Characters can make or break your fiction. It’s imperative that you populate your story world with three-dimensional characters who feel real. Cardboard characters used merely to push your plot along will leave readers feeling empty. Satisfying fiction is filled with characters that readers believe could exist. The more realistic, the better.
Readers don’t want flat characters. They want characters with dimension and depth. If you’ve ever seen Shrek, you might remember the scene when he tells Donkey that ogres are like onions. You want your characters to be like onions with lots of layers that readers are anxious to peel away as they get to know them.
Discovery, depth, and dimension can help you create 3D characters that are memorable, compelling, and realistic.
Discovery
The discovery phase can be compared to an awkward but necessary first date. What would you notice on a first date? At the top of the list would be their physical appearance. Hair color, eye color, physical stature, accent, voice quality, clothing style, laugh, and even skin tone might be part of your character’s description. Do they smile much? Are their teeth crooked? Do they stutter? Is there a stain on his shirt? Is her hair unkempt? Filling out a character sheet will help you keep track of your character’s physical features and other details. You can download a free character sheet from my website.
Another way to discover your character is to surf websites or use AI to find a model who most closely resembles the character in your mind. You can then refer to this image to make sure your physical descriptions are consistent throughout your story.
I like to create a document with images of my characters, along with other physical descriptions like height, weight, body type, speech patterns, and clothing style. Sometimes I even use a celebrity’s appearance as the basis for a character. I print out this document and keep it close as I write the story.
Remember, like a first date, this is all superficial. The physical descriptions only scratch the surface of your characters—don’t stop there. To effectively create compelling characters, you have to dig deeper.
Depth
You want to move beyond what is apparent to the eye and go deeper into the personality of your characters. One of the best ways to learn more about them is to interview them. Ask questions and listen to their answers. You might be surprised at what you learn. Ask them where they grew up, if they were happy as a child, which parent they were closest to and why, and if anything traumatic happened during their childhood. Interview them about school and ask which classes they liked best/least and why. Who was their hero? What music did they listen to? What was their favorite movie? What event most shaped their lives and why?
Ask about activities in high school, friends, and those they didn’t like and why. Did they go to college? Marry young? Have children? Join the Army? Fight for a cause? Go into business? Spend too much money? Do they have a pet? Do they like to eat dessert before dinner? What happened in their lives that shaped them into who they are now? The more questions you ask, the deeper you’ll dive into their psyche. In order to fully understand a character’s motivations, you have to know why they are at this point when your story begins.
You likely won’t use any of this information within your story, but you’ll be able to create a more developed character by doing this background work. To help you get started, you can download a free character interview on my website.
My son was cast as the lead character, Edward Bloom, in the play Big Fish. Edward is a complex character, and my son spent a significant amount of time thinking about him and how he would react in certain situations. He thought about what emotions Edward might experience in different scenes. He put a lot of effort into developing this character, and the result was pure magic on stage. My son brought Edward to life and created an emotional experience for the audience.
That’s exactly what you want for your readers. You want them to read the last sentence of your book, then sit back and continue thinking about your characters and your story for days to come. You want readers to experience your story themselves, and that’s what happens when your characters are fully developed.
Dimension
Now that you’ve dug deeper, it’s time to add even more dimension. This is where the characters become so real to you that you have a difficult time distinguishing them from people you actually know.
When creating multi-dimensional characters, it’s important to think about how that character reacts or responds in situations. For example, if Jane learns that her best friend has just been kidnapped, how does she react or respond? Does she fall apart? Scream? Pass out? Yell at people? Call someone? Cry? Get mad? Go out and look for her friend? Is her response reasonable or over the top?
How your characters react shows who they are and serves to characterize them more deeply. However, you also need to make sure the reaction fits the character (unless that is a specific device in your story—as in, he or she is having a mental breakdown).
A character who is generally calm would not throw a chair through a window when he discovers his shirt wasn’t ironed. This aggressive reaction doesn’t fit the situation or his persona and will feel contrived unless there has been enough revealed about this character that the reader understands his reaction. Reactions are an effective way to deepen the characters in your stories and to help readers understand them.
Look for ways to add dimension to your characters. One way to do this is to freewrite as if you are your character. When I’m stuck on a scene or don’t know how my character feels about something, I find it helpful to take out a notebook and pen and start writing. I’ll write the thoughts and feelings of my character and keep going until I get a better feel for my character in this scene.
Freewriting means that you tie up and gag your inner editor. Set a timer for five minutes, then write, write, write. Don’t give yourself any rules or limitations—simply write. This technique can help you get to know your characters in unexpected ways.
Characters Must Feel Real
Your characters will feel more realistic and compelling when you discover their physical attributes, dig deeper into their personality, and add dimension through their reactions. The more time you spend on developing your character, the more that character will be believable. Character motivations, or reasons for doing what they do, will feel justified and understandable.
Having three-dimensional characters will make your story come alive, so take the time to fully create them. Your readers will thank you.
Rebecca Talley
She has published thirteen novels/novellas, a children’s picture book, a chapter book, a writing resource guide, and numerous children’s stories and articles for both online and print magazines. When she isn’t writing, Rebecca likes to date her husband, play with her kids and grandkids, swim in the ocean, crochet, and dance to disco music while she cleans the house.
You can find Rebecca’s websites here and here.
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