Asked by: Nathan Bass

How do you add personality to a character?

Follow these character development tips when you sit down to write:

1. Establish a character’s motivations and goals. …
2. Choose a voice. …
3. Do a slow reveal. …
4. Create conflict. …
5. Give important characters a backstory. …
6. Describe a character’s personality in familiar terms. …
7. Paint a physical picture of your characters.

How can I make my characters more unique?

Let’s go!

1. Tip 1: Make Their Actions Different, Not Looks. …
2. Tip 2: Prejudices, Enemies, Faults and Fears. …
3. Tip 3: Give Them Their Part of the World. …
4. Tip 4: Give Them a Unique Goal. …
5. Tip 5: Give Them Unique Phrases and Speech. …
6. Tip 6: Grow Them, Don’t Change Them. …
7. Tip 7: Give Them Values, Give Them Choices.

How do I add more depth to my character?

Here are five ways to enhance your characters and their depth.

1. Give Your Characters a Personality Flaw.
2. Give Your Characters an Addiction.
3. Give Your Character a Physical Disability.
4. Give Your Character a Mental Disability.
5. Give Your Character a Secret.

How do you develop better characters?

1. Establish the character’s story goals and motivations.
2. Give the character an external and internal conflict.
3. Make sure the character has strengths and flaws.
4. Decide whether the character is static or dynamic.
5. Give the character a past.
6. Develop the character’s physical characteristics.

How many personality traits should a character have?

Big Five Personality Traits – this is sometimes described by the OCEAN acronym. The five factors are openness to experience, conscientiouisness, extraversion, agreeablenesss and neuroticism.

How do you make a character arc?

Character arc template: 5 steps to strong character arcs

1. Find your character’s first goal. …
2. Brainstorm helps and hindrances. …
3. Find a point of no return. …
4. Plot growth and change. …
5. Bring external and internal conflicts to a head. …
6. 2 replies on “Character arc template: 5 steps to strong character arcs”

What makes a character boring?

A boring character fails to capture the reader’s attention and interest. I’ve fallen into this trap while exploring realism. I wanted my characters to be everyday people with everyday problems.

What are the 12 character archetypes?

There are twelve brand archetypes: The Innocent, Everyman, Hero, Outlaw, Explorer, Creator, Ruler, Magician, Lover, Caregiver, Jester, and Sage.

What makes a character likeable?

A character with distinct traits and personality traits will end up being likable with readers because they’re more interesting and relatable than other characters. Another trait that makes characters likable is showing them as both unique from other people and very relatable.





What are the 4 types of character development?

Grouped in this way by character development, character types include the dynamic character, the round character, the static character, the stock character, and the symbolic character. Dynamic character: A dynamic character is one who changes over the course of the story.

What makes a good main character?

They are kind, good, and moral. They look out for their fellow characters in times of danger. A likable character sticks up for the little guy and adds a human quality to their supporting cast, even when that cast isn’t remotely human. When a character feels like a guide, it makes the reader feel safe.

How do you develop character relationships?

7 Tips for Building Relationships Between Your Characters

1. Draw on your own life experience. …
2. Create a relationship arc. …
3. Let outward character behavior come from a detailed inner life. …
4. Give your characters unique traits. …
5. Place your characters in multiple relationships. …
6. Let subtext carry the load.

How do you create character dynamics?

Catalytic, Not Catatonic: 5 Steps to Writing Dynamic Characters

1. Make Your Character Knock Down the First Domino. …
2. Knock Your Character Down, Then Make Him Choose Again. …
3. Make Your Character Culpable. …
4. Let Your Character Make Both Good and Bad Choices. …
5. Allow Your Character to Take Responsibility as Part of His Journey.




How do you show chemistry between characters?

Make your characters messy and human. They make mistakes and they keep pushing forward, both with their individual goals and as it relates to the romance. Motivate them because the more there is to lose, the hotter the chemistry becomes, and the better the payoff is for the reader.

How do you make two characters become friends?

So today, I am going to give you 7 things you need to do to develop your friendship.

1. Make Each Character Their Own Person. …
2. Give Them Something in Common. …
3. Give Them Meaningful Differences. …
4. Give Them a History That Shines Through. …
5. Create a Glue. …
6. Create Meaningful Scenes. …
7. Don’t Make Their Relationship Perfect.

How do you write a romantic chemistry between characters?

To achieve romantic chemistry, show how the characters interact with one another through the four levels of attraction. Start with the foundation of physical attraction and work up to explore intellectual, emotional and social levels characters possess.

How do you make characters different from each other?

7 Effective Ways to Give Your Characters Unique Voices




1. It’s Not About Accents and Syntax. …
2. Read the Dialogue Aloud. …
3. Cover the Character Names. …
4. Eliminate Unnecessary Exposition Dialogue. …
5. Identify Character Types. …
6. Identify Character Traits. …
7. Action Speaks Louder Than Words.

How do you introduce two characters to each other?

Here is some writing advice to help you introduce your characters as effectively as possible:

1. Don’t get bogged down in physical appearance. …
2. Give your character a memorable character trait. …
3. Start with backstory when appropriate. …
4. Introduce a character through action. …
5. Introduce the main character as soon as possible.

How do you introduce a character in third person?

How to start a novel in third person: 7 tips




1. 1: Choose between third person limited, objective and omniscient. …
2. 2: Begin with character action and description that raises questions. …
3. 3: Avoid introductory character descriptions that read as lists. …
4. 4: Remember not to use dialogue attribution in third person unless necessary.

How do you connect characters in a novel?

Connect your characters to their setting to give readers the experience of a real locale. Put props in your characters’ hands so those characters seem real and more than one-dimensional. Tie characters together by their love—or hatred—of someone or something else.

How do you introduce multiple characters in a story?

The easiest solution is to split up the introduction. If it’s possible at all, have the MC share a scene with one or two characters, then with two or three others, and so on until you’ve introduced them all. It can also be helpful to mention a character not present in the scene, before he is properly introduced.

How many characters should you introduce at once?

As a general rule of thumb I only introduce the main MAIN character in the first chapter. That’s to say, just one person. You can introduce someone else with them, but no more then one other person.

How do you make two main characters meet?

Some general, non specific things I can think of:

1. they live in the same dorm.
2. they attend the same class.
3. one of them has a friend that stretches him/her socially.
4. they eat at the same place everyday.
5. they buy their books at the bookstore at the same time and run into each other that way.




How do you write a scene with a lot of characters?

Four Tips for Writing Scenes with Many Characters

1. Stick to a single point of view. Stay in one character’s point of view throughout the scene. …
2. No more than four or five speakers (maybe six) …
3. Don’t introduce any new characters in this scene. …
4. Try to use as much dialogue as possible, but use tags to keep it clear.

What is a Contagonist?

The contagonist is an antagonistic character who will get in the protagonist’s way, try to lead him astray, and just generally cause conflict and tension. He differs from the antagonist in that he isn’t necessarily directly opposed to the protagonist.

How do you deal with a large casting character?

10 Rules for Handling Large Casts of Characters

1. Rule #1: Characters Should Exist to Represent Theme and Move Plot (Preferably Both) …
2. Rule #2: Fewer Characters Are Better. …
3. Rule #3: Avoid Repetition by Recognizing Which Archetype Each Character Represents.