The best fictional character you can write is one you understand well, or one you are fascinated with. When you start brainstorming a story idea, it can help to think of people you’ve met that caught your eye.
Here’s our method for developing fictional characters that resonate with you and your target audience.
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Step One: Fundamental Questions to Ask Your Character
Who is this person, at their core?
I like to design the personality before I choose a name or age.
Here’s what you’ll need to know about your story character to get started writing:
If I just met this character, what would I like about their personality? What do they bring to the table? Try to think from the reader’s perspective. What is the character’s best qualities and how do they demonstrate their strengths? What makes them likable?
What is their fatal flaw or weakness?
What is their approach in life? What values guide their decisions? Does this affect how they communicate?
How do they feel about change? Will they grow over the course of the story? Will they find a positive or tragic ending? When life happens to them, how do they respond?
What is their goal in the story? What do they want most in the world? What do they need?
What about their life right now is holding them back? What needs to go in order for them to change?
What’s their love language?
How do they express themselves?
Name their deepest fear.
Do they need to see something to believe in it, or are they more open minded to the possibilities?
Describe their childhood/backstory a bit. What made them who they are? What defined them growing up?
What kind of person are they interested in, romantically?
How do they treat their friends versus their enemies?
We’ve talked about who they are. Who are they going to be at the end of your story? How do they end up in life?
What makes them angry?
What is a decision THEY make that leads to the events of the story?
What is a secret they may keep, about them-self of someone they love? This can add suspense to the story.
Step Two: Demographics
Next you’ll want to explore-
What is their age?
What is their name?
What is their gender?
Where did they grow up and where do they live now?
What are their sexual and romantic orientations?
Describe their appearance. What do they look like and do they have any especially attractive (or unattractive), unique, or stylish features? How do they feel about their appearance?
Make a short list of their friends and family, who may later become characters in your story.
These questions are designed to help you dig into understanding exactly who your character is. Once you have a sense for how to answer these questions, your character will be more robust. This means when people read your novel, they’ll be imagining a well-developed person, with problems, desire, a need, and a beautiful story.
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