Writing Like J.K. Rowling: Character Complexity

Books can contain a lot of characters — the first Harry Potter book alone contains over fifty! So how much should each player in a story be developed in terms of complexity?

As a general rule, the more scenes a character appears in, the more complex the reader will expect the character to be. I like to think of character importance in terms of a four-tier pyramid.

First Tier: Protagonist

At the base, you have your protagonist, who is the most complex by virtue of how much time the reader spends with them. The audience knows more about the protagonist’s desires, motivations, and flaws than any other character.

For example, even at the start of the Harry Potter series, we already know a great deal about Harry:

• Backstory: He’s an orphan who lives in a cupboard under the stairs and is constantly bullied by his relatives.
• Personality: He’s principled, cheeky, and brave, not to mention impulsive.
• Inner Conflict: With his parents dead and the cruelty of his other family members, Harry has always been alone in his life, until he arrives…