How to Create Believable Characters

Give Your Character Some Love Before Tossing Them Into the Plot

There are many parts to a book -the plot, the setting, the voice, and the characters. Notice how I put it last on the list? That’s intentional. Most new writers put the character last. They spend the least amount of time getting to know their main character and side characters. In character-driven books and short stories, this is a critical mistake.

Writing Better Characters

A character who is just plopped down in a story will be flat, emotionally unprepared, and boring, and your reader will not be invested in them. Your reader doesn’t have to like your character, but they must be invested enough to want to read your book. It’s your job as a writer to engage your reader and take them on a journey.

All the parts of your book need to work together and fit like pieces of a puzzle. It’s not as complex or as complicated as it may seem. But it does take a little work on the writer’s part before they start.

There are some writers, like I used to be, who develop the characters as they write. They have an idea of their characters, give them names, ages, etc. The story brings out part of the character–emotion, perspective, thoughts, what they would choose or not choose. While that is true to some extent, it’s because a character grows and changes as the story they are in unfolds around them.

Characters that aren’t thought out lead to a lot of back-story and expositional writing. YIKES no one likes to read this, it slows your book down to a crawl. You end up telling the reader all about your character using clichés, such as looking in a mirror to see themselves, and we learn they have red hair. And this is B-O-R-I-N-G. As a writer, you want to show your reader everything about your character instead of telling them.

Other writers spend time developing their characters before they start writing. They know each and every character inside and out. They know how they’d react in situations, they know their secret loves, what their character wants or doesn’t want. They know that their character’s pinky toe was broken when a hammer fell on it in sixth grade. And that their character has a secret crush on someone they work with. They also leave room for change.

Guess what?? You are the creator of your characters, and you get to know everything about them. A well-thought-out character(s) helps you as a writer, because you’re not second-guessing situations. You know how and what your character will do or won’t do. You get to put them in sticky situations and know how they’ll get out. It’s the difference between doing a puzzle with all the edge pieces missing or a puzzle with the edge already in place.

Of course, I’m not going to leave you stranded here. I’m going to give you some tips on how to develop your characters.

When I start writing a new book, I create a simple spreadsheet (I love a good Excel spreadsheet). I keep it very simple. Just the facts. And it makes a handy reference sheet when you need to remember who is who, etc.

1) Pick your characters. Name them. Give them an age. Decide all of their physical attributes. Your Main Character should be first and at the top of your list. You might find, as you write, some of these characters drop off. Or, you might have a new character pop up. That’s ok, it’s part of the creative process.

2) Do a deep dive on your favorite book. But look at the characters. Why do you love them? Why do you hate them? Pick through the author’s work and understand how they described the characters to you? Did they TELL you or show you? Notice how character traits are revealed through dialogue, actions, and internal thoughts.

3) You don’t have to describe every detail about your character in the book. But you, as the writer, have to know your creation. Below is a link for the FREE CHARACTER guides I use to create my characters.

4) Grab an empty notebook and a pen. This is now your main character’s journal. Every day for a week or two, journal as your main character. Be them. Be free. No holding back. This is fun, and gives you their interactions, fears, etc., and helps you to get deeper into your characters’ heads.

Journal as your character.

5) Think of some of your favorite characters. What do you love about them? What connects you the most with them? How do you see them visually before the writer gives you any clue? Take note. Don’t be shy. 

Remember when you’re developing a new book. Don’t leave the characters behind. Your protagonists and antagonists must both be plotted out, like your book. Your side characters have a place, too. With a bit of planning, you’ll find that starting and finishing your book becomes a lot easier.

Download your FREE Character Sheets here.