Your Story Is Nothing Without Its Characters
In which I urge new writers to avoid neglecting the stars of their stories
Characters or story? Which one is more important? I hope no one’s actually asked themselves this before, because it’s a trick question.
You can’t have a good plot without well-written and complex characters. Likewise, if your characters are written well, their interactions and conflict will weave the plot. The two build each other up. It’s a partnership, not a “take your pick.”
So if that’s true, why do so many stories still use bland, uninteresting characters to further the plot? How many cookie-cutter protagonists have we seen in the past decade? Especially in movies and games? There’s a reason why people usually prefer the side characters: they’re more interesting.
If you want to get people invested in your story, all you’ve really got to do is give them interesting characters. Show your audience characters that they can latch onto, love, hate, or just want to see more of.
And it’s easier than you think.
Write Real People
Think about your family and friends. Are they easy to characterize? Are they interesting? Do they have a lot going on? Real people are more than the stereotypes you see in bad stories, and you need to capture that in your stories to make your characters stand out.
You’ve got to make your characters feel like real people.
This doesn’t mean you should write someone making breakfast, going to the bathroom, filing their taxes, and other stuff that probably doesn’t advance the plot. It just means that your characters should act and behave realistically.
Speaking of your friends, one way to make realistic characters is give them traits that you see in other people. Base them off of people you know, or even yourself. Put a little bit of yourself into everyone you write. Include stuff like insecurities, fears, and flaws. Everyone has those, so they’re relatable. Speaking of…
Make Them Relatable
People usually don’t get attached to perfect, flawless, unstoppable characters that can charge through walls. They’ll think they’re cool, but they won’t occupy a spot in their head. However, people adore and admire characters that struggle and work hard.
The more relatable your characters are, the easier it is for people to latch onto them. They’ll feel all their triumphs as well as their struggles. They’ll root for your characters, sing their praises, and pray for their success.
You may have noticed the rise of sympathetic or relatable villains. It’s because complex villains are more interesting than villains who are just because plot says so. Capture that energy for your whole cast. Make them all complex and complicated people.
When it comes to heroes and villains, spice up their motivations. Make them parallels to create a more interesting rivalry. People can’t get enough of a complex and entertaining rivalry.
Give Them Hopes and Dreams
Every character needs something to keep them going. They’re embarking on these adventures for a reason. They should want something out of them. They need goals to accomplish.
When people really want things, they fight for them. They pick up the sword and start swinging, no matter what. Your plot should have characters who are willing to die for what they want.
This is also how you create interesting conflicts between characters. What if this person wants something badly but their friend prevents them from getting it? What would that do to their relationship?
Goals are a big part of any character, so play around with them. You can make any character behave in any way if it relates to what they want out of life.
Challenge Them
No matter how much you like your characters, you need to make their life hell. Challenge them at every step of the way. Make them fight just for the right to wake up the next day.
They say that people grow the most after enduring a struggle. A fact that’s pretty much confirmed depending on your definition of struggle. That’s why conflict is a huge part of any character arc.
When a character pursues what they want instead of what they need, it’s a conflict. An infinite number of things can come out of that dilemma, and you get to narrow them down. Make your character struggle until they understand what they really need.
Any great plot is loaded with conflict. It’s not fun to watch characters take a straight line to the end of the road. Make their paths bumpy, windy, and hard to stay on. Then once they reach the end, you’ll have a more interesting character.
Final Thoughts
Characters are an important part of any story. They help define it. At the end of the day, the story should be a collection of their struggles. Their ups and downs. And even if your story’s about a concept rather than a character, they can help bring that to life too.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with this stuff. You might not get it right the first time, but all anyone can ask is that you put in the effort.
