"Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water."
--Kurt Vonnegut, Rule #3 of Creative Writing
Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction, Berkeley Books, 1999. p. 13.
Stories are about character dealing with conflict. The heart of this is character. Just as a painting of people can't have vague stick figures, a story cannot have general characters that a reader cannot relate to. There are many different kinds of characters but they all fall into two categories: complex (round) characters and stock (flat) characters. Complex characters are fully developed characters with physical descriptions and nuanced behavior-- they are so realistic that you could believe that they actually exist. Stock characters are general stereotypes without any depth or realism: the dumb blonde who dates all the guys, the weak nerd who knows everything except how to make a friend, the old man who live alone and hates all young people, etc.
Stock characters work well for satire;
for everything else, you need complex characters.
With the exception of satire (which uses stock characters to mock stereotypes), narratives need complex characters to keep the action and story grounded in realism (even if the conflict is unreal, like in fantasy) and to give readers the ability to relate to the story. So how are complex characters formed? They must be detailed and descriptive. They must have a role in the story. They must have an objective and motivation. They must have weaknesses to be exploited in the conflict. Finally, they must have realistic relationships with other characters. This page will detail each of those elements.
Details: Fleshing out a character
Complex characters should be lifelike, and the most basic way to bring characters to life is by giving them a defined physical appearance and identity. Start first with physical appearance. Decide if the character will be a man or woman and how old the character is. Determine the build of the character: are they athletic or heavyset, short or tall? Color them in: what is the color of their eyes, hair, and skin? Dress them-- starting with underwear and going layer by layer, describe what they wear on an average day (don't forget accessories like earrings). What are all the things they have in their pockets: cell phone, wallet, lighter, USB drive, matches, coins, etc. Go into their motions: do they walk with a certain gait or smile in a certain way or talk with they hands?
After you've built a physical body, you need to give that body an identity. What does this character do all day, either as a student or a worker? What does this character eat? What do they enjoy and what do they hate? What are their primary personality traits: humor or gravity, approachability or shyness, kindness or cruelty? How confident is the character? What do they believe strongly in: religion, politics, freedom, equality, nation, the environment, or something else? Now revise the physical body based on this identity. For example, a character who works as a construction worker would have a bigger build and tanner skin than, say, a mortician. A character who believes strongly in religion may always wear, say, a Star of David necklace while a character who believes strongly in the environment would wear Birkenstock's and dreadlocks. A kind character may have a large smile, while a shy character may have a sweater they can pull over their face at a moment's notice.
Finally, name your character. This is usually a difficult step, as you want a name that sounds common enough to be real, yet different enough to be memorable. The best way to name characters is to write down every letter of the alphabet and find several real first and last names starting with each letter (social media and phonebooks make this a snap). Then, when you have to name a character, pick from your list. Avoid having characters with names starting with the same letter, as it could be hard for readers to distinguish who is who in a story with, say, Sammie, Suzette, Sandy, Sabrina, and Selina. Same goes with alliterative name like Brad Bird, Kel Kimble, or Peter Parker: these names are less realistic and usually appear in comedies and superhero books. Be wary of ethnicity with last names-- you don't want to give your Italian mafioso character a Polish or German surname. Speaking of last names, only have characters share a last name if they are related, and avoid names that end in -s in case you have to pluralize.
Will all these character details make it into your story? No, probably not. So s it important to define all these character elements. Yes, absolutely. When writing, you will want to provide as much detail as possible on the characters and having a solid mental picture of every aspect of the character makes this easy. You never know when you might sneak in a detail-- why, a small detail could be the saving grace of the conflict. Maybe your character always carries a lighter, and when writing the climax, the lighter is the item that allows the hero to win. If you struggle with providing detail, go online and find a picture of a real person or comic character who fits the physical description in your head. Just make sure to make them different in personality and name.
After you've built a physical body, you need to give that body an identity. What does this character do all day, either as a student or a worker? What does this character eat? What do they enjoy and what do they hate? What are their primary personality traits: humor or gravity, approachability or shyness, kindness or cruelty? How confident is the character? What do they believe strongly in: religion, politics, freedom, equality, nation, the environment, or something else? Now revise the physical body based on this identity. For example, a character who works as a construction worker would have a bigger build and tanner skin than, say, a mortician. A character who believes strongly in religion may always wear, say, a Star of David necklace while a character who believes strongly in the environment would wear Birkenstock's and dreadlocks. A kind character may have a large smile, while a shy character may have a sweater they can pull over their face at a moment's notice.
