Characters are one of the most important parts of the story. Therefore, it is important to take your time in developing the character.

5 tips on how to develop characters.

1. Know who your character is going to be

In many stories, it’s how the character interacts with their environment, with other characters, and/or themselves that makes the story interesting. This is why knowing the personality of the character is important. The personality of the character will help determine their wardrobe, their appearance, and how they will react in their environment.

2. Know what your character looks like (and write it down)

This one seems obvious. It’s a good idea to work out what your character looks like, sure. What is even more important is to write it down somewhere. Believe me, you will forget, especially if the character is not the main character. Nothing is more confusing than having a blond-haired blue-eyed hero suddenly change into a brunette with green eyes.

3. Know the character’s setting

Environment can shape what the character looks like. It can even change how the character acts. It may be useful to have some idea of where the story will take place while developing your character. It doesn’t make sense to have a water-loving character in the middle of the dessert -u unless, of course, that is a key point to the plot.

4. Know what your character does

What does your character do in their day-to-day environment? Are they a student? A loafer? How do they get through the day? With a smile? or with meds? These are the more intricate details that can help reveal their desires, flaws, and strengths. As you write this character going through the character’s daily routine or having their daily routine shattered will really reveal what the character is like.

5. Flush out your character (and also write these down)

Knowing the smaller details of a character can add even more depth too. Revealing a character likes listening to metal over country or vice versa tells us a lot about the person. A character liking spicy foods over bland also tells us a lot. These little details help us covertly reveal aspects of our character.

Bonus

Don’t be afraid the character to change and evolve as you write! I have changed many detail of my characters as I decided I wanted them to react one way instead of the other. Just be prepared for some spontaneous evolution (you may just want to update your notes before you forget)!

A lot of these tips suggest writing things down. I highly encourage keeping notes whenever you write and one way to do this is with Character sheet. I use these for every main character.