How to Write Believable Characters

By Kristina Adams

Character Development Tips for Novelists, Poets, and Scriptwriters

 

Do you want to create characters that jump off the page and hook your perfect reader? Do you want to develop multi-dimensional characters your readers can relate to? What about getting to know their deep, dark secrets and motivations more clearly?

 

Go beyond common character traits and delve into what makes them human. Using personal anecdotes and pop culture examples, this book explores how to dig deeper into your characters' backstories, motivation, beliefs, and more.

 

Each chapter contains tips and activities to get you thinking about your characters differently.

 

Stop creating characters. Start writing humans. Grab your copy today to get started.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kristina Adams
• Release date: May 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201227746

Book preview

Also by Kristina Adams

Nonfiction for Writers

Writing Myths

Productivity for Writers

What Happens in…

The Real World (free prequel about Liam)

What Happens in New York

What Happens in London

Return to New York

What Happens in Texas (free blog series about Astin)

What Happens in Barcelona

What Happens in Paphos

Spotlight (What Happens in… spin-off about Cameron and Luke)

Behind the Spotlight (runs alongside What Happens in London and Return to New York)

Hollywood Gossip (What Happens in… prequel spin-off about Tate and Jack)

Hollywood Gossip

Hollywood Parents

Hollywood Drama (coming 2020)

Hollywood Nightmare (free ebook about Trinity)

HOW TO WRITE BELIEVABLE CHARACTERS

Kristina Adams

To my writing buddies Alexa, Ellie, Silvia, and Sunita.

Copyright © 2020 Kristina Adams

All rights reserved.

This book or any part of it must not be reproduced or used in anyway without written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations used in a book review.

Apple ID : 1535854825

Cover design by Kristina Adams.

Introduction

‘Your characters are really three-dimensional…for chick lit.’

Yeah, I’ve heard that a lot. But you know what? I’ll take it. Creating three-dimensional characters is important to me. I want them to feel human both to me as I write, and to my readers when they read one of my books.

When your characters are three-dimensional, people are more likely to keep reading your book – even if your plot is weaker than an octogenarian with a zimmer frame.

In many genres, they’re also what keeps people reading. They’re what differentiates your book from your competitors’ even if your plots are similar. Since most plots have already been written, it’s your characters that will make your story unique. According to Christopher Booker, there are seven basic plots: overcoming the monster, rags to riches, the quest, voyage and return, comedy, tragedy, and rebirth.i That doesn’t mean that’s a bad thing or that you should stop writing. It’s how you tell the basic story that makes your story unique – your characters are a part of that.

People can seem just as simple on the surface, but the deeper you dive, the more their experiences layer to make them interesting. It’s how they react – not just act – to the scenarios in your stories that will turn them into (almost) living, breathing people your readers want to be besties with.

You may think some of these examples are sweeping generalisations. And they are. But they’re also true. If you study people enough – whether formally or just out and about – you’ll notice patterns of behaviour. Often, small symptoms are signs of bigger issues. It’s your job, as a creator, to use these small symptoms to show the audience who your character really is. You can also use these smaller symptoms to build towards bigger issues for your character later. If you’re writing something character-driven, this is a particularly effective tool.

It's the combination of these small generalisations that make our characters interesting. If you isolate certain traits or patterns of behaviour, many people appear the same on the surface. It’s the triggers behind these behaviours that make characters unique and interesting, and which it’s your job to explore.

While character archetypes and tropes have their place in writing fiction, this isn’t what this book is about. Instead, we’re going to look at the psychology of what makes us – and therefore our characters – human. Be warned: you may not like some of what you discover about causes and effects.

I believe all fiction should have three-dimensional characters regardless of whether it’s a book, TV show, film, script, or even a poem. The longer the piece, the more room you have to explore the nuances of a someone’s personality. However, even in short pieces, small everyday details can tell your reader huge amounts about your character.

Take, for example, someone who stockpiles toilet roll during a contagious disease pandemic compared to someone who buys one pack. The first person is highly anxious and possibly assuming the apocalypse is coming. This could be because of their past experiences, or because they’re imitating the behaviour of those around them. They also prioritise their needs above those of others, not thinking about people who can’t afford to stockpile and for whom there may be no toilet roll left. They also don’t consider that their stockpiling could trigger other people to stockpile as anxiety is just as contagious as any infectious disease.

The second person, meanwhile, is much calmer. They’re not letting the hype or hysteria get to them; they’re thinking of other people and ensuring there are enough supplies for those who live week-to-week or pay cheque to pay cheque. They may already have another pack at home, but have bought another just to be on the safe side since every time they’ve visited the supermarket lately they’ve been sold out. They could be cautious, but not overly so. Or perhaps they’re on their last toilet roll and they’ve gone to three different supermarkets just to buy the last pack of four because there’s nothing else left. Maybe they even live hand-to-mouth, and can’t afford to stockpile.

See what I mean about small things making a big difference? Let’s look at another example: cooking. Someone who cooks every meal from scratch and never uses salt and pepper to season their food is very different from someone who bakes luxurious cakes filled with sugar or someone who only eats meals from the microwave. Not only will their physical health be different, but their mental health is likely to be, too. An abundance of ready meals has been proven to cause crashes in sugar or salt levels because of the additives, which are also addictive. Someone who’s overly cautious when it comes to their health is likely to be pretty annoying to be around and not want to eat out, though.

To explore different points, we’re going to use a combination of examples from popular culture, ones from my books, and ones that exist just for this book. There’ll also be some tips and exercises for you to flex your writing muscles. And to force you out of your comfort zone. While that may feel like wearing a pair of knickers that are too tight, the only way you’ll grow as a writer is to write outside of your comfort zone. There is no other way.

Let’s just repeat that one more time, for those at the back: WRITING OUTSIDE OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE IS THE ONLY WAY TO GROW.

But then, you’re here, and you’re still reading, so I’m going to assume you do want to grow as a writer. Which is pretty awesome. As are you, for joining me on this journey.

And let me just finish this introduction by saying that you’ve got this, my friend. You can totally do this. Because you are, first and foremost, a person. And that’s your key to writing success.

No, really. You’ve been overcomplicating your writing process this whole time.

Lesson over.

Just kidding. Let’s begin!

Character-Driven vs Plot-Driven Stories

There are two types of stories in the world: character-driven and plot-driven. These are sometimes called modernist (character) and traditionalist (plot).

To put it simply, character-driven stories are where characters move the story forwards. This is through their actions and their reactions, and how they force the character(s) to change. They have control over what happens, whether that’s a good or a bad thing. Romance and chick lit/women’s fiction almost always fall into this category. Literary fiction always does. That’s why so many literary fiction books have little to no plot. And little to no readers because there’s nothing to keep them turning the page (we’ll get to that in a moment).

Plot-driven stories deal more with external triggers. Something happens – say, someone is murdered – and your characters have to react to what’s happening to find the murderer. They have some control and agency, but the focus is more on the plot than the characters. You most often find plot-driven stories in crime, thriller, epic fantasy, and sci-fi.

For your story to be successful and keep people reading, it’s important to have a balance of both. One will always be a bigger focus/driving force than the other, but one without the other leads to bored readers.

The James Bond stories, for example, are plot-driven. But everyone – even people who haven’t read the books or seen the films – remembers the character. That’s what makes the stories stand out. It isn’t the premise of the stories; it’s how his unique perspective sets him up to handle the situations he’s put into.

Bond rarely