Craft Unforgettable Characters Like a Pro

3 powerful questions you should ask yourself–or better yet–ask your characters

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Creating rich, complex main characters isn't only about filling out character worksheets (though they have their place). Unfortunately, most writers stop there, before diving into writing the first chapter. They know their character’s eye color, occupation, and backstory, but they don't know what makes them tick. Yet readers don't connect deeply with characters because they’re attractive or have an interesting job or a complicated past.

Readers will connect with characters who feel authentic and have the kinds of complications that make us all human or with characters who have dreams, desires, and doubts that they can relate to. To create this type of connection, you need to dig further than the standard character questionnaires. You need to try to understand your character inside and out nearly as well as you understand yourself, perhaps even better.

After writing and publishing nine novels, I have identified several essential questions that I always ask myself about my characters. The answers–if you’re thorough enough–will transform flat characters into revealing personalities who come to life. Whether you're just starting your novel or well into your first draft, these questions will help you discover who your characters truly are.

1. What does your protagonist want most in the world?

What is their deepest desire, the thing that drives them even when they don't realize it?

Maybe your protagonist is a detective who thinks she wants to solve a murder, but what she really craves is to prove to her male superiors that she’s relevant and that she knows what she’s doing. Or perhaps your character believes she wants to land a spot on the women’s basketball team, but what she’s actually after is love and approval from her father.

This deeper desire should also help move the plot forward. And it should be something readers can relate to even if they've never felt or experienced it. We can all understand the desire to feel worthy or loved.

2. What is their greatest strength and greatest weakness?

The strength and weakness can be completely unrelated. However, some of the most fascinating and complex characters are those whose greatest strength is also the source of their greatest weakness. Think about it: the psychologist who is brilliant at reading clients but can't trust anyone enough to maintain a healthy romantic relationship of her own. Or the spouse who's fiercely protective but also extremely controlling.

This kind of complexity can create intrinsic conflict because your protagonist will constantly be battling herself as well as external obstacles as she strives to reach her goals.

3. What or who is hindering their progress (internally and externally)?

Every compelling character faces obstacles on two fronts. The external ones are usually clear—the villain, the deadline, the natural disaster.

Yet internal obstacles are often more interesting and more important for character development. What beliefs, fears, or behavior patterns prevent your character from getting what she wants? How does she sabotage herself and why? Sometimes the biggest obstacle isn't the antagonist. It's the voice in the main character’s head that tells her she doesn't deserve happiness or fulfillment.

You may use the questions for any characters of your choosing. The main character is obvious, but important secondary characters as well as the villain or antagonist might also benefit from thorough exploration.

Try asking yourself–or better yet, your characters–these questions and let them ramble as you note the responses. Pretend to be the character and don’t censor them. You'll be surprised by what emerges when you stop trying to control the process.

You may never use some of what they share in your actual story. That’s fine. The goal is to understand the character so deeply that every action, every line of dialogue, every thought feels natural. The more thoroughly you know your characters, the more your readers will connect with their journeys. And that is what transforms a good story into an unforgettable one.

Our next workshop will take us deep into character development. We dipped into this element of fiction writing in the Spark to Story Workshop, and many of you expressed a desire to go further. The three questions above are a taste of what’s to come in “Crafting Unforgettable Characters,” which will include additional questions as well as many other exercises, all designed to encourage you to explore and get to the heart of your characters. The workshop starts in mid-July, and I’ll share more over the next couple of weeks.

As with all workshops, this will be exclusively for paid subscribers.