Finally, name your character. This is usually a difficult step, as you want a name that sounds common enough to be real, yet different enough to be memorable. The best way to name characters is to write down every letter of the alphabet and find several real first and last names starting with each letter (social media and phonebooks make this a snap). Then, when you have to name a character, pick from your list. Avoid having characters with names starting with the same letter, as it could be hard for readers to distinguish who is who in a story with, say, Sammie, Suzette, Sandy, Sabrina, and Selina. Same goes with alliterative name like Brad Bird, Kel Kimble, or Peter Parker: these names are less realistic and usually appear in comedies and superhero books. Be wary of ethnicity with last names-- you don't want to give your Italian mafioso character a Polish or German surname. Speaking of last names, only have characters share a last name if they are related, and avoid names that end in -s in case you have to pluralize.
Will all these character details make it into your story? No, probably not. So s it important to define all these character elements. Yes, absolutely. When writing, you will want to provide as much detail as possible on the characters and having a solid mental picture of every aspect of the character makes this easy. You never know when you might sneak in a detail-- why, a small detail could be the saving grace of the conflict. Maybe your character always carries a lighter, and when writing the climax, the lighter is the item that allows the hero to win. If you struggle with providing detail, go online and find a picture of a real person or comic character who fits the physical description in your head. Just make sure to make them different in personality and name.
Protagonists and Archetypes: Roles to play
Characters should only exist in a story for a reason. If you include a police officer, you need a crime in your story (even if it is only speeding). If you include a young child, like a little brother or sister, they have to be in the conflict or make another character realize something. If a character has no role in the story, then your story will drag with unneeded weight.
The most common role a character plays-- a role that must be filled in every story-- is that of the protagonist. The protagonist is the character the story action follows; he or she is the main character and, in first person perspective, the story narrator. The protagonist resolves the conflict and sometimes starts it too. Most stories, however, have the antagonist start the conflict. The antagonist is the character or force that causes conflict with the protagonist. Notice the word force: sometimes nature or the protagonist him or herself is the antagonist instead of another character (see the conflicts section). A story usually has one main protagonist and one main antagonist, though there can be characters central to the conflict that aid the protagonist or antagonist. Think Robin to Batman, Beadle Bamford to Judge Turpin, Sancho Panza to Don Quixote, and Hermione Granger to Harry Potter. These characters are called deuteragonist. You know a character is a deuteragonist if you could switch the story to focus on their actions and it wouldn't be too radically different.
So the protagonist is the hero, right? Not always. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde follows Henry Jekyll as protagonist and Dr. Hyde as antagonist, yet the hero of the story is Mr. Utterson, the narrator. The protagonist of Lolita is murderous pedophile Humbert Humbert and the protagonist of The Collector is kidnapping psychopath Frederick Clegg, neither of whom could ever be called heroes. While the protagonist of The Great Gatsby is the eponymous Jay Gatsby, it's hard to call any of his actions heroic.
Hero, it seems, is not a quality of a protagonist but a role to be filled in a story. Other potential roles found throughout stories are the sage guide, the fool, the innocent damsel, and of course the villain. The universal roles characters hold in stories are called archetypes. Archetypes are uniform in literature from every time and culture, and, according to psychologist Carl Jung, are innate in our brains from birth. Archetypes are the only characters in myth, and become roles for characters in narratives. These are not stereotypes: while a Fool character should make unwise decisions and be generally happy, the fool could be of any status, gender, race, intelligence, and importance to the plot. The best way to ensure every character in your story has a role is to match them to an archetype and give them a role in advancing the story conflict. For a list of common archetypes, click the button below.
The most common role a character plays-- a role that must be filled in every story-- is that of the protagonist. The protagonist is the character the story action follows; he or she is the main character and, in first person perspective, the story narrator. The protagonist resolves the conflict and sometimes starts it too. Most stories, however, have the antagonist start the conflict. The antagonist is the character or force that causes conflict with the protagonist. Notice the word force: sometimes nature or the protagonist him or herself is the antagonist instead of another character (see the conflicts section). A story usually has one main protagonist and one main antagonist, though there can be characters central to the conflict that aid the protagonist or antagonist. Think Robin to Batman, Beadle Bamford to Judge Turpin, Sancho Panza to Don Quixote, and Hermione Granger to Harry Potter. These characters are called deuteragonist. You know a character is a deuteragonist if you could switch the story to focus on their actions and it wouldn't be too radically different.
