How To Develop Your Characters

How To Develop Your Characters

1) Reveal your character slowly. If you info-dump too much about your protagonist straight away, there is no more wonder surrounding them. By slowly unraveling details about a character, the reader can understand them more fully and see their growth happen in real-time. When your character begins to open up naturally as the story progresses, they’ll reveal things about themselves through their actions or dialogue.

2) All protagonists should have a goal. When a character sets out to complete their goal, that is when the story is born as well as their character arc. The obstacles they have to overcome and the setbacks they face develop them as the story progresses. When you give your character a goal and make it hard for them to reach it, they begin to figure things out and grow as a person.

3) Create obstacles. And then more obstacles. The more conflict that you shove in your protagonist’s face, the more active they have to be in the story. It’s by actively making choices that someone begins to transform. Give your protagonist physical obstacles to overcome but also internal ones like doubt, regret, anger, confusion, lust, etc. 

4) Let them Fail. Overwhelm your character, push them to their limits, kick them when they’re low, make them feel like their heart will never heal… and then help them overcome the hardship. (Or not, if your story consists of a negative character arc). Regardless, failure is an important part of any story because no one is perfect and readers love seeing a protagonist overcome the impossible. Have your protagonist fail continuously throughout the story… big failures, little failures, half-failures… it all builds character.

5) Enhance their growth by having static characters in the story. Protagonists are typically dynamic characters which means they change throughout the story. It can be smart to contrast a dynamic character with a minor static/flat character who remains the same throughout the story. If two characters come from the same starting point but only one changes, the audience can see the growth that has really happened to them.

6) Give your character a past that they can overcome. A backstory, an origin, a past. We all start somewhere. The way we grew up undoubtedly shaped us into who we are today and it’s no different for a character. Whether your character comes from a backstory of hardships or privilege, you must know the reasons behind who they are at the start of your story. Then, you can start developing them… making them into a better or worse person.

For example, maybe your protagonist has a deathly fear of cars because of being in an accident as a child. Put them and a love interest in a car together or have them take walks by a highway late at night. Perhaps he even shows her what a car looks like under the hood and helps her to understand the safety features. This all develops your character into growing past their fear, which we understand because of their past.

7) Give your character’s flaws that are real. I don’t mean little flaws like being bad a math or extremely clumsy. While these are all aspects that are okay to give a character, your protagonist needs a more deep and intense obstacle to overcome. A werewolf who can’t control their anger and transforms sporadically. A cheerleader who shakes so badly from presentation anxiety that she risks dropping a teammate. These traits are realistic and relatable to the audience and can be overcome as the character develops, learns, and grows throughout the story.

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The curse that comes with being immortal.

“That was my son,” Tears flew down the man’s face, gritting his teeth. His eye fell on his son's cold body once alive. And Techno is one step away–a word away, a plead away, but– "and that's my brother." a wicked smile blossomed on the man's face, "then i guess we're even then," the knife cuts excessively deep in Wilbur's throat, no chance of survival, the man drops his body. "NOOO!!!" Techno screams fall on deaf ears, he runs to Wilbur. “..Techno?...” Wilbur wheezes while coughing on his own blood, tears falling down his face, knowing these are his last moments alive.

Techno cradles his brother’s body, holding Will's face in his hands, “no, no, save your energy. You’ll be okay, you.. you have to be..” techno pleads as he can feel him losing the warmth in his body. It is like techno can hear the man's words, his meaning of doing this. "feel my pain," carries in the roaring wind.

All Wilbur can do is smile sadly and shake his head at him, coughing once more, he takes a shallow breath than gives his brightest smile and says “I love you” before breathing for his last time, looking into the eyes of his brother, forever and always.

If anyone saw the great Blood God crying, sobbing, into his brother’s chest, begging for it all to all be some sick twisted joke, praying and damning every god he called on for not saving his brother that today. They saw nothing. Well mainly because they didn’t live to tell of it, that was the day the Blood God closed his heart again, locking it behind a cage, planning to never open it again. It belonged to one; forever and always.

Sanctuary is always welcome to visitors !!!

rbs are very appreciated, this took me a month!

for the requests you just opened, may I see a goodtimeswithscar in the snazziest outfit you can create?

ive been meaning to draw him in this pose for a while

+ full under cut

"Really, wings?"

The voice came out of nowhere, causing the hero- who had just taken off their overshirt to reveal said wings, to whirl around. It was who the easily recognizable voice belonged to; however, that really made their stomach plummet.

Their wings were so sore from being stuffed and folded beneath their costume. Luckily a large cape helped to hide the unnatural bulge of their back quite well. They ached to finally stretch out, but the hero pinned them to their back, hopelessly trying to undo the damage that had already been done. They sucked in a breath.

The villain tilted their head at the other's silence, taking a step forward. The hero mirrored with their own step back, causing them to bump into their dresser. Their hands fisted in their shirt, holding it up to their chest like they could hide behind it.

The villain's gaze, which had been... intrigued yet surgical, softened into something... something. They held up their hands, lifting the side of their coat with their elbow to reveal an empty belt, "Easy, I'm unarmed, I come in peace," their eyes drifted from the hero's face to over their shoulder, "If not... interest,"

The prettiest of them all