You’ve got a fabulous idea for a novel. The main plot points are there, you’ve decided on the setting and time period, and you know you need a few really good characters. If you’re at a loss for where to start when it comes to character development, you’re not alone.
Never fear, because today we’re going to talk a bit about character development, with some help from one of my favorite blogs and resources: The Editor’s Blog.
Character development comes in two parts:
- Developing the character so that you know them inside and out.
- Translating that knowledge so that the reader knows the right information (and the right amount of information) at the right time.
Although both parts are essential to character development, we’ll just talk about the first one in this post. Stay tuned for a post on the second part, coming soon-ish.
Knowing the Character Inside and Out
Character development goes way beyond what the character’s physical qualities are, or where they are from. Character development also involves the character’s back story, motivations, actions, reactions, emotional responses, goals, and desires. Beth Hill, the author of The Editor’s Blog, gives a really awesome list of questions that you can ask your character to get to know them inside and out. I’ve attached a link to her original post, but here’s a recap of her questions:
1. What does your character want?
2. How did that want develop?
3. Does your character have competing desires?
4. Are your character’s wants easily satisfied or never satisfied?
5. What triggers your character’s want?
6. What do your character’s wants lead to?
7. Which other characters know how to trigger negative (or positive) reactions in your main characters?
8. How does a character’s choice of career or hobbies or locale reveal his or her past?
9. What are your character’s coping mechanisms?
10. What aspirations does your character have?
11. What makes your character laugh or cry or go speechless with wonder?
12. What does your character fear?
13. What does your character value?
14. What makes your character happy?
15. Who is your character when he or she is alone?
16. What does your character avoid?
17. Is your character predictable? In what ways? Or if not, why not?
18. How does your character react to failure? To success?
19. What does your character hate? Love? Find humorous? Find gross?
20. When is your character tender?
21. Does your character trust?
22. What legacy does your character want to leave?
23. Will your character try anything or try nothing?
24. Is your character honorable?
25. What hurts your characters?
26. What does your character surround him- or herself with in terms of other people and their strengths and weaknesses?
27. What kinds of other characters might your character always let get close?
28. What are your character’s weaknesses? Strengths?
29. How does your character treat family members? Friends? Coworkers? Peers? Authority figures? Enemies?
30. Does your character like his or her friends?
31. Do your character’s job and career paths reflect his or her interests?
32. Does your character love in return or take advantage of those who love him or her?
33. Does your character speak love or show love by actions, either the practical or the extravagant?
34. At the beginning of your story, is the character living out his or her dream or just getting by? Where does he or she stand in the middle of the story? At the conclusion?
35. Is your character loyal?
36. What would never move your character?
37. Does your character like order or chaos?
38. If your character did something out of character, what would it be?
39. Has your character’s life always been so troubled?
40. What does your character lack in terms of emotions or skills or desires?
41. Does your character envy what he or she lacks?
42. How far would your character go to achieve victory? What would compel him or her to quit before reached his or her goals?
43. Is your character a thinker, a feeler, a talker, or a doer?
44. What communication skills does your character have?
45. Is your character modern or a throwback to the past? Or is your character a visionary, looking to the future?
46. How does your character manipulate others? Is he or she good at it? Or is he or she often the victim of manipulation?
47. Does your character bow to society’s dictates or fight against them? What are the hot-button social, religious, political, moral, or philosophical issues that move him or her?
48. Does your character like to be with others or spend time alone?
49. Which sense (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste, ESP) most affects your character? Which sense does he or she rely on? Which would he or she never notice?
50. Is your character competitive? In what ways?
51. Does your character talk a lot or communicate with silence?
52. Is your character street smart, book smart, or people smart?
53. What is your character hiding?
54. Who does your character want to be when he or she grows up?
55. What is your character willing to sacrifice? What would your character never sacrifice?
56. What action or thought or conversation does your character regret?
57. What can your character never forgive?
58. Where is your character’s line in the sand?
59. Is your character a doer or a watcher? A starter or a completer? A finisher or a quitter? A leader or a follower?
Explore Your Character
It’s a long list, but it really does make you think about some other aspects of your character. One of the things that is neat about doing this exercise and answering all these questions is that you figure out who your character is. The answers to these questions give your characters depth. And, as Beth Hill advises, “Don’t think you have to put all that you discover about your characters into your books. Let what you know influence word choices and situations and events, but don’t be compelled to overtly tell readers everything you know about your characters. Keep some of that information to yourself.”
More to come on this in part two of this series on character development. Buckle up—I’ll probably talk about J. K. Rowling, because I consider her the queen of character development (among other things. She’s pretty awesome).
So take some time, explore the original blog post, and answer these questions about your character. Obviously your character needs a name and a description, and there are plenty of lists of questions to help you nail down those things. Hopefully this list gets you thinking about the deeper aspects of your character. Till next time!