3 tips on writing great characters

From masterclass and what we’ve learned along the way

What is a well-developed character?

A well-developed character should have a backstory that includes traits or habits that reflect back on it. They must exhibit realistic actions and emotions, making them relatable to the average reader while also being as complex as a real person.

“If you can’t imagine your characters as a real-life person, they’re not quite complex enough to be well developed” (Pope, 2021)

1. Develop your character’s arc!

During our story development journey, we made a personal discovery: our characters require a character arc and preconceived motives that will drive them to achieve their goals.

A character arc is the path a character takes over the course of a story, it includes adversities and challenges that the character must face, which leads to changes in the character and, eventually, a resolution. Character arcs usually develop in tandem with the traditional three-arc story structure. Most arcs begin with an inciting incident that establishes the stakes and central conflicts that this character faces.

There are many archetypal character arcs that can be found within films or literature, depending on the outline of your characters some could entail; transformational arcs, positive change arc, negative change arc, or flat/static character arc

If you are interested in learning more about each archetype we recommend checking out this article provided by MasterClass: How to Write a Captivating Character Arc - 2022 - MasterClass

2. Give them the right and necessary skills

Your character in your story should learn/acquire skills that will allow them to function in your setting/story. For example, because our story revolves around a murder that is meant to be solved, we made certain that our protagonists have a passion for solving cases and include the traits of a detective.

3. Create memorable characters

Our most important and final characterization rule is to make each character unique. Give minor characters engaging qualities that set them apart from everyone else in the story, making each of them memorable. Give them one quirk or characteristic that will help readers recall who they are later in the story. That may come in the form of a title, such as "chief of police" or "headmaster of Eric Hamburger," or a physical characteristic, such as ginger-red hair and steel blue eyes. In our story, this one character plays a minor role as a missing murdered student, but we gave her one physical feature that makes her prominent: half blonde and half brown hair. However, for major characters who play a larger role in your story, aim for 4-5 traits that complexify the character which will make them more like a real person.

Side Note: During our interview with Ms.Prieto, who previously mentored students at Sir Winston Churchill on developing stories, she gave us a tip on developing the characteristics of a character that we’d like to share with you;

1. Gather your team and set a timer for 5-10 minutes

2. Write down anything you can think of that would relate back to your character’s personality, backstory, character arc, etc.

3. Once the timer's up discuss with your group the qualities you’ve come up with .

We’d recommend this exercise whenever your group is stuck on developing a character, because when you are under pressure you’re forced to write whatever comes to mind, leading to fun discoveries. Good Luck.

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