has anxiety and displays a nervous behaviour. Or has a phobia, habit or vice
- Vocabulary. Language. Speech patterns. While of course the age of our character plays a part in this, so does their education and life experience. Do they use unusual turns of phrase or expressions?
Flaws and Weaknesses
Somewhat tied in with idiosyncrasies, but a little different to insecurities. This focuses more on personality traits such as-
- Arrogance
- Selfishness
- Greed
- Lack of ethics, untrustworthy, or lacks trust in others
- Narcissistic, lacks empathy
In short, no one’s a clone (yet anyway). We’re all unique, and our characters should be too.
And the wonderful thing about creating characters, is being able to drip-feed revelations about their lives, their persona, and their secrets. Allowing the reader to really get to know them, instead of skimming over a mass-dump of descriptions.
What you see on the surface, may not be what’s underneath.
So, enjoy the process. And remember, great characters are worth the investment.
