How to build strong character development skills

Creating dynamic, well-rounded characters is essential for telling a compelling and engaging story. Building strong character development skills can help you bring your characters to life and make them more memorable for your readers. Let's look at some of the ways you can improve your character development skills and create enduring characters.

What is character development?

Character development is the process of creating and building upon the characteristics of a fictional character. It involves giving the character depth, personality, and individuality and making them feel real and three-dimensional.

Why is character development important?

Character development helps to bring the characters in a story to life and make them feel real to readers. Well-developed characters have depth and complexity and are an integral part of what drives the plot and keeps readers engaged. By giving characters clear motivations, flaws, and personalities, you can make them more relatable and create a deeper connection with your readers. Plus, strong character development can also reinforce the themes and ideas you are trying to convey.

How can you improve your character development?

Practice

The more you write, the more comfortable you will become with creating and developing characters.

• Experiment with different character perspectives: Try writing a scene or story from an other character's perspective to see how it affects your character development. As an exercise, you could write a scene from the perspective of a minor character or write a scene from multiple character perspectives.
• Write a character sketch: A character sketch is a short, focused description of a character that helps to give a sense of who they are. Consider using descriptive language and sensory details to bring your character to life when creating a character sketch.
• Write character-driven scenes: Instead of focusing on the plot or setting, try writing a scene driven entirely by your characters' interactions and dialogue. This exercise can help you to practice developing your characters' personalities and relationships, and it can help you to get a sense of how they might behave in different situations.

Reading widely

Reading can be a great way to expose yourself to different character development techniques that other experienced writers use. As you read, note how the author introduces and fleshes out their characters.

• Read stories with well-developed characters: To improve character development, expose yourself to stories with well-developed characters. Note how the author describes the characters and how they interact with each other and the world around them.
• Analyse the characteristics and motivations of different characters: As you read, pay attention to the characteristics and motivations of the characters in the story. Consider what makes each character unique and how their motivations drive the plot.
• Assess how different authors develop characters: Note how other authors approach character development and use dialogue, action, and descriptive techniques to bring their characters to life. Consider applying these techniques to create more complex and believable characters.

Seeking feedback

Asking for feedback from other writers or readers can be a valuable way to get insight into the strengths and weaknesses of your character development. Consider joining a writing group or workshop where you can get constructive criticism from others.

• Share your work with beta readers: Consider sharing your writing with a few trusted beta readers who can give you feedback on your character development and suggest areas for improvement.
• Join a writing group or workshop: Joining a writing group or workshop can be a great way to get feedback on your character development skills from other writers.
• Hire a professional editor: If you're serious about improving your character development skills, consider hiring a professional editor to review your work. A professional editor can provide detailed feedback on your character development, suggest ways to improve your characters, and make them more believable.

Observing and interacting with people

Observing real people and their behaviours, mannerisms, and motivations can be a great way to gather ideas for your characters. Consider carrying a notebook (or use the note-taking features in First Draft Pro!) to jot down observations and characteristics that you find interesting or could be helpful for your writing.

• Be aware of people's body language and mannerisms: Paying attention to how people move and behave can help you to get a better understanding of their personalities and characteristics. Watch how people hold themselves, use their hands, and react to different situations.
• Engage in conversations and listen to people's stories: Talking to and listening to other people’s stories can be a great way to get ideas for character development. Ask people about their lives, interests, and experiences, and note the unique details and characteristics that make them who they are.
• Reflect on your own experiences and observations: Your own experiences and observations can be a valuable source of inspiration for character development. Think about the people you have encountered and consider what makes them unique and exciting. You can also draw inspiration from your thoughts, feelings, and experiences to develop more realistic and relatable characters.

Creating character profiles

A character profile is a detailed description of a character, including their appearance, background, personality, and goals. Creating character profiles can help you better understand your characters and ensure they are well-rounded and believable.

• Start with basic information: When creating a character profile, write down basic information about your characters, such as their names, ages, appearances, and backgrounds.
• Consider their motivations, goals, and flaws: To make your characters more fully developed, consider their motivations, goals, and flaws. What do they want to achieve? What weaknesses do they have? Adding these elements can make your characters more complex and believable.
• Develop their relationships: Another way to deepen your characters is to consider their relationships with other characters. How do they interact with each other? How do they feel about each other? Developing these relationships can make your characters more fully formed and help to create a more believable and immersive world.

Using prompts and exercises

Prompts and exercises that can help you practice your character development skills. For example, try writing a scene from the perspective of a character you've created, or write a character sketch that explores their appearance, personality, and goals in depth.

• Write a scene that shows a character facing a moral dilemma: Choose a character and place them in a situation where they have to make a difficult choice between two conflicting moral values. How do they decide? What factors influence their decision? This prompt can help you to practice developing your characters' values and beliefs, and it can help you to explore how they might behave under pressure.
• Write a scene that shows a character confronting their greatest fear: Choose a character and have them confront their greatest fear. How do they react? How do they cope? This prompt can help you to practice developing your characters' inner lives and emotional depth, and it can help you to explore how they might handle challenging situations.
• Write a scene that shows a character learning something new: Choose a character and have them learn something new that challenges their beliefs or assumptions. How do they react? How do they incorporate this new information into their understanding of the world? This prompt can help you to practice developing your characters' depth and complexity, and it can help you to explore how they might grow and change over time.

Building strong character development skills takes time and effort, but with a bit of practice and creativity, you’ll be creating fan-favourite characters in no time.

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