As a new author, at least someone who only just published their first book, I don't presume the authority to dole out writing advice. These blog posts, and similar posts on Facebook and TikTok, are more about me sharing my own experience with the writing process. They may be of interest to other writers, or readers who are curious with how the ideas banging around someone's brain eventually make their way into a cohesive story.
A friend of mine, an aspiring author herself, reached out to me last week and asked how I developed my characters. It was ironic, in that this is the aspect of writing that I struggle with the most. All the stories I began and subsequently abandoned over the years shared this common issue. No matter how interesting the plot, if the characters are flat and superficial then no-one will care. Especially the writer.
What eventually worked for me may not work as well for others, but I'll share it here in case it helps. First, the details are important. I dutifully filled out character sketch templates in Scrivener for all my main and important secondary characters. Physical appearance, role in the story, background, internal and external conflicts etc. Great, now I know what they look like, what they're supposed to do, and why. But that doesn't bring them to life in a way that resonates with a reader. So I began adding incidental characteristics, physical and behavioral, mostly drawn from people I know, have known, or observed. For example, D, my protagonist, refuses to sit with his back to the door in a restaurant, a quirk he shares with me. Rosalind, a teacher, carries a large purse full of student papers which she leaves unzipped and surely prone to dumping its contents on the ground, a habit of my wife's (sorry, hon). Add in enough of these details and your sketched character becomes more vivid and relatable.
Another technique I began to use, both during and after taking Neil Gaiman's Masterclass on writing, was to write short, simple scenes involving my characters. These scenes may have little or nothing to do with my story, but show how a character reacts to certain situations, or to other characters. Depending on the world in which the story is set, these situations can be as mundane or as unusual as makes sense. They can be journal entries, or interviews, anything to tease out the character's personality and abilities. Sometimes they surprise me. I have yet to use any of these scenes directly in my story, but they absolutely inform how the "real" scenes develop.
If you are a writer, I hope this helps or at least is interesting. I'd be very curious if you have your own character development tips you'd like to share in the comments!
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