5 Tips for Creating a Well-Loved Character in Our Writing

Tip #1: Give your character an arc

A character arc is the change in a character’s attitude or behaviour. Usually, your character starts out as one type of person (for eg, an unfriendly person), and is transformed into a significantly different type of person by the end. This usually happens gradually throughout your story and is in response to the events that happened in the story, such as having to overcome a difficulty or rising up to a challenge.

The change that the character undergoes can be for the better, for example, a self-centred boy learns to care more about the people around him, or it can be for the worse, as in the case of a man who descends into a life of crime although he starts off as a law-abiding citizen. Character arcs help to give depth to your characters, so that they won’t be seen as two-dimensional or underdeveloped. They also keep the readers engaged as they will find the characters more relatable and interesting.

Tip #2: Have your character make mistakes

We all make mistakes. As such, if we allow the character that we create to make mistakes, it makes them more relatable to the readers as they will appear more human and be easier to identify with. Being more invested in the character will make the readers want to continue reading to find out what happens to them in the end.

And when the mistakes lead to bigger problems, it helps to move the story along and even create dramatic tension, which is how you can keep the readers hooked to the story. For instance, imagine if the main character is a doctor who was distracted and as a result, filled in the wrong prescription for his patient. What would happen to the patient? What kind of trouble would the doctor get into? Would the doctor realise his mistake in time before the patient leaves his clinic? Wouldn’t you want to continue reading to see how the events would unfold and get answers to these questions?

Showing your readers that your character makes mistakes might at first make your readers feel annoyed with them, but that’s okay! We want the readers to feel a plethora of emotions whiler eading your story because as humans, we connect with events or things that evoke emotions in us.

Tip #3: Give your character a problem they can’t solve at first

Everyone has problems in life – this is nothing new. And we can’t always solve our problems at the first try. Just like having our character make mistakes, showing our character initially failing to solve their problem can be relatable to a lot of us. When we relate to a character, we inevitably end up caring for them because we see ourselves in them. And when we care for them, we WANT to see them succeed.

There are many examples in popular fiction where the main protagonist faces a problem they cannot solve in the beginning, such as in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series and Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games Trilogy. The problem can be caused by an external factor, for instance a villain that the main character needs to defeat, or it can be an internal conflict, for instance overcoming their fears or facing a moral dilemma. When these main characters can’t solve their problems at first, it allows for a process of self-discovery and growth, which makes them more compelling to readers. Which leads me to…

Tip #4: Have your character persevere through their struggle

Your character might be feeling down at this point after their initial failure. As humans, it is only natural to struggle and feel down, especially when we fail despite trying so hard to make something work. However, what’s more important is HOW we persevere through this struggle. Hence, in writing our characters, we should show how when they are pushed to their limits, they face the challenge with courage and resilience, and even acquire new skills in the process. For example, a character who loses his first race can be shown training or practising different ways to improve their speed and agility. Seeing them not give up would be very inspiring to your readers and make them want to cheer your character on.

Bonus Tip #5: The journey is more important than the outcome

It’s always nice to see a happy ending, but in real life, we may not be able to succeed in every single thing we set out to do. What’s more important is what we learn from the process and become better people from it. So it’s okay if you’ve decided that you don’t want your character to win or succeed – instead, show the readers how they have positively changed their attitudes in the process. When the characters learn from their mistakes or are forced to confront their fears or weaknesses in the course of the story, they often change and evolve. Often, seeing how the characters grow and develop can give a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction in the readers, even if the characters do not succeed in the mission that they seek to accomplish in the first place.

And so that’s it! I hope the tips that I have shared in this video will help you to create unique, three-dimensional characters whom your readers can empathise with and want to root for.Developing your character is hard work, so be patient with yourself and keep trying! For more tips on writing, do follow our YouTube channel and check out the other videos. Happy writing and see you next time!