Three Character Development Activities to Elaborate on Your Characters' Drives and Intentions
In the realm of storytelling, crafting believable and multi-dimensional characters is essential for captivating readers and driving the narrative. A character's breaking point, a situation that has the potential to change something intrinsic about them, is a powerful tool for bringing life to a narrative.
Martin Cavannagh, a writer with Reedsy, a network that connects authors with industry professionals, emphasises the importance of character development. He curates free publishing courses and webinars, and offers insights into creating compelling characters.
One effective method for exploring a character's breaking point is to identify their defining traits and jot down situations that could potentially force them to change. For instance, a loyal character might be put in a position where she has to betray a friend to help her family, or a shy character might be up for a promotion that requires public speaking.
Negative traits like selfishness can provide opportunities for a character's redemption arc. Consider a self-centered character roped into volunteering at a soup kitchen and realising the joy of giving back.
Ethical thought experiments, such as the Trolley Problem or the Robin Hood Dilemma, can also reveal a lot about a character's moral compass. These thought experiments can help writers understand a character's motivations and decision-making process, making them more relatable to readers.
Asking characters questions is another effective way to understand them. These questions may cover trivial or serious matters, and can be borrowed from sources like the Proust Questionnaire or the Arthur Aron study. Symbolic questions can help grasp a character's inherent nature.
Creative Writing Prompts Focused on Character Arcs, such as those offered by Final Draft, can probe core elements like motive, fear, identity, and emotional truth. These prompts encourage exploring internal conflicts and contradictions, essential for rich character development.
Workshops led by Elizabeth Cohen focus on creating characters that resonate with emotional truth by analyzing three types of truth: personal (experiential), community (social), and scientific (objective). These sessions emphasise the importance of addressing moral quandaries and integrating non-verbal cues—body language, communication style—into character creation.
Author James Scott Bell stresses the importance of giving your protagonist a unique quirk or style that sets them apart, multi-dimensionality with flaws and virtues that evoke reader sympathy, and internal conflicts that can be explored through moral dilemmas or stress points.
By combining these resources and exercises, writers can craft believable, multi-layered characters whose motivations, fears, and breaking points feel authentic and emotionally compelling. Joining writing communities or workshops that focus specifically on character-building techniques can also provide additional practice and feedback.
[1] Final Draft: 15 Character Arc Prompts: https://www.finaldraft.com/blog/15-character-arc-prompts/ [2] Elizabeth Cohen: Character Development Workshops: https://elizabethcohen.com/workshops/ [3] The Write Practice: Story Arc Writing Exercises: https://thewritepractice.com/story-arc-exercises/ [4] James Scott Bell: Writing Advice on Character Development: https://www.jamesscottbell.com/category/writing-tips/character-development/
In the realm of character development, Martin Cavannagh, a writer from Reedsy, offers insights into creating compelling characters, providing writing tips on exploring a character's breaking point, defining traits, and redemption arcs. Ethical thought experiments, such as the Trolley Problem or the Robin Hood Dilemma, can also help writers understand a character's moral compass for emotional development and authenticity. Joining writing communities or workshops focusing on character-building, like those offered by Final Draft, Elizabeth Cohen, or The Write Practice, can provide additional practice and feedback for online education and self-development in writing.
