Why is character development important?

It’s said that it’s the plot that makes a reader pick up your book, but it’s the character that keeps them reading. It’s vital that you have an interesting and engaging (although not necessarily likeable) character to keep your reader interested.

What is the character development?

The character development is what happens to your character within the plot. It’s the internal changes that go on in your character as the plot progresses. It’s their psychological evolvement.

When your story begins your character has a set of beliefs and opinions with which they are happy to stay. It doesn’t matter if your character is happy or not in their life or with those beliefs, it’s what they know.

By the end of the story they have changed, if not all, at least some of their key opinions and beliefs. So they may start the story as shy or unhappy, but by the end of the story they are confident and much happier, ready to embrace life.

How do you work out character development? How do you know where to start? I suggest you start with these 5 questions:

1. What do they want?

This is more obvious in some stories than in others. For example, in a romance it’s to find love. In a mystery, it’s to solve the crime. If it’s a non-genre book, maybe your protagonist wants to resolve an argument with a family member, get a job promotion or even find peace of mind.

2. Why do they want this?

Once you understand what your character wants, you need to figure out why they want it. If they are looking for a new relationship, why are they not content to be single? If they want that job promotion, why aren’t they happy in their current role? If they want peace of mind, what is it that’s disturbing their equilibrium?

This underlying emotional motivation will drive your character to pursue what they want.

3. What do they need?

You know what your protagonist wants and why, but is it what they need? This can be a harder question to answer. Sometimes you don’t find out until you write!

A good example is Jane Austen’s Emma. She wants to love-match her friends because she’s bored, it’s fun, and she thinks she’s good at it. What she needs, though, is to fall in love herself.

4. What’s standing in their way?

There are two types of conflict that stop a character from achieving their goal: external and internal.

External conflicts are those obstacles that come from someone or something else. For example, the love interest has an existing partner or there is a competitor for that job promotion.

Internal conflict is that which comes from the character themselves. For example, they don’t think they’re good enough for the love interest or believe they lack the skills for the job promotion.

It’s this internal conflict that’s the really interesting bit. What they need deep down inside them, and what’s holding them back from realising it, is what gives your character development extra depth and makes them more memorable.

5. What’s at stake if the character fails?

Knowing what your character stands to lose if they don’t get their goal will influence how your character behaves throughout the novel. What’s the consequence if they don’t get the guy or the job?

The Hungers Games by Suzanne Collins is a good example. It’s very clear what’s at stake for Katniss – her life!

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A common pitfall

All writers, not just beginners, tend to put something of themselves in their writing, and that’s okay. It’s hard to avoid altogether.

The trick is to be aware of it and pull back if you feel you’re using yourself too much. If they all share your opinions and react in the way you would, their character development will lack contrast or individuality. It will be hard to differentiate one from the other.

It’s one reason I try to use people I know in my stories, particularly friends or people I’ve met who are larger-than-life. It’s almost like the more obnoxious or theatrical they are, the better a character they become!

Everyone is flawed

You don’t want your characters to be perfect. It makes them unlikable. I remember reading Tai Pan by James Clavell, and I ended up disliking Dirk Struan because there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do. In the end, I found it tedious and vowed never to read another Clavell book again!

We all have flaws, and that’s one thing that makes us interesting and complex. You want the same for your characters. Nelson Mandela was a powerful activist and an outstanding leader, but by all accounts he was not a good husband and father.

Character flaws can reveal a lot about a person’s backstory. Why are they addicted to alcohol? Why can they not commit to a relationship? Why do they skip from job to job?

Flaws are key to character development.

Additional details

Besides the five questions above that relate directly to your story, what do you know about their background? Did they have a happy childhood? Do they have any siblings? How did they get on at school? Do they have any special skills or attributes?

What kind of personality do they have? Are they generally a cheerful person, or is the glass always half empty? Do they laugh out loud or chuckle quietly? Are they a flamboyant leader or a steady right-hand person?

Don’t forget to look at the outside stuff too. What does your character look like? How old are they, what kind of physique do they have? What about skin and eye colour? Do they have any distinguishing features?

It’s important to get to know your characters. Your relationship with them will inform how your story progresses, how your character responds to the action, and gives you detail about their backstory that you can use in the novel itself.

If this article was useful, you’ll love: 

• https://emmadhesi.com/blog-post/writing-routine/
• https://emmadhesi.com/blog-post/showdonttell/
• https://emmadhesi.com/blog-post/writing-course/

Emma Dhesi writes women’s fiction. She began writing seriously while a stay at home mum with 3 pre-school children.

By changing her mindset, being consistent and developing confidence, Emma has gone from having a collection of handwritten notes to a fully written, edited and published novel.

Having experienced first-hand how writing changes lives, Emma now helps beginner writers find the time and confidence to write their first novel.