Character development isn’t usually our first thought when thinking about satisfying readers. Often we focus on an exciting plot or a big, unexpected twist. But authors shouldn’t underestimate the importance of sending their characters on a transformative journey.
What Is Character Development?
The term character development has a couple of meanings. The first is the process of creating a character, their personality traits, motivations, and so on before you write.
The second definition of character development refers to the process of change that your characters experience throughout your story. It’s literally how they develop in your story!
Today, we’ll be focusing on the second form of character development.
Why Does Character Development Matter?
Character development matters because static characters are, well, kind of boring. What’s the point of seeing a character go through an epic adventure or overcome hardship if they aren’t affected by it?
Imagine if Harry Potter came out of the maze in The Goblet of Fire and then immediately went to have a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks as if nothing had happened. It would be a bit of a letdown, right? In other words, character development provides a payoff for your reader. Let’s dive in.
You Have to Build Your Character First
For you to understand how your character changes throughout your story, you first have to understand who they are at the start.
This means establishing some basics, like general character traits, motivations, desires, and flaws. These facts about your character establish their personality and circumstances and help you understand how they shape the story.
A character’s flaws make the character feel real but also behave imperfectly. That means a well-developed character will make mistakes, take wrong turns, or sometimes get in their own way. For example, an arrogant character might overestimate their ability to make something happen, and their failure may set the plot in unexpected directions.
More than their flaws, motivations also play a part in how a well-developed character behaves and is shaped by a story. For example, a character motivated by revenge may react to challenges differently than one motivated by altruism, greed, or glory.
Want more help creating characters? Check out our blog on character building.
Character Development Requires a Good Setup
It’s not enough for you to know your character before they start developing in your story; your reader needs to have a good feel for them as well.
This is why it’s important to show your reader who your characters are early on. You can do this through character action, dialogue, or even narrative backstory. Just don’t start info-dumping. That can cost you a reader’s attention.
Focus on building dynamic scenes that allow you to explore both your character as well as the story you’re setting up. Take a mystery novel for example: You could show personality through candid conversation between characters in a scene that also reveals new evidence for your mystery.
Challenge, Struggle, and the Reason to Change
No one changes in a vacuum. We all need some form of catalyst to get us started. The same is true for your characters.
In many stories, the inciting incident is at least the starting point for change to start happening. This doesn’t mean that the character has to be deeply changed by that singular event, but you should consider it what gets the ball rolling. This means that you should take time developing your inciting incident, or at least take the time to understand how it ultimately contributes to your character changing.
But it’s not all about the inciting incident; that’s just the starting line for the plot influence. How your character interacts with that plot is the other critical ingredient.
Character Development Is an Arc
By definition, development means change. And to know how your character changes, you have to understand how they start. Similar to how a character’s flaws and motivations can impact the plot, they also impact character development itself.
Being imperfect means we also learn lessons and grow imperfectly, meaning your characters may not “get it” the first time they have the opportunity to change.
For example, a character whose arrogance keeps getting the best of them may grow bitter and convinced it’s the world that’s flawed and not them. Or they may learn to overcome their self-imposed limitation and find personal growth.
Likewise, a character driven by revenge might experience things that make them desire a different, more peaceful path. Or a hero that has their principles challenged might turn away from their righteous path.
Even a character realizing they want something different than they originally thought is important character development.
Real Development Takes Time
Just as no one changes in a vacuum, no one changes overnight or in an instant. Sure, some moments change us forever, but we’re talking about progressive change. Even if it starts with one major shift, there’s still more to the story—literally.
It’s best to pepper additional challenges or reasons for change throughout your story. This allows you to test out your character’s new or growing convictions, beliefs, or traits.
These can (and should) be varied and, when possible, have different levels of severity or urgency. After all, no one wants to see the same plot point over and over again.
Consider Your Ending as You Go
Your ending is important for two reasons. First, a satisfying ending is important for establishing character development. Second, how your story ends should relate to the development your reader experienced.
A good example of this is the ending of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Ebenezer Scrooge starts as a cold-hearted, miserly man who cares only about money. Through the visits of the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, he undergoes a profound transformation, becoming generous, kind, and compassionate.
If you’re a plotter who knows how the story will end, you can use that as a reference point to reverse engineer your character development.
Pantsers, on the other hand, will have to keep a keen eye on their characters as they go. But having a loose idea of your plot arc is always helpful.
Character Development Is Its Own Journey
There’s a plot, there’s a story, and then there’s character development. All three of these elements interweave to create enthralling experiences for readers.
For this reason, it’s best to think of your character development as a unique arc that interacts with your plot but is still its own thing.
How to Develop Characters
It will be no surprise to writers (we hope) that writing good character development requires a combination of imagination and empathy.
First, you need to be able to imagine people who are not yourself, living lives that are not the way you would live them.
Then, you need to understand why they might make the choices they do, what might drive their actions, and how those moments might impact them further.
It sounds like a lot, but a good place to start is with you. How would you react to what’s happening in your story? Now look at your characters and the differences between you and them—how might their actions differ?
This skill is like a muscle. The more you use it, the easier it becomes.
Change Is the Most Important
Not every character is going to be like Scrooge and totally abandon the way they had before. Sometimes change is more subtle than that. The most important thing is that development happens at all. Your readers certainly will thank you!
Looking for More?
Whether you’re trying to find the perfect narrative POV for your book or trying to build your best main character, we’ve got you covered.
Find us on Instagram and Facebook for more.
Sign up for our newsletter to receive TWO FREE toolkits: Demystifying Query Letters and The Roadmap to Successful Self-Publishing.