Defining Characters: How to Write Realistic Characters in Your Stories

By: Maryn Pope

Some stories are plot-oriented, some stories are character-oriented, either way it’s important to make your characters feel flushed out. So how do you write characters that feel realistic, relatable, and more than 2D? Below are four different methods to defining your characters. You may not be able to use every method for each character or story, but I recommend using some mix of them as a way to help you better understand the characters you’re writing. For each, I’ve included an example for a character named Emilia, who lives in a story set in 1800s London.

Basic Info Sheet Method:

This is the simplest method for defining characters and is often used as a first step or reference sheet. It involves making a list of aspects of your character. This may include their name, physical attributes, characteristics, traits, likes and dislikes, and relations to other characters. This method is good for keeping things concise and makes it easy to keep track of lots of characters at a glance.

Example-

Name: Emilia

Physical description: Teenage girl, light brown hair and eyes, hair always in an updo, well dressed.

Characteristics: Well mannered and lady-like, shy in public, but freer when with one or two other people, cautious, but gives into peer pressure

Likes: The outdoors, sugar in her tea, the color yellow

Dislikes: Learning how to knit, going to her father’s dinners

Relations: Mom, dad, and two younger sisters- Lottie and Lilibeth

Deep Questions Method:

Now we move past the basics and into the heart of your character. This is where we try to answer the deep questions, not “if” questions or situation questions- we’ll get to that next- but questions that might make your character feel a bit interrogated if you were having a conversation with them. This method can help you brainstorm backstory for your character as well as figure out how your character’s attributes tie into the plot. Try to get a few good sentences for as many questions as you can. Also try to explain WHY the answer is what it is. Some questions you might ask are:

·       What motivates your character?

·       What secrets does your character have?

·       Who/what does this character value most?

·       Is this character capable of change? (Either gradually or drastically?)

·       What’s a pet peeve this character has?

Example-

·       What motivates your character? Emilia is motivated by the need to escape her current life. She feels trapped within her society and her role and wants to know what it feels like to live in someone else’s shoes. She is frustrated by how everyone around her seems content to only live the same way they always have. She wants to know that she could be a different person in a different life if that’s what she chose.

·       What secrets does your character have? Emilia has two main secrets. First, she’s been sneaking out to the other side of London and has become impressed by how the lower classes live. Second, she has a secret that she’s keeping for someone else: her father has lost his job, but hasn’t told the family, instead choosing to cover it up.

·       Who/what does this character value most? Emilia values her freedom and her family, which can cause conflict because her family is often holding her back from her freedom.

·       Is this character capable of change? Emilia changes drastically throughout the story, from shy to carefree.

Reaction Method:

This method is my personal favorite. It is good for helping you figure out who your character is, what their role is, and how they advance or hinder the plot. This method revolves around figuring out your characters based on how they would react to a situation. An example might be a tree branch falling through a window. Will your character:

·       Stare at it in shock

·       Laugh

·       See it coming and push someone out of the way

·       Get upset over the broken window

·       Immediately investigate and try to figure out what happened

·       Startle and curse

·       Shrug it off like someone just dropped a pencil

Try to write out at least a paragraph describing each character’s reaction to each situation. This is a good exercise to understand how your character is going to react to things in your story.

Other other examples of situations to test your character against:

·       How does your character react in a sudden, shocking situation- a tree branch crashing through a window

·       How does your character react to public embarrassment- being called out as a cheat during an award ceremony

·       How does your character react to loosing something important- accidentally dropping their heirloom necklace down the drain

·       How does your character react in presence of someone else’s overwhelming emotions- their best friend having a breakdown

·       How does your character react to something sweet and pure- a child asking them to play

·       How does your character react in a scary situation- being lost, alone in the woods at night

·       How does your character react in a sad situation- hearing their loved family member has died

·       How does your character react in a funny situation- when another member of the group falls for the prank

Example-

Emilia jumped back and let out a small squeal, which was drowned in her mother’s scream. She stood still and stared at the tree that had suddenly entered their sitting room while her mother removed herself to the far wall and fanned her paled face, simultaneously comforting little Lottie, who had begun to cry. Emilia’s father and her other sister came running into the room, having heard the commotion.

“What the devil?” Her father exclaimed, stopping in his tracks and looking over the newly redecorated sitting room.

“It’s a tree.” Emilia replied. Despite the fact that that was obvious, it somehow needed to be said.

Her other sister Lilibeth smiled wide, eyes opening in surprise, and scrambled toward the mess of branches and broken glass. After his brief moment of shock, her father also scrambled forward, grabbing at the little girl to stop her from getting hurt. He then sent all the women upstairs and away from the wreckage.

Emilia paused at the bottom step. “Should I perhaps go get the stable boy to help you?”

“Hm?” Her father said, returning his attention to her, hand holding the side of his head. “Oh yes, that might be good. Thank you, Emilia.”

Quirk Method:

The final method I’ll list here involves quirks. As opposed to understanding your character, this is a good method for making your characters more realistic or relatable. Give them little oddities or eccentricities that may or may not have anything to do with the story. Does your character always wear the same jacket? Do they often use a certain word, such as calling everyone “honey”? Do they say hello in the same way every time (hiya!)? Do they walk with a little bounce in their step? Are their glasses the wrong prescription and leave them squinting all the time? Do they always duck when entering a room, even if the ceiling/doorway is plenty high?  What other random quirks can you give your characters to make them feel more 3D?

Example-

Emilia always kept her hair in an updo, even when the occasion made more sense for it to be down. She never liked to have her hair down, as it felt odd brushing her neck and shoulders. For as long as she could remember, she had kept it up, fixing it again every morning before she left her room to take on the day. In fact, there likely wasn’t a memory in anyone’s mind in which Emilia had her hair down. Her little sister Lilibeth though, could never be persuaded to fix the mop that donned her head.

That’s a wrap on the four methods to defining characters! Remember, you can use some or all of these methods for a range of characters, and mixing them together will likely give you the best results. When writing, I recommend keeping a separate document full of notes alongside your actual story. You can try out these methods or exercises on that notes page and use it as a reference in your work.

Hopefully this blog has helped you better understand your characters, and to create more realistic and relatable characters for your stories. As always, if you have any creative writing questions you are welcome to reach out to the Impressions staff. Happy writing!