How To Write Convincing Characters

Characters make or break a story, whether they are the hero, the villain or the comic relief sidekick. Your story could fall flat if your characters are one dimensional, or worse, boring. 

Here are some tips to creating well rounded and believable fictional characters.

1. Answer the fundamental questions 

Answer these 4 questions to build a framework for your character : 

1. What is their name? 

You may ask what's in a name, but how else will people identify your character. Your characters name will also give the audience insight into where they are from, the world they are in, their family and so on. 

2. Where did they come from?

Your character should exist before and after the story, this means that they started from somewhere. This questions gives your character something to build off.

However, limit the influence of their background on their personality, especially if you are not familiar with the place or heritage they are from. This can prevent stereotyping or superficial representation. It is best to write about places you know or are building, if that is not the case, make sure you do your due diligence regarding the culture. 

3. Why are they here? 

By answering this, you will better understand your characters motivation and what drives them. Through this you can place them in your story, understand their purpose and frame their character arc.

4. How did they get here? 

This question makes you understand your characters growth and journey prior to where the plot kicks off. This adds meaning and depth to their motivations and helps them move through the story.

The answers to these questions will establish a passable background for your character, making it seem like your character had a life before the events of the story took place. These questions also help you better place them in the story. 

2. How does your character project their traits? 

Assigning personality traits to your character simply is not enough. No real person decides what their traits are. Instead, we subconsciously project our personality.

For example, if your character is shy, figure out how the audience is supposed to know that. Maybe this character gets cut off while speaking but does not defend themselves, maybe they avoid public settings, and so on. 

How a character projects themself tells the audience more about their personality than the decided traits. It makes it fun for the reader to pick at and interpret in their own way. This also paves the way for multiple interpretations, thus making the character feel even more real.

3. What are their interests ?

People from the same background do not always act the same way, so basing your character entirely on that can lead to a one dimensional or even stereotypical character. Instead, what sets them apart can be their interests. Their interests should exist outside the plot, to make them feel more real. This can include things like movies, collecting items, and so on. 

A persons interests and likes can speak volumes about them, thus making your character more fleshed out to your audience. The audience can also relate to this character through these interests.