Character development is extremely important when it comes to storytelling. If your audience doesn’t feel for your character in some way, even if they’re not necessarily a good person, your story will fall flat. As the audience, we need to understand what a character wants, how they’re trying to get it, and what stands in their way. We need to get inside their heads. Talking about character development is one thing, but actually executing it effectively is another. If you’re looking for ways to build your character’s personality, here are a few tips to get you going.

Try focusing on these areas if you want to get a full picture: childhood/past, personal relationships, likes/dislikes, personal opinions, and wants.

Childhood/past

Your character came from somewhere. Even if your main character is a robot, that’s their past. Their lack of childhood still plays a part in your story. Think about your character’s early life and how it might have shaped what they want now. Your past definitely played a part in building your personality, so it should do the same for your characters. Even if you don’t necessarily discuss their past, you should know it as a writer. You should know how it formed them in some way. Don’t skip this part!

Personal relationships

It helps to take time developing your character’s personal relationships. Does this character care about anyone? Did that change over time? Who is most important to them? Figuring out these things will help you build your character’s personality. Who and what we care about is very important and it forces us to act in certain ways. If your main character has a son or daughter, this might serve as their motivation for something. Love and friendship, or the lack thereof, has a lot to do with how we develop. Think about the difference between Harry Potter and Voldemort. The story makes it clear that Harry could have gone down the same path if he didn’t have the support of his friends.

Likes/dislikes

Taking the time to fill out one of those character development sheets might make a big difference. You should know what your character enjoys most and what they hate. It might not seem like the most important thing in the world, but we can be shaped by our interests. Know your character’s interests and you will have a better understanding of their personality.

Personal opinions

What is your character’s outlook on life? Do they see the glass as half-empty or half-full? Knowing these things will help you shape your character’s view of the world. If your character has consistently been through hard times, they might have a dim outlook on the world around them. This will shape their personality. All these factors will help form who they are and what they want.

Wants

Knowing what your character wants is super important. Every character should want something. Every character should have a goal of some kind. This information will help you develop your character’s personality. If you they want something really bad for a long time, they might become obsessive. If they don’t want something enough, we might see them as unmotivated and lazy. Use these wants to help shape your character and what actions they will take.

-Kris Noel