At the end of the day, the most important thing for readers is how the story made them feel. To craft a memorable narrative that sticks with readers long after the final word, you must have characters with clear motivations that readers fall in love with or ones who evoke emotions like fear or hate. Ask yourself, is this a character you’d be interested in devoting fifty chapters to? If not, then what kind of character would you devote that kind of time to? If you follow these tips and general rules of character building, you will be on the right track to creating an unforgettable story.
Side characters matter (and yes, there can be too many)
Every story has its main character(s), and it is easy to become blindsided while building up your protagonist(s). As important as your main character(s) are, they are only as narratively strong as your weakest side-character. I can write the deepest, most thought-provoking character I’ve ever written, but it means nothing if my “side characters” aren’t as detailed. Weak side characters hinder the story because they distract readers and bring them back into reality. How do they distract readers, you might ask? They aren’t believable. Everyone, including myself and the person reading this, is the main character of the story we call our everyday life. There are instances when constructing a weak side character is purposeful for the story. Aside from that, bland, two-dimensional side characters who contribute little to nothing should be removed entirely or reworked to have believable motivations that align with the story, their own character flaws, and their own distinct voices. To keep track of all your characters and their respective arcs, it might be helpful for you to give each one of them a map/outline and draw connections to how all their traits interact with each other. While I see the advantages of character outlines, I am a panster, so I don’t even dissect my characters and their motivations until the first draft is finished. For me, it is easier to write and let the characters build themselves organically. I enjoy reading my work afterwards and deducing the flaws, traits, and themes my subconscious came up with, without putting too much thought into my characters before writing.
Show, don’t tell
Character descriptions are important, but a tactful way to introduce readers to flaws, traits, fears, and motivations is by showing (show, don’t tell) how they interact with the world around them. Instead of writing “Steve was a bad man,” it is much better if I write a scene in which Steve snuffs out his cigarette on a dog. Are you writing a sensitive character who is unable to control their emotions? Maybe they cry at the smallest misfortunes. Then you can take it a step further and explore why this character interacted with the world the way they did. This is where building a backstory for a character comes in handy. See where your imagination takes you as you explore your character’s backstories.
Tapping into your inner psychologist and observing the real-world
To build a multi-dimensional character, one must turn into a sort of psychotherapist. In the sense that one must be able to look at a certain character’s actions and recognize which patterns/traits an individual like this might have. This can take some practice, but by paying closer attention to the nuances of real-life conversation and people’s behavior, you will start to notice certain patterns that shy, extroverted, angry, and depressed people have. There have been times when I looked at relationships with people in my own life and drew inspiration from them. You can even make a list of other characters in fiction and pick and choose what qualities of theirs you like and dislike. This skill will come in handy when you get home, open your writing software, and create your characters. Another good idea for building multi-dimensional characters is to give them internal struggles they face, while also dealing with external problems. For your character to accomplish their goal, they should face this moral dilemma and either overcome it or succumb to it.
A character I would love to create (an example of creating a multi-layered character)
A character and story I would love to create and write about is the personification of memory loss. I want to explore a cosmic creature whose sole purpose in the universe is to make humans forget, and the toll it takes on said creature. Similar to the Grim Reaper’s job of collecting the souls of the deceased. It would be an interesting way to explore why we forget certain things and remember others. For example, the Greeks did not understand the science behind the rise and fall of the sun (or maybe they did, I’m not a historian or mythologist), so they created the God Helios, who drives his golden chariot across the sky. My cosmic creature will make people forget both the good and bad memories and “mythify” the scientific phenomenon of why our brains erase traumatic events. This character finds humans fascinating, despite not fully understanding them. So, to better understand human experience, the creature reveals himself to a human, which is a relationship I can explore as well. Notice how in my summary of this character, I used the word ‘despite’ to signify some sort of internal conflict.
Closing message
There isn’t a specific equation for creating memorable characters, but even if you aren’t a writer, hopefully, after reading this, you are able to discern a weak character from a strong character and maybe even come up with your own ideas on how to make them better. By giving all your characters clear motivations, showing how they interact with the setting, highlighting their flaws, giving them distinct voices, having a strong supporting cast, and creating moral dilemmas, you can create a character that’ll go down in history as one of the best in fiction. Feel free to add any further tips or ask questions in the comments. As always, everyone has a story, and yours deserves to be told. Take the first step and see where it takes you; who knows, you might write my next favorite CHARACTER.
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