Creating characters for novels – character development for authors
This is how you, as an author, form a deep connection with your characters!
The characters are the heart of every story. They drive the story forward, develop and create a special world. For this reason, authors spend a lot of time creating their novel characters.
Recently, I sat at my desk and put myself in the shoes of my novel’s characters. Then I was overcome with emotions and felt a certain tingling sensation in my stomach. Over the course of writing my novel, I have developed such a deep connection to my characters that when I write, I not only think like them, but I have also developed a love for them that, although purely fictional, feels very real. The advantage: the characters become authentic and are brought to life, so that they act, talk, feel and think in a way that suits their character. So: grab your novel project book, paper or laptop and let’s get started! 🌞
Creating the appearance and character traits of your characters
To really bring the characters in your novel to life, you need to characterise them from head to toe, from their inner world to their outer world. As an author, you create new characters, personalities that are so individual that they fit perfectly into the story. Using various methods of character development, you can make your characters authentic so that when reading the finished story, the line between fiction and realism becomes blurred because the characters’ personalities have been worked out in detail.
The first step is to consider: How many characters should appear in the story? Who are your main and secondary characters? Who are the antagonists (villains)?
Illustrating characters
To ensure that you always have a detailed picture of your characters in mind when writing, it is advisable to create a character sketch in advance. You can either express this in words or actually sketch or draw it – but combining both forms is also very helpful in creating an image of your main and secondary characters.
Describe your characters with all their traits, both positive and negative. Define their appearance, clothing, interests and hobbies. Age and physique also play a major role in character development. It is best to write down everything that characterises your character and perhaps sketch them on paper or search the internet for images of people who visually resemble your character. You can refer back to your notes while writing to see if, for example, their appearance changes within the story or to consider how the character might react in a certain situation in line with or contrary to their nature. 🎨
Questions for orientation
Below are some questions that can be very helpful when characterising your novel’s characters:
What do the characters look like?
What distinctive character traits do they have?
What interests and hobbies do they have?
What is their favourite food?
What kind of music do they listen to?
What does friendship mean to them?
How do they feel about their parents?
Do they have or have they had a romantic relationship?
What do they like to do in their free time?
What’s in their wardrobe?
What was their best trip ever?
What was their childhood like?
In what environment or company do they feel most comfortable?
Do they prefer hot or cold showers?
Where did they grow up, what are their values and world views?
Creating novel characters and determining their environment, their milieu
In addition to the appearance of their characters, aspiring authors should also be familiar with the external world of their characters in order to know exactly how their characters will act in certain situations.
The external world in which a character lives and moves includes their milieu. The character grows up in a specific milieu, which shapes them and in which they mature into an adult human being or character. If you are not sure in which milieu your characters belong, take a look at the so-called ‘Sinus-Milieus’. There, all milieus of the lower, middle and upper classes are classified into differentiated milieus.
Values and morals
In most cases, your character’s values and morals are shaped by the environment in which they live. These often develop during childhood, for example through upbringing and experiences that give rise to and reinforce these values and morals. For example, if your character comes from a family that is strongly committed to the environment, this character will also care deeply about living and acting in a sustainable and ecological manner. If the character grew up in an environment where the people around them steal or rob others, in most cases it will also be ‘normal’ for this character to steal. This moral concept may be too deeply ingrained in their mind for them to recognise that robbery is a crime and not okay.
During character development, it can be very helpful to not only analyse and define the character, but also to immerse yourself in their environment. For example, ask yourself: What does the place, country or house where your character lives look like?
Worldview
Your character’s worldview is shaped by the environment in which they live or grew up and their values and morals. The character’s worldview includes certain guiding principles and beliefs that they have acquired over the years through their own experiences, specific events and upbringing.
Such principles could be, for example: ‘Everything will be fine!’ or ‘Why always me? It was obvious that this would happen to me.’
Since authors are the creators of their own characters, the characters’ worldview can also change over time, both in a positive and negative direction.
The psychological state of the character
The inner world of fictional characters is just as important as the outer world. It is the characters’ psyche that makes them truly unique and individual. As an author, you should know your characters. You can see inside their heads and know exactly how they tick and what they are like on the inside. You know immediately whether they are seething with anger, whether they are happy, lost in thought or depressed. Psychological stability or instability shapes the characters in a novel and allows readers to understand how and why they think, feel and act.
Internal contradictions
We all carry internal contradictions within us in certain situations, stages of life or due to experiences we have had. These manifest themselves in the form of overthinking, acting rashly or doubting ourselves. But fear can also be triggered by internal contradictions. But what actually is a contradiction?
An internal contradiction could be, for example, that you are doing well, you are healthy and you have a great life, but you are still dissatisfied and would actually like to live a different life. This leads to dissatisfaction and doubt, and perhaps also fear of redesigning your own life. Your novel characters also carry such inner contradictions, which have the potential to create strong tensions and shape the characters’ inner conflicts, which may also have an effect on the external story.
Nobody is perfect
When designing and developing your characters, please remember that, just like in real life, your characters are not perfect. Every character has his or her positive and negative sides, characteristics and traits.
There are novels in which the characters often seem almost perfect. However, this causes them to slip into certain clichés and quickly come across as cheesy and unrealistic. The more developed your characters are, the more exciting your story will be. Characters with rough edges appeal to readers and make the story exciting, as the plot is often unpredictable for readers.
What drives your characters?
Goals and needs of the character
As in real life, fictional characters should also have certain needs and pursue their own goals. In every story, the characters pursue their own and often different goals and needs, which are reflected in their thoughts, actions and words. If you are still unsure about what needs your characters are pursuing, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs may help you.
The pyramid is divided into five levels. The base level encompasses all basic needs of a physiological nature. These include needs such as eating, drinking and sleeping. The next level is the level of safety needs. This encompasses safety in various areas of life, such as at work or in one’s own home. The level of social needs is an interesting one, as this level of need triggers strong tensions, dramas and conflicts for the characters in many stories. Social needs include friendship, family, love, etc. Another level refers to individual needs, also known as ego needs. At this level, the novel’s characters’ pursuit of individual needs such as power, recognition or belonging is recognised. The top of the pyramid is the level of self-actualisation. This level has the most growth potential of all the other levels. This level includes, for example, the characters’ abilities and personalities. They want to give their lives meaning. What is that meaning?
Motivation
When developing characters for novels, motivation forms a whole together with their needs, goals and strategies for achieving those goals. Through the conscious or unconscious motivation of the characters, readers gain an understanding of why the characters act the way they do and why, and above all, how they want to achieve their goals. When authors know the motivation of their characters, readers develop sympathy or empathy for the characters and can identify with them easily. ☀️
Conclusion: Creating characters for novels
Characters are complex. But that’s exactly what makes them so interesting and unique in the story. Creating characters for a novel is a long process because it doesn’t end with finding a book theme and then immediately characterising and creating your characters. Instead, character development accompanies you throughout the entire writing process of your novel. Your characters grow along with the story and their own actions.
Once you have created a book theme and your book characters, you can begin to write a first plot based on the novel idea. Bring your story to life!
