How to Create Complex Characters – a guide to characterization
The driving force behind every great novel, short story, or memoir is character. You can have the most fascinating plot in the world, but if the characters who move through your story are not complex and interesting, the plot falls flat.
Characters aren’t just ornaments to hang on a predefined plot. Characters create plot. That’s not to say that your characters will speak to you (although they might)—but that your character’s natural motivations and desires will drive the conflict, and their reactions will shape the events of the story.
When you begin your novel, it’s less important to know where it’s going than it is to know who your protagonist is. It’s easy to start a story without thinking out the events that will occur, but it’s almost impossible to start a story without considering who will be at the center of those events.
Think of your character as the sun in the solar system of your story. Without it, all of the other elements will freeze or burn up or hurtle into space. Without strong characters, your story cannot sustain life.
The Complete Character workbook is all about creating dynamic, complex characters. You will read about the different types of characters and why they matter. You will complete a character dossier, learn about the four primary ways in which character is revealed, and complete exercises to help you practice different techniques in character revelation.
By the end of this workbook, you will know your character from the inside out—her motivations and desires, the obstacles she faces, and the way or ways in which he changes. You will create explore both major and minor characters, populating your novel with memorable characters who will be capable of moving the story forward. You will have written a number of scenes to incorporate into your novel.
You can sample and download the workbook below to read online or on your iPad, kindle, or other device. Or see all of the workbooks for writers in this series.