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One of the things that I see books struggle with the most is the depth of their characters. How can this be? Characters may be the focal point of the novel; but, when a novel falls out of balance, focusing on plot events rather than character development, it risks a loss in readership because its characters are unrelatable or shallow. Today, we're taking a closer look at 5 tips for adding depth to a novel's characters.
I have had the privilege of learning from professional authors who work with several different genres and audiences. So many of them offer advice from their own writing experience. Each writer, though, has such a unique experience that no one formula can work for all of us. While these 5 points are an assemblage of tips I have learned from multiple sources, a couple today are inspired by 2k to 10k, a book on writing by
Rachel Aaron.
Let's get started!
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1. GIVE YOUR CHARACTER PROBLEMS. THE MORE, THE MERRIER
Well, the merrier for your readers, in any case. Characters with loads of internal conflicts and complications innately carry depth. The more their background weighs upon them, the more likely they are to make important decisions based on their motivations.
Too often, authors extend a major tragedy to their protagonists in an effort to add depth with one significant problem. However, if a character's sole motivation stems from the death of a parent, the loss of a sibling, the destruction of a homeland, then writers run the risk of all the characters little day-to-day problems seeming insignificant or shallow. Instead, consider piling problem after problem, irritations upon irritations so that the character faces pressures from multiple directions. The overwhelming nature of multiple problems squeezes hard-pressed choices from the characters.
Let's take Percy Jackson, for example. His story begins from page one with several problems, long before he learns the truth of his half-blood identity or the impending danger of his quest. He begins with the following problems:
He is regularly accused of causing trouble.
He struggles with ADHD and Dyslexia
He has a temper where defending his best friend, Grover, is concerned.
There! We have a character who, from page one, offers us 3 different avenues for conflict. Authors never shed light on a character's problems unless they will be used later in an element of plot. Consider, then, that characters' problems are also plot opportunities as a novel develops.
2. GIVE YOUR CHARACTERS FRIENDS, ENEMIES, AND CONFLICT. LOTS OF CONFLICT.
While it might be too much to address here exactly how many secondary and tertiary characters a novel might need, I do generally recommend 3-5. Consider the main cast of Scooby Doo: Freddy, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby. Sure, there are villains responsible for each mystery; there are some episodes which include the gang's parents, guests such as Scrappy Doo, etc. For all their adventures, though, the overall story remains cohesive because we always return to that central group of 5 characters.
An analogy many writers have heard of by now references getting a cat stuck in a tree. Here, the cat is the character and the tree is a particularly nasty conflict, one without a simple solution.
If we return to Percy Jackson, we watch him arrive at Camp Half-Blood, begin a new struggle of grappling with an unknown identity all while reeling from the sudden loss of his mother. Percy, flung into an unfamiliar world, his only pillar of stability now gone, is then accused of stealing Zeus' symbol of power.
Remember that first internal conflict? He is regularly accused of causing trouble.
So, it doesn't really matter that Percy is innocent of the major theft. The point is that he's been accused by the most powerful ancient Greek god, and there's no easy way to prove his innocence. Percy, meet your tree.
Then, Percy is assigned a quest, a way out of his conflict, by venturing to the dread Underworld and face Hades head-to-head (not an easy way down from that tree). There will be other trials in the way of his success, which will add to Percy's pressure as smaller conflicts.
So you have your cat in a tree. You've settled on a major conflict and a series of trials that will make getting down that much harder. Now, set the tree on fire.
That's right! Set it on fire. Give your character a time crunch. Now, what they are facing is more than just a series of problems; it's a series of overwhelming problems with a nearly impossible time limit. Absolutely nothing can go wrong with their hatching plan, or it will be too late.
Percy must cross the United States twice, survive the monsters, face Hades, and finally locate and return Zeus' lightning bolt by the Summer Solstice. He has 7 days. Oh, and he has to get his mom back from the Underworld while he's at it.
Percy, of course, is not alone. He does have the chance to take a few friends along with him. Even still, for a group of 3 adolescent characters, that's a steep list of challenges. Now, truthfully, this can be tricky to compose as a writer. It's important not to write oneself into a corner with no way out, but it is also just as important to lead a reader into a train of thought. The reader absolutely must not be allowed to see a way out of the tangled knots of conflict.
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3. MORE THAN JUST THOUGHTS/DIALOGUE
Characters, then, are notably strengthened by both internal and external conflicts. But that's not all that gives them depth.
One frequent struggle I see in writing comes from too much exposition. Generally, my notes for character development goes hand-in-hand with developing plot.
Show, don't tell. All actions, dialogue, and interiority should serve a purpose for the movement of the story.
Let's say that we have set foot in the midst of a chaotic fantasy-genre scene. Invaders have come to the city searching for our protagonist, a young man who has concealed his fire magic by working in a bakery and running the ovens. He must escape, and quickly. If we focus too much on the young man fumbling with packing his things, speaking quick goodbyes, or even offering a flashback to the day he learned of his powers, the dawdling will strip away the urgency of the scene.
Characters have a whole book to develop their nuances, but if an author chooses to press most of that backstory into the same initial scene as the action, there are a couple of consequences:
The urgency of a fast-paced scene may be lost.
The reader may feel that there is little left to learn about the character as a person. Only the impending step-by-step of the plot would remain.
It's essential to note, too, that a character's development isn't always about the identity they will take on. Harry becomes a powerful wizard. Rapunzel is actually the long, lost princess. Wesley and Dread Pirate Roberts are one and the same. Rather, the story should slowly unveil the character's feelings, maturity, regrets. These things should not all stem from a backstory the reader needs to catch up with. These things should come from events inside the story itself as the characters attempt to solve their problems in all the wrong ways.
I hope that these tips help you jumpstart your characters! Let me know in the comments whether you have any characters that you're struggling with, or if any of these tips are useful to you.
What are some other tips and tricks you'd like to see?
-Mykayla
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