So the protagonist is the hero, right? Not always. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde follows Henry Jekyll as protagonist and Dr. Hyde as antagonist, yet the hero of the story is Mr. Utterson, the narrator. The protagonist of Lolita is murderous pedophile Humbert Humbert and the protagonist of The Collector is kidnapping psychopath Frederick Clegg, neither of whom could ever be called heroes. While the protagonist of The Great Gatsby is the eponymous Jay Gatsby, it's hard to call any of his actions heroic.
Hero, it seems, is not a quality of a protagonist but a role to be filled in a story. Other potential roles found throughout stories are the sage guide, the fool, the innocent damsel, and of course the villain. The universal roles characters hold in stories are called archetypes. Archetypes are uniform in literature from every time and culture, and, according to psychologist Carl Jung, are innate in our brains from birth. Archetypes are the only characters in myth, and become roles for characters in narratives. These are not stereotypes: while a Fool character should make unwise decisions and be generally happy, the fool could be of any status, gender, race, intelligence, and importance to the plot. The best way to ensure every character in your story has a role is to match them to an archetype and give them a role in advancing the story conflict. For a list of common archetypes, click the button below.
Motivation: Character drive
Every character should want something or have a goal in mind. This is called an objective. Most conflicts come from conflicting objectives. One character want to use the stupid magic elf ring to control the world, while another wants to destroy it. Four characters all want the same gypsy dancer to fall in love with them. A character wants to poison the city's water supply, while another character is Batman. Conflicting objectives make for easy climaxes: either the person will get what they want, or not.
More interesting than objective is motivation: this is the reason why a character wants whatever they want. Take The Hunchback of Notre Dame: all the major male characters want Esmeralda to fall in love with them, but each has a different reason: Quasimodo wants Esmeralda so he can be treated kindly by her; Frollo wants Esmeralda because he believes he can save her soul with his love; Phoebus wants Esmeralda because his fiance wouldn't bed him before marriage; and Pierre wants (and marries) Esmeralda because he wants to join the gypsies. Since these motivations are more nuanced than "because she's pretty," the story takes some interesting turns. Quasimodo becomes sympathetic to the reader, as he shows a childlike devotion instead of lust. Frollo has a terrific self-conflict, wondering if his love will purify Esmeralda or damn them both. Phoebus, who acts heroically, does not play the hero archetype since we know he wants Esmeralda for impure reasons.
Motivation and objectives can (and often) change throughout longer stories: in Star Wars, Luke's objective to avenge Obi Wan Kenobi by killing Vader turns into wanting to free Vader from Palpatine's control once he learns Vader is his father. When writing a short story, however, try to keep to a single objective and motivation for each character.
More interesting than objective is motivation: this is the reason why a character wants whatever they want. Take The Hunchback of Notre Dame: all the major male characters want Esmeralda to fall in love with them, but each has a different reason: Quasimodo wants Esmeralda so he can be treated kindly by her; Frollo wants Esmeralda because he believes he can save her soul with his love; Phoebus wants Esmeralda because his fiance wouldn't bed him before marriage; and Pierre wants (and marries) Esmeralda because he wants to join the gypsies. Since these motivations are more nuanced than "because she's pretty," the story takes some interesting turns. Quasimodo becomes sympathetic to the reader, as he shows a childlike devotion instead of lust. Frollo has a terrific self-conflict, wondering if his love will purify Esmeralda or damn them both. Phoebus, who acts heroically, does not play the hero archetype since we know he wants Esmeralda for impure reasons.
Motivation and objectives can (and often) change throughout longer stories: in Star Wars, Luke's objective to avenge Obi Wan Kenobi by killing Vader turns into wanting to free Vader from Palpatine's control once he learns Vader is his father. When writing a short story, however, try to keep to a single objective and motivation for each character.
Hubris: The fatal flaw
The final ingredient for a complex, realistic character is for that character to be flawed. Real people are not perfect and neither should a character. Flaws, which Aristotle termed hamartia, comes in two types: quirks and hubris. Quirks are flaws that make the character odd but do not generally get in their way. A character may have acne or a speech impediment or is peppy to the point of nauseating others-- annoying and embarrassing, sure, but not a real issue. Hubris, on the other hand, is when a personal attribute that a character takes pride in causes them to lose ground in the conflict. Hubris can take many forms: the hubris that led to Psyche's death was her curiosity, the hubris that led to Oedipus' fall was his sense of justice, and the hubris that undid Hamlet was his confidence in himself. Unlike a quirk, hubris is tied to the conflict and how it unfolds. Some other great hubris that can be attached to a character: jealousy, not listening, lust, greed, frugality, foolishness, boorishness, ignorance, education, abstention, prudishness, righteousness, apathy, caution, and compromising.
