One of the most important elements of a good story is its well-written characters. Developing an interesting, lifelike protagonist and a cast of lovable side characters is what sets your book apart and makes readers feel invested in what happens next. This is also one of the most challenging parts, though, which is why it can be helpful to do some prep ahead of time!
Wants and needs
Coming up with a character (a whole person!) might feel daunting at first, but at the end of the day, every great character boils down to two things: a want and a need. Cinderella wants to go to the ball, but what she really needs is to be loved for who she is. Katniss wants to survive the games, but what she really needs is safety, something no one can have as long as the Capitol exists.
Wants are usually concrete, specific, and more often short-term. They’re also related to the need, but not quite the right solution for it. Just going to the ball won’t solve Cinderella’s problems, and surviving the games won’t change the oppressive world Katniss must return to. Your character’s need, by contrast, is abstract and long-term. Needs usually boil down to something innately human: safety, justice, knowledge, independence, love, peace, revenge.
Often, your main character’s want and need will come from the story itself, which is why it can be helpful to start by doing some brainstorming first. If you’re writing a story about a colony of mermaids whose territory is being encroached upon by an underwater settlements, your protagonist’s want and need will appear naturally: maybe she wants to sabotage a settlement and scare the humans away, but what she needs is the safety of her home. If you’re writing a story about a boy whose twin brother constantly copies his choices and achievements, he might want to make a drastic life change to set himself apart, but what he needs is individuality and independence.
Save the cat!
If you already explored the Story Structure section, you might have wondered where the “Save the Cat!” method got its name. Jessica Brody makes it easy to understand:
If your main character starts off somewhat unlikable, then, in the early pages of your story, they should save a cat (yes, like from a tree or a burning building or a shelter), or do something comparable that immediately makes the reader root for them, regardless of their original likability.
This piece of advice is perfect for the flawed, morally grey, or unpleasant protagonist, and it’s what takes an “unlikable” character and gets the reader on their side. If you’re developing this kind of character, make them as questionable or wretched as you want, but be sure to think about an attribute that readers will resonate with (like saving a cat, being kind to a child, or doing some other similarly sympathetic act).
Writing reactions
The actions your character takes tell the reader something about them. Similarly, their reactions to things that happen tell the reader something, too. Alice LaPlante explores this in The Making of a Story:
Character can be acted upon (by others, by god, by nature, etc.) and create further plot points by reacting. If characters can act, they can also be acted upon: things can happen to them independently of their own actions—and their reactions to those things can cause the plot to unfold even more.
Think about how your character might react to different events—a loss, a win, a piece of bad news, an insult, a compliment. Imagine the different ways they could respond, and most importantly, which response tells us the most about who they are as a person. When criticized, do they immediately get defensive, or do they shut down and internalize? When they trip in front of someone, do they try to pretend they were tying their shoe, or maybe get embarrassed and rush out of the room? Try to think about how their instinctive reaction would differ from yours, and focus on what each choice communicates to the reader.
Character questionnaire
Still struggling to get to know your character? Try filling out a questionnaire. Gail Carson Levine is a frequent user of this method:
For example, under “way of speaking”, your character may always speak a little too loudly, perhaps because her father is hard of hearing. Or under “physical characteristics”, your character might check his appearance whenever he passes a mirror or even a darkened window in which he can see his reflection. Or under “relationships”, your character might give in easily to the demands of her friends because she hates to argue.
Before I begin a new book, I may fill out character questionnaires for some of the main characters. I did one for Char when I was writing Ella Enchanted. I don’t always complete every item, only those that apply to my story.
Here’s a questionnaire I’ve used before, but you can also search online for other templates if you’re interested in longer or shorter ones (you can find Levine’s specific questionnaire on page 41 of Writing Magic: Creating Stories that Fly). As you go, think about the little details that make up your character, the small quirks, flaws, habits, and beliefs that make them who they are.
- Eye color:
- Hair color:
- Complexion:
- Age:
- Physical appearance:
- Favorite color:
- Catchphrases/speech mannerisms/habits:
- Immediate family:
- Close friends:
- Where they grew up:
- Where they call home:
- Most formative childhood experience(s):
- A belief as a result of that experience:
- Something they’ve lost:
- Something they want:
- Their most prominent skills or virtues:
- Their most prominent flaws:
- A belief they hold that you disagree with:
- Something they dislike about themselves:
- Sense of humor:
- Nicknames they’re known by:
- How would you summarize their personality in one word?
- What first impression do they give off?
- What qualities do they like/trust in other people?
- What qualities do they dislike/distrust in other people?
- What’s in their pockets?
- What’s under their bed?
- What’s a secret they’ve never told anyone?
Not everything you write in this questionnaire will make it into your novel, and that’s okay. Alice LaPlante makes a great point about the process of developing characters:
Nowhere else is Hemingway’s famous iceberg theory more appropriate: with characters, only 10 percent of what the author knows about the character actually appears in the story or nonfiction piece—but if he or she doesn’t know the other 90 percent, then that will be apparent to the reader: the character will appear lifeless, not believable, flat in some way.
Getting to know your characters is what brings them to life. Even if your reader doesn’t ever find out what’s in their pockets, even if the only thing in there is lint, you need to know about it.
I hope the resources on this page helped you get better acquainted with your characters! But if you’re still looking for more help, you can dive deeper into character development here.