Dear Author,
Strong characters are the heart of every successful story. Readers stay connected when your characters feel real, emotional, and memorable.
A good character should not feel flat. They should have a personality, dreams, fears, habits, relationships, strengths, and weaknesses. When readers understand your characters deeply, they care more about what happens to them.
- 1
Give Every Main Character a Clear Personality
Before writing, decide what kind of person your character is. They can be shy, bold, innocent, emotional, rude, caring, silent, funny, brave, or confused.
- 2
Give Them Strengths and Weaknesses
A perfect character can feel unreal. Give your character both good qualities and flaws so readers can connect with them better.
- 3
Give Them a Goal
Every important character should want something. Their goal can be love, revenge, success, freedom, family acceptance, justice, or peace.
- 4
Understand Their Reason
Do not only decide what your character wants. Also decide why they want it, because their reason will guide their actions and decisions.
- 5
Create a Backstory
Think about what happened in your character's past. Their childhood, family, heartbreak, mistakes, or struggles can shape how they behave in the present.
- 6
Give Them Habits and Small Details
Small details make characters feel real. You can give them a habit, favourite phrase, way of speaking, fear, routine, or special behaviour.
- 7
Show Their Emotions Through Actions
Do not only tell readers that a character is sad, angry, or scared. Show it through their actions, dialogues, silence, reactions, and choices.
- 8
Build Their Relationships Carefully
Characters become more interesting through their relationships. Show how they behave with family, friends, lovers, enemies, and people they secretly care about.
- 9
Give Them a Secret or Inner Conflict
A secret, fear, guilt, hidden love, or painful memory can make a character more engaging. It also gives readers a reason to stay curious about them.
- 10
Keep Their Behaviour Consistent
Once you decide a character's personality, keep it consistent throughout the story. If they change, show the reason behind that change through their experiences and growth.
- 11
Final Message
You do not need to explain every detail about your character directly in the story. But as an author, you should know your character well.
When you understand your characters clearly, their actions, dialogues, emotions, and decisions become stronger. Well-developed characters can make readers stay connected to your story for a long time.
Happy writing!
— Team Pratilipi