Characterization - Three Steps to Getting it Right

Know your characters, inside and out! Okay, maybe not this well. :)

As writers, we all want characters that jump off the page and into our reader's hearts, but making our characters come to life isn't easy. All too often, characters come across as paper-thin and two dimensional. When a character doesn't have depth, it's difficult to relate to them, or to care about what happens to them.

The answer to creating well-rounded characters is to know them, inside and out, but how do we do this? Here's three ways:

1.  Complete a character chart for each character. If you're having a difficult time figuring out your character, filling out a character chart is a good way to get to know them and their background. This knowledge will not only influence how your write your character in each scene, it will keep their behavior consistent, so they don't act "out of character" and throw your reader off.
 

2.  Imagine the story being told from each character's point of view. What are their motivations? Why are they doing what they are? If you take a minute to imagine each character the hero of their own story, you will bring meaning to their actions.

3. Write difficult scenes from various characters points of view. If a scene doesn't feel right, or if you just want to understand each character's behavior in each scene, writing the scene from their perspective will help you refine their dialogue and actions, making them more realistic.

Flat characters can ruin the best of stories. Developing characters takes time, but well-rounded characters keep readers invested more than any other part of writing.