Earlier this week, one of my regular viewers on my YouTube channel WRITE. FIX. REPEAT. asked me if I’d consider doing a video on creating compelling characters. As readers, we know that the people who populate the pages of novels, memoirs and other forms of narrative nonfiction are the life and breath of the story. As writers, even if a story’s plot idea inspires us, we know that it will be the characters who will need to inhabit our imaginations and tell their stories. At least, that’s how it is for me.
Characters are crucial for engaging storytelling. And it doesn’t matter if you’re writing fiction or narrative nonfiction. People make your stories come alive.
You know this when you’re reading a novel, but it’s important to remember that there are characters (even if they’re real people, they’re still characters) in narrative nonfiction.
For example, a few years ago, my husband (who happens to be a medical doctor) wrote a book called Life is Terminal: A Doctor’s Common Sense Guide for Making it to the End.
Although this title makes it sound like it’s completely prescriptive nonfiction (which it primarily is), it also has a narrative component. Woven throughout the book is a series of connected stories about a family doctor from the beginning of his practice to the end, illustrating how the ideas and concepts in the book evolved. Creating a character, even in this kind of nonfiction, is key to connecting with readers.
After my viewer asked me about developing characters, my first thought was that I didn’t really create them. Rather, they talk to me and create the stories in my novels. But that’s not entirely fair. At some point, there are actual approaches writers take, either consciously or not, to make characters more engaging.
I have five tips to help you create dynamic, real people in the pages of your stories.
First, give characters depth and complexity. Characters, like real people, need multifaceted personalities. You probably already know this. So, how can you make this happen? Try to avoid stereotypes and clichés. Give your characters a mix of strengths, weaknesses, quirks, fears, and desires.
We can illustrate different sides of our characters’ personalities through their actions, dialogue, and inner thoughts. Consider their backstory and motivations; what drives them to act the way they do? Creating a character’s backstory is one of the ways to ferret out motivations. Try a writing exercise: write in first person from each character’s POV and let them tell their own backstory. Of course, this is for your eyes only! We all know it’s unnecessary (and not appropriate) to spill a character’s entire backstory for the reader.
I also think it’s important to craft characters who are relatable and human. Characters should jump off the page (or screen) and into the minds of the readers. Readers connect with characters they can empathize with. Writing teachers often talk about endowing characters with relatable traits. What exactly makes a character’s traits relatable? In the main, these are personality traits that the audience might share and thus understand. And this goes for demonstrating emotion as well. It’s important to show their vulnerabilities and struggles.
Even in extraordinary circumstances, let them react in ways that feel authentic and understandable. As the story progresses, so should the characters.
There’s always been a question about creating a visual reality for each character. How much should you describe? I believe we need to create a visual reality for our characters by incorporating memorable visuals and details, but we need to be mindful of overdoing this kind of description.
Use clear descriptions to bring your characters to life. Highlight distinctive physical attributes, mannerisms, and unique characteristics (but don’t think you need to describe every detail—leave some things to the readers’ imaginations).
But characters don’t connect with readers—or readers don’t connect with characters—unless those characters compellingly demonstrate their individual motivations and goals. Characters aren’t that interesting unless they have reasons for their actions to drive the plot forward. The main question you should be able to answer: What does your character want? What obstacles stand in their way? Their desires and conflicts should be integral to the storyline, creating tension and intrigue.
Finally, but very important, characters talk. We give our characters a voice by using dialogue to create authenticity. Dialogue is a powerful tool for revealing character traits and relationships. We need to pay attention to creating distinctive speech patterns, vocabulary, and tone. Dialogue should feel natural and serve to deepen characterization. Avoid exposition-heavy conversations (characters should not constantly talk about things just so you can convey information to the reader); instead, use dialogue to show relationships, conflicts, and emotions.
Remember that compelling characters are the heart of any great narrative—they drive the story forward and keep readers invested in the outcome. What are your best tips for creating characters?
Patricia J. Parsons 