Character Development: Definition and Tips for a Great Story

Character Development: Definition and Tips for a Great Story

Are you writing a book, screenplay, or short story? You'll need great characters if you want your story to be memorable. In this post, find out what character development is and how you can use it to create compelling protagonists, antagonists, and allies.
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What is character development?

Character development is the process of a writer expressing the physical, mental, and cultural traits of a character. A character's blend of traits should make him or her feel like a real, unique human being.  

The same definition holds for non-human characters, like talking animals in a fantasy story - the more human these animals feel, the better.

Fictional stories rely on character development, as do narrative non-fiction ones. Even if a character in a non-fiction story is based on a real person, the writer still needs to develop that character so the audience can understand what that person is like.

Examples of traits used in character development

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• Physical traits entail a character's appearance and bodily capabilities. Ex, Allison, who's fit and agile, is an excellent dancer.

 

• Mental traits involve a character's disposition and psychological capabilities. Ex, John is shrewd and pessimistic.

 

• Cultural traits entail the context in which the character lives, plus has lived through life. Ex, Dave, who grew up in a small rural town, is now a painter who lives in Manhattan.

Show vs. tell in character development

"Show vs. tell" is a writing tactic that involves expressing information to the audience by showing that information in the world of your story instead of directly telling the audience it.

Certain basic physical traits - like sex, age, and hair color - can be told to the audience. However, you should try to show the others.

​Showing creates a more engaging experience for your audience - they must actively observe your story world and come up with their own conclusions versus you directly telling them information.

For example, let's say you need to get across the mental trait that Jimmy is a lair. Instead, of simply saying "Jimmy is a liar," write a scene where this information is expressed in a dramatic way.  

Here's a way to do that:

• Jimmy is at dinner with his wife and her parents. At the end of dinner, the parents invite the couple back to their house for a drink.

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• Jimmy says he'd love to go, but must get back to the office for an emergency. His wife leaves with her parents, while Jimmy gets in his car alone. He smiles and waves goodbye to everyone.

 

• Instead of going to the office, Jimmy drives to an apartment complex and knocks on a door. A pretty woman in a robe smiles and lets him in.

The choices characters make in private say a lot about who they are as people, ie, like Jimmy's choice to cheat on his wife. When at dinner with the group, Jimmy could very well come off like a loving husband. However, that would just be an act. Once he's alone, in the car, is when the true him emerges.

​When showing character traits, be sure to clearly distinguish between authentic traits and phony ones characters pretend to have for others. 

Making a character feel real and unique isn't enough

Developing a character simply means the character feels real and unique. That does not guarantee the character will be compelling.

To create a compelling character, you need to give the character an intriguing blend of physical, mental, and cultural traits that grips the audience.

​Below are some tips for creating gripping protagonists, antagonists, and allies... 

Character development tips

Character development tips for your protagonist

• Make sure your protagonist has at least one major skill. Ex, Margaret is an excellent trial attorney.

 

• Be certain to give your protagonist the willpower to go after a challenging goal in your story (ie, the hero's "want"). Ex, Paul wants to catch a notorious serial killer.

 

• Be sure to give your hero a motive for attaining this goal that the audience can emotionally get behind. Ex, Shannon wants to win a national singing competition not for the money, but because her mother once told her she'd never amount to anything.

 

• Make sure your hero has at least one flaw. Ex, Henry easily gives up when feeling pressured. 

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• Give your hero a trait he or she doesn't like. Ex, Elizabeth is ashamed of her broke, alcoholic father.   

 

• Give the character a contradiction. Ex, Bill is a loving family man at home, yet has a job smashing people's kneecaps for the mafia.

 

• Give the character an arc. An arc is a change in the character's blend of traits from the beginning of the story to the end. The change should come about after your hero gains personal insight by going through the conflicts in your story. Ex, at the beginning of a story, Henry easily gives up under pressure, however, by the end, he realizes that trait was hurting his life and he overcomes it.

Character development tips for your antagonist

• Make sure your antagonist has at least one major skill, which stands in direct opposition of the hero's want. Ex, the hero wants to win a golf tournament and the antagonist (at least at the beginning of the story) is the stronger golfer.

 

• Make your antagonist malicious. The antagonist shouldn't simply stand in the way of your protagonist's want, but aim to seriously hurt your protagonist, emotionally, physically, or both. Ex, a criminal doesn't want to simply evade capture by the hero detective, but murder the detective and his family.

 

• Give the character at least one good quality. If you balance out the character's malicious side, your villain will not only feel more realistic, but be more compelling - you'd create more depth. Ex, Earl may be a jewel thief, but he loves his girlfriend and is an excellent boyfriend. 

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• Give the character a reason for the unsavory behavior. Ex, Fred decided to be a bank robber because his daughter is sick and he needs to pay for an operation.

 

• Your antagonist doesn't necessarily need an arc, however, in certain stories, a transformation can be a powerful addition. For example, by the end of the story, your villain can realize the fault in his ways. However, this realization comes too late - your villain can't change the terrible things that were done.

Character development tips for your allies

• An ally may have a valuable trait the protagonist lacks. Ex, though protagonist Sally is very smart, she can be emotionally standoffish. Her best friend, Jenna, is funny, and helps Sally get through tough moments with humor.

 

• An ally sometimes has the ability to see good traits in the protagonist that the protagonist does not yet see in themself. Through the story, this ally would help the protagonist change their self-view for the better. 

 

• Like antagonists, ally characters don't require an arc. However, if you're going to feature an ally in a large supporting role, an arc could be a source of drama and emotional impact.   

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