The character will encounter a problem caused by their own hubris. So what happens next? The character will be given a chance at redemption-- a moment to set overcome their hubris. Sometimes, the character does it himself or herself, like when Quasimodo overcomes his blind faith in Frollo to get revenge for Esmeralda's death. Sometimes, an agent of the character provides redemption, like when Demeter and Athena convince Zeus to allow Eros to revive Psyche. In tragedies, the character rejects the second chance at redemption and is brought to their doom. Oedipus could have listened to Tiresias' warning, but ignored him. Hamlet could have trusted Ophelia, but instead drove her and everyone else away.
The character will encounter a problem caused by their own hubris. So what happens next? The character will be given a chance at redemption-- a moment to set overcome their hubris. Sometimes, the character does it himself or herself, like when Quasimodo overcomes his blind faith in Frollo to get revenge for Esmeralda's death. Sometimes, an agent of the character provides redemption, like when Demeter and Athena convince Zeus to allow Eros to revive Psyche. In tragedies, the character rejects the second chance at redemption and is brought to their doom. Oedipus could have listened to Tiresias' warning, but ignored him. Hamlet could have trusted Ophelia, but instead drove her and everyone else away.
Chemistry: When characters communicate
Once you have all your characters, you need to need to look at how they will interact with one another. Not all characters will meet, but those that will interact should have clearly defined relationships. Consider the members of each character's family, even if they might not make an appearance. Define how characters know one another and how they feel about one another. The best way to make connections is to establish chemistry between characters. Chemistry is a term for how two characters complement each other. The best way to do this is to give the characters similar characteristics in general but with one key difference. Don Quixote and Sancho Panza are both foolish, good-natured, and glory seeking, yet Quixote is brave while Sancho is a coward. You can also do the opposite and have two characters that are complete opposites with one important quality in common (this happens a lot in romantic comedies). Jane Eyre is poor, abused, demure, while Rochester is wealthy, privileged and rude, but both bond over humor and appreciation of beauty. Remember that chemistry does not only apply to positive relationships: protagonists and antagonists should have chemistry as well. Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader have a lot in common: both are orphans who had a beloved mentor they feel betrayed him and were trained as Jedi when they were too old, yet Luke never gives in to his inner darkness (though he is tempted), while Vader does.
Practical question: I'm writing creative nonfiction. Should I use people's real names?
Ethically, you have a duty as a writer to respect the privacy of others and their affairs. Just because you want to tell a story from your life doesn't mean the person you know wants the story to be told. You have two options: change the name or ask permission.
The easiest way to protect a real person you are writing about is to change the name and physical description of the person. For example, when I write a story about one of my past relationship, I always name the girl Amy and describe her as tall with red hair. I have never dated anyone named Amy nor have I dated a redhead. This change protects my ex-girlfriends from being connected to my potentially embarrassing accounts, as even people who are close to me and know my dating history could not pin down which of my actual exes I'm depicting. The same process works for friends, coworkers, and former roommates.
Family is different. Were I to write a story about my mother, father, or sister, changing a name and physical description won't conceal the actual person. While I have lots of friends, I only have one mother, and everyone close to me (or those who can find her on Facebook) knows who she is. Therefore, were I to write a story about her, I would ethically need her permission to make the story public, as she would need to approve of the story being read by others and her private life exposed. If she were uncomfortable with my story, I would either have to change the story to her liking, scrap the story, or turn it into a fictional work with no reference to my own life. If she approves of the story, I can freely use her name.
But wouldn't changing a name make my work into fiction instead of creative nonfiction? Not at all-- while making up events and people out of thin air is fictional, creative nonfiction writers often change the names and descriptions of people and places. They also sometimes condense two different people into one person (so the story is similar and more coherent), condense a timeline (so events that happened over several days happen over two, for example), and invent description to deepen symbolism or create parallelism (e.g., describing a ball as blue with red dots when in truth the writer couldn't remember the ball's color). Dialogue is also usually an invention of the author: while the gist of the real conversation is true, the exact words are lost, so (unless the writer recorded the conversation) the writer must invent dialogue that suits the conversation to the best recollection of the author. None of these adjustments make a work fictional: if the spirit of the story is true, the details can be adjusted to make a better story. This is the "creative" part of creative nonfiction.