How to Grow Credible Flesh and Blood Characters for Your Story

Some writers make the mistake of thinking that a brilliantly conceived plot will make up for poor characterisation. It won’t. Readers want to read about people they can believe in. Here are some pointers on how to develop flesh and blood characters.

Of course, you need to have a clear picture of what your hero or heroine looks like, and you should be able to describe them physically and the type of clothes they wear. Also make sure you get their names right, and that their manner of speaking fits the person they are.

But what sort of person are they? How do you build up a picture of your characters and get to know them intimately? Here is a guideline of what you can do to ‘grow’ a character from scratch.

First, get a clear picture of what they look like and what they wear. Oddly enough this can change as you get to develop and know them better, but you need to start somewhere.

I suggest you take a note pad and use one page for each character. Put the person’s name at the top of the page and jot down a brief description of their physical characteristics.

Next, write down how you see them relating to people in a social class other than their own. Below are four types of people your character may encounter:

1. An addict – drugs, drink, food;

2. Service worker – hairdresser, clothes shop, high class boutique, car salesman

3. Professional – bank manager, accountant, stock broker;

4. Authority class – politician, policeman, judge.

Using one example from each group and describe an encounter between them and your character. Use dialogue. This is where you start getting to know your character and and find out who they really are.

You may make the mistake of thinking all this is a waste of time, and I sympathise with you. I know, you just want get on with it and start unfolding your plot, which is fine. But this is short sighted if you will forgive me saying so. Your reader wants to know, if only subconsciously, that to you, this person is a living breathing human being and if they do that will make your character real to the reader also.

The next exercise is to place your character in a stressful situation. Maybe they are in danger, or have a situation that presents them with a dilemma and they have to decide quickly what to do. Perhaps they suddenly have to take action to avoid disaster. How do they react both emotionally and physically?

Here are three scenarios:

1. Hero sees an accident and is the only person around to help;

2. Hero is surrounded by group of belligerent youths;

3. Hero is under pressure to spill the beans on crooked employer.

Describe what emotional reaction your character would have, what they would feel and what they would do to remedy the situation. Bring out your characters strengths and weaknesses in these scenarios. Write them down.

Finally, and this is important, your character must have some area of vulnerability or failing. This can be a personality or character flaw, or a physical failing in some area. Whatever else you do in developing your hero, don’t make them perfect! Go back to the above exercises and see if you can introduce something that shows a failing or vulnerability in your character. This will make them human! None of us are perfect, so why should your hero be?

If you haven’t done this kind of character development before, stick at it. It will become easier the more you try. Keep working at it until you truly believe in your own creations and you will be well on your way to selling that story.