Creating Unique, Relatable Characters

When it comes to your characters, how can you make sure you know them well enough to understand them in every situation? How do you bring their unique magic to each scene in your novel? How can you even know that they’re the right character for your story?

I recall with my first novel I had to deal with a side-character going rogue. She turned up in scenes when she wasn’t invited, and responded to my story-line in ways I didn’t expect. And this character ruined the whole last third of my novel, all because I hadn’t considered how she would fit into the story I was telling, and how vital her reaction to the circumstances were to the ending I wanted to create. She eventually became a key main character, and I rewrote the whole thing to accommodate her!

So what I tend to do before writing anything now is put a selection of my characters in some set scenarios: this way I can determine exactly how this character will behave in particular situations and understand why they are like that. It’s almost like an experiment where you hypothesise what their reaction might be, and how they express this response to a certain circumstance. Not only this, but it’s a great opportunity to ensure I don’t have characters that are too similar – I don’t want to replicate the same behaviour or trait in my characters unless it’s intentional. So, I always make sure that whatever scenario I’m testing them in, they all have reactions that are quintessentially their own. 

I’ve set out some examples below that I like to use – but you can easily come up with your own. It’s not about the circumstances themselves, but rather the expected responses. Characters can respond contrary to readers expectations, creating tension and suspense encouraging the reader to continue simply to find out what will happen next. You can also use your own plot points if you know these already – but if you’re just delving into your character to discover their own story it can be lots of fun to put them all in the same room and see how things turn out!

Personally, I always like to start with a  highly stressful situation where panic is a strong possibility. This demonstrates the mettle of your character and can often reveal what type of person they are, and their values and moral code.

Imagine your main characters are stuck in a lift with a stranger. What happens when that stranger has a heart attack and collapses? Who does what? Who is the one that is immediately on the phone calling for help? Who else attends to the sick person – barking out instructions and taking control? And who might just stand there in stony faced shock, watching the scene unfold, afraid to do anything else? 

And then there is a sad situation. Something that is depressing. Like a funeral. Perhaps that stranger in the lift died, and all the characters are now going to their funeral. How do they express their grief? Do they openly sob at the graveside? Do they dab at their tears with a folded tissue? Do they just stand dry eyed, not quite comprehending what grief might be and only there out of obligation? 

Finally, what happens if you put them in a situation of joy? The news of a new baby, or an engagement. Which of your characters is going to scream with joy? Who is going to just say congratulations, and move right on? And who might throw them a party, or make a big fuss of the new couple, or new parents? 

By exploring your character’s reactions to more generalised scenarios, you’ll be better equipped to comprehend how and why they’re going to respond to your specific plot points. Not only this, but it’s not just what they do, it’s how they do it. How do they express themselves in these situations – their tone of voice, the language they use, their movements and gestures? These responses and reactions you now know – standing there in shock, or dabbing at their face with a tissue, or screaming for joy – create that uniqueness to their character. No other person in your story should react the same way.

All of our created characters are based on reality. For the most, that’s how we as writers and readers relate to them. We understand great themes like love and grief and fear, but the answers come when you explore how your characters interact with those themes. What do they do that marks them out? And if you can know this about your characters, then you’ll also be much more aware of how they’re going to react to the story that you have in mind and be able to build rounded, believable characters that capture the hearts of your reader.. 

Readers want to connect with our characters. They’re looking for complex, inconsistent human beings (or other-beings, depending on your story) that jump off the page right away and make an impression. When we relate to characters in some way – be it through a familiar feeling, comparable trait, or similar experience – we want to know more about them.
 But how can we create characters that our readers will find interesting and root for in our stories?

How can we make sure that our stories happen to the *right* characters – those that readers will stick with, and who will prove to enhance your plot rather than just go along with it?

All you need to do is ask the right questions…

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