6 Master Steps to Developing a Character

It doesn't matter what genre of story you're writing, Character centric or not.

If it has any character, Humans, or non-humans, then developing those characters should be your top priority as a writer.

Developing a Character means providing your characters with growth, if they don't grow in the course of the story, then they're gonna feel like cardboard cutouts, and needless to say, your readers are not gonna be satisfied.

That's the last thing you want, you don’t want your readers to feel cheated.

So, how are you gonna achieve this task? Well, the short answer is...

Just plunge your main characters into trouble from the get-go, let them struggle, lash out, learn from failures, and then rise to victory in every act of your story.

It forces your character to adapt and change, but of course, it’s easier said than done.

Now for the Long answer….

Here are the most crucial 6 steps to make your character more human and unforgettable...

1. Emphasize on the Outward appearance or add a memorable Quirk
2. Embrace the shameless self-indulgence when stuck
3. Develop a response mind-set for, dealing with external and internal affairs.
4. Craft an Identity to distinct your character as early as possible.
5. Make him flawed like an anti-hero with hidden heroic Quality
6. Let the action do the Talking, and the reader the lore building.

Step 1# Emphasise on the Outward appearance Or add a memorable Physical Quirk.

One thing you should keep in mind is that Readers, often have trouble telling characters apart.

So, it's a general rule of thumb that you should give your main cast of characters something that sets them apart from the get-go.

A subtle signature description is used every time they enter the scene.

for example...

“Dumbledore lowered his hands and surveyed Harry through his half-moon glasses.”

In the Entirety of the harry potter, the introduction of Dumbledore in a scene always includes a description of his signature half-moon glasses.

On the Other hand, you can also give your character memorable quirks

Maybe a physical Quirk in the appearance that gives readers a hint, helping them to form a mental image of the character outside of the setting you provided.

The trick to do this right is to make sure that your description of outward appearances serves more than one purpose in the story.

For example, a scar, given in a specific location, let say..back, subconsciously hints of past betrayal.

You can show this scar in the introduction of the character, and hint toward it, a couple of times during the narrative, and at the end reveal that yes, the character was betrayed in the past.

Attentive readers will feel rewarded, increasing their engagement in the story.

But here’s a word of caution!

When it comes to appearance you don't wanna be forceful, everything should be told in subtle dialogues and events.

Never force a complete description of your character, make sure to leave room for the imagination.

Step 2# Embrace the shameless self-indulgence, when Stuck

Okay, Let just be honest,

Yes, self-indulgence writing is hated, irritating and annoying,

I am not gonna sit here and explain what the problem with the works like 50 shades of gray and James bond is.

But you can’t deny it’s also one of the most effective and time-tested methods of writing.

And it sells like crazy!

So, long story short…

Shamelessly self-indulged in your work.

Don’t feel trapped in the delusion of what society thinks before you finish your story.

Develop your character by embodying that character.

Whenever your character get stuck somewhere, and you have no clue, what his logical reaction should be, just imagine yourself in his situation,

How you would’ve handled the situation if you were that person.

9 out of 10, you’ll get the right way to respond, which in turn gonna make your character feel more authentic A.K.A Developed.

Step 3# Develop a response mind-set for, dealing with external and internal affairs

How the readers judge a character when it comes to character development is by seeing how they react to different situations.

If a character does something that does not match his history and personality established by the story, readers instantly characterize them as a cardboard cutout.

So, based on the background you have given to your character it is important to create a response mindset.

This response mindset has 2 parts

One that deals with external threats and One that deals with internal affairs.

Let's take a simple example of a retired military man, coming back home to stay with his family.

Mindset for dealing with external threats

An Old Battle-hardened military man, not gonna freak out that easily in the face of a crisis because years of service, wired him to stay calm and take control of the situation when facing External Threats.

Mindset for dealing with internal affairs

At the same time The same years of service, made him a little slow when it came to catching social cues in normal life,

So, whenever he feels awkward or left behind in the conversation he acts passive-aggressive to make his opinion heard to gain some control.

Even with this simple example mindset, you can see what kind of personality this character has, and how he's gonna react in different situations.

This is very simplified, but you get the idea.

A system like this is a good way to keep your character consistent and track their development.

And you can create the illusion of natural growth.

Step 4# Make him flawed like an anti-hero with hidden heroic qualities.

Remember that you always want to create a character that your readers can identify with.

if you write a character with too much perfection, he might become completely unrelatable in the readers' eyes.

a character without relatable qualities, don't feel human.

That's why even larger-than-life characters nowadays are written with flaws.

such traits make your character's development more dramatic in the reader's eyes and compel them to continue.

But, there is some issue with the writing trick

you always want to be careful not to make your character flaws too irredeemable.

They always should be forgivable, if they can't be completely forgivable then don't make stupid excuses to justify happy endings.

In that case just make them admit, what they did was wrong, and leave them dealing with the consequence of their action.

You can add a hint of hope that everything going to turn out okay but never more.

and lastly,

Never portray your main character as too much of a wimp, too stupid, or too passive, it kills the flow in the reader's mind.

So, how you make your character flawed and yet loved.

The answer is to give your character a time tested PET-THE-DOG MOMENT

Pet the dog moment subtly exhibits your character's vulnerability, And you make your character feel more multi-dimensional.

Now, the trick is to make this a hidden moment, separate from the main narrative entirely, and let it exist for the sake of just giving personal space to your chosen character where no one is watching except the audience.

It is guaranteed to make your character loved.

Because a character with heroic traits is always good, but a hidden heroic character who saves the day, without hoping anything in return is much more memorable and feels truly heroic.

Also, Depending on what you go with, a positive or negative outcome in pet the dog moment,

you also use the same trick to make your character complicated in your reader's eyes.

Step 5# Craft an Identity to distinct your character as early as possible.

As a rule, starting you only need to do one thing to craft a distinct identity for your character

Decide a Decent enough name that fits.

A name decided for the sake of just naming a character is one of those things that publishers and editors hate more than anything.

When it comes to the main character, your first goal as a writer is to establish a connection between him/her with the reader,

We understand that naming a fictional character is a stressful task, still, you should never go by typical and forgettable names.

That only hurt recognition of your story in the long term

So, don't consider your work complete until you choose a good name for your cast of characters.

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when deciding the name:-

• Let it reflect the personality.
• Let it reflect the heritage
• Let it short and memorable
• Let it be geographically accurate
• Don’t make it quirky
• Don't make it outrageous
• Don’t make it outdated

Step 6# Let the Action do the Talking, and Readers, the lore building.

If there’s one fundamental rule of Character Development, It’s to Let your character action speak more than the words.

In simple words Show, don’t tell.

Your reader experiences the story with an open imagination.

Use this to your advantage, plant hints of a larger story thread in your narrative

Let your reader build the lore of the world and the background of the character cast for you.

This simple tweak of giving your reader a chance to deduce character traits makes them memorable in the reader's mind, which in turn, increases their engagement with the story.

Conclusion

TLDR: Character development is a backbone of a good character arc and how you Developed your Character arc makes the difference between a good story and a forgettable one.

Using These crucial steps.....

1. Emphasize on the Outward appearance or add a memorable Quirk
2. Embrace the shameless self-indulgence when stuck
3. Develop a response mind-set for, dealing with external and internal affairs.
4. Craft an Identity to distinct your characters as early as possible.
5. Make him flawed like an anti-hero with hidden heroic Quality
6. Let the action do the Talking, and the reader the lore building

You will be able to make your character more human and unforgettable.