Writing: Character Development

Character development is my favorite part of writing, often more rewarding than finishing a book! Having written fourteen books, I have created a lot of characters. Their levels of relatability range from surface-level aesthetic appeal to depths-of-the-soul connection, and this is generally due to how often they appear in the books and the role they play. 

When I first started writing, I began character development in a very superficial way. Having had a Pinterest account at the time, I would search for "aesthetic character designs" or "character writing inspiration". This would bombard me with hundreds of pictures of people I didn't know. To be honest, for my first book, I picked an image of a girl I thought was the epitome of beauty and made her the main character, simply based on looks. That aesthetic picture of pink ribbons woven in her curly brown hair is still the first image that pops into my mind when I try to picture her. 

However, I give myself grace, since that was my very first attempt at creating characters. A friend at the time helped me to see past my superficial method and focus more on the character arcs, how the character develops throughout the course of the book, and the ways in which I could make the character relatable instead of just pretty (because, c'mon, it's a book, not a movie - readers don't physically see the character; they're left to create their own image of them in their minds and that trumps any image I could try to describe). Besides, I was spending way too much writing space describing how the characters looked instead of what they thought or did. 

So, I'm going to share a quick character template that has helped me actually get to know my characters, and I'll describe it in detail below. Now, I have seen a lot of character templates that are incredibly detailed, intricate, and complex, but if you read my post on outlining, you know that I prefer a more minimalistic approach. While it is great to dive into character development, I, personally, tend to get overwhelmed when I try to fill in complex templates. So, here's what I use:

Appearance:

• (a few bullet points)

Background:

• (lots of bullet points)

Weaknesses:

• (a few bullet points)

Strengths: 

• (a few bullet points)

Wants:

• (a few bullet points)

Needs:

• (a few bullet points)

Goals:

• (a few bullet points)

Ghosts:

• (a few bullet points)

Character Arc:

• (varies)

Miscellaneous: 

• (a few bullet points)

Alright, now, to explain this! 

Appearance. Yes, there is an "appearance" section, but I try not to go too into detail on this anymore. For example, I'll list that things like "curly blond hair" and "blue eyes" so that I don't accidentally contradict myself throughout the book and I'll put something like "6 feet tall" so I can stay consistent if I describe this character's height in relation to others. Additionally, some things simply MUST be added here, if the character has some plot-relevant detail to their appearance (example: a scar, a tattoo, etc.). I want to caution against adding unnecessary details of appearance if they aren't relevant to the story. For example, I approve things such as: a scar that adds depth to a character's background story; a little bit of description of a character that could give insight to their personality (for example, describing a girl's black boots, leather jacket, and dark eyeshadow could definitely show, rather than tell, that she has an abrasive and tough personality); or brief descriptions of appearance when a character first enters the scene (so that the reader can have a small foundation on which to build a picture of the scene). However, continuously describing a character's appearance, unless is is relevant to the plot or is leading up to something, is unnecessary. 

Background. This one of my favorite sections to fill out, and something that actually breaks my rule of minimalistic description. I highly recommend filling this part out with as much detail as possible. However, I want to caution you as I did with the appearance section - make it all relevant to the plot. I don't mean that every last aspect of the character's background has to be a key to some "aha!" moment, but use your judgement and don't waste time on completely irrelevant information. For example, I approve of background details like "so-and-so used to go to get ice cream with his mom after every soccer game" and then perhaps the mother somehow left the character's life and then the character gets adopted and his/her new older brother takes him out for ice cream after his soccer game, which leads to a  conversation about the character's past and why this means a lot to him/her. I know, I totally ran with this example, but do you see how little details like this could set up for a lovely character arc? Essentially, I am trying to encourage you to tie in every detail, be it appearance or background, to the overall plot and character arc. 

Weaknesses + Strengths. Personally, I love these two because I like to make some things both  weaknesses and strengths (though this is just a personal delight of mine - you can certain have separate, distinct weaknesses and strengths). For example, I could list "overthinker" and "extremely detailed" as a weakness and a strength, respectively, but do you see how these can be viewed as the same thing? In one situation, the character could be incredibly detailed and analytical while doing his homework, but overthinks a relationship or situation that leads to failure. Again, I recommend making all strengths and weaknesses relevant to the plot and character arc, though there is a bit of freedom here to allow for irrelevant character quirks that serve simply to make the reader more aware, or connected with, the character. 

Wants + Needs. I love this part because it automatically aids the character arc, when the character has a discrepancy between their "wants" and "needs" and discovers this by the end of the book (or series). I highly recommend you make this discrepancy clear, from the very beginning, and allow for strong angst and internal conflict as the character figures out what they really need! 

Goals. If there were a part I fill out the least, it would be this section, simply because I feel it repetitive of the "wants". However, if the character has long-term goals that are more distinct that looser "wants", then feel free to add to this section. 

Ghosts. This is the space to summarize and emphasize parts of the character's background that especially "haunt" them throughout the story. I would like to take this a step further and suggest that these "ghosts" can be good or bad. For example, the death of a parents or a car crash or being bullied  can certainly be "ghosts", but so can good experiences that lead to stubborn (and perhaps wrong?) worldviews or opinions. For example, a character being taught early in high school to cheat on a test (maybe a vivid memory of this) and getting an excellent grade could lead to a tendency to cheat on future tests, games, relationships, etc. and provide a basis for a character arc that revolves around the difference between cheating and living with integrity. 

Character Arc. I've been leading up to this, if you could tell ;) I HIGHLY RECOMMEND adding TONS of detail here, just like you did for the "background". However, I see three methods to this:

Character Arc:
• (a few bullet points)
• (a few bullet points)
• (a few bullet points)

Character Arc:
(a paragraph or two of description)

Character Arc:
• (character "before" the character arc, with ghosts and wants and a distorted worldview)
• (character "during" the character arc, confused - internal conflict can mirror external issues)

• (character "after" the character arc, a changed person)

While the last method is clearer and I have begun using it as an effective way to summarize the character arc, I understand that every writer and different, so feel free to use whichever way best helps you know your character. 

Miscellaneous. The fun part! Add anything that doesn't fit into the above categories. I only advise you to keep it relevant to the plot. For example, the character may have a pet, a piece of jewelry, like strawberry cream cheese, or literally anything that is relevant to at least a small aspect of the plot. 

Lastly, I want to discuss a few random ways that I have heard helps people develop their characters. 

• I use, now and again, the Hogwarts House method, whereby you try to decide which Hogwarts house your character would be assigned to and why. This helps me when I'm stuck on a character and feel that their personality is flat or stagnant. This also works with other fandoms where characters are sorted based on personality traits. 
• One method that I came up with (though I'm sure someone out there has the same idea) is to develop a mini, unrelated plot in my mind, and trying to decide how each character would react. For example, I love the "locked in a mansion" or "lost in the woods" plots. I imagine which character would have a melt-down, who would try to keep everyone calm, who would look for a way out, who would fight their way out, who would be resourceful and gather supplies, who would have existing survival knowledge, who would have no idea what to do, and all that. 
• A very simple method is just the comparison method, whereby I compare and contrast my characters to decide how they are different, complementary, or incompatible. Sometimes, an issue may arise when you make your characters too similar and, therefore, their behavior and voices seem fake and superficial. 

I hope this helps someone! In summary, I recommend getting to know your characters almost as an extension of yourself before you start writing. Know what they like or don't like, know how they act, know them. 

Good luck on the writing journey! Just remember why you write <3 

Jeremiah 1:4-5

The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”