Creating a Character Blueprint for Fiction Writers
Fictional characters are beautiful. They provide us with an opportunity to immerse ourselves in their lives and live vicariously through them, enabling us to experience things we might or never will in our own lifetimes. They also serve as a source of comfort and consolation by reflecting the nature of our own humanity. But whatever characters live through or behave like, it’s important that they feel real and memorable.
As a writer, crafting authentic characters is an effective way to engage readers. There are numerous methods to achieve this objective. To get a true grip on the red thread that runs through who your characters are, here are 7 insightful questions that will help you on your way, including 2 examples from character perspective with each question.
1. What does your character want the most?
Everyone craves things in their lives. These desires may either continuously change or stay consistent over time. To create a compelling character, it is crucial to identify the one fundamental desire that is closely linked to the underlying theme of your story. This ‘red thread’ desire is what will motivate your character to walk along the path you have paved for them. The desire can be as ‘big’ or ‘small’ as you want, as long as it is a critical element of your character's journey.
Example Desire 1 ‘I want to save the world.’
Example Desire 2 ‘I want to bring my sick grandmother soup every morning.’
2. What motivates your character to push beyond their own limits?
Your character’s burning ‘red thread’ desire is or will become so crucial to them that they are willing to fight and overcome any obstacles in their path. Some of your characters may be a fighter from the very start of their journey, someone who challenges or defies the status quo, rebels against authority, or asserts their independence naturally. Other characters may first need to go through some serious life-altering experiences to awaken the fighter within them. By asking yourself what ultimately motivates your characters to persist despite the hardships, you will establish a strong foundation for revealing other elements about your characters, like their core values and personality traits.
Example Motivation 1 ‘I want the public glory of being a hero.’
Example Motivation 2 ‘My grandmother raised me, so I'd do anything to take care of her.’
3. What obstacle stands in your character’s way the most from getting what they desire?
Every character will have its share of obstacles to face, and you may have already laid out some exciting challenges for yours. It's up to you as to determine whether your characters will ultimately conquer the obstacles and achieve their goals, whether the obstacles will lead them to question the importance of their desires, or even shift their desires entirely. Whatever you choose, obstacles you lay out should directly oppose your characters' motivations, clashing until one prevails over the other.
Example Obstacle 1 'I’m really weak and have no real skills to be able to save the world.’
Example Obstacle 2 ‘The local shop ran out of all ingredients to make grandmother’s favourite soup.’
4. What personality traits drive your character’s behaviour the most?
The way your characters respond to obstacles and events in your story is influenced by their personality traits. These traits exist in each of us and have a direct impact on our behaviour in daily life. Does your character remain calm in the face of annoyances or are they hot-headed? Are they kind to others or do they lack a sense of empathy? Do they crave adventure and excitement or do they prefer the comforts of their own home? By identifying the personality traits that most strongly affect your characters, you will be able to predict a large portion of their actions and thoughts throughout your story.
Example Trait 1 ‘I’m stubborn and determined, and won’t stop until I’ve found a teacher that’s willing to take me on as their student to become stronger.’
Example Trait 2 ‘I’m charismatic and friendly, and I’ll be able to convince the shopkeeper to take me on their journey to get the ingredients.’
5. What core values determine how your character sees the world?
Much like personality traits, core values greatly influence your characters’ behaviour and shape their perception of the world (their ‘frame of reference’). Core values may have been passed down to them by family at a young age or adopted later in life from others they admire or learned through significant events. These values serve as guiding principles that form the foundation of your characters’ lives and significantly impact how they choose to act, even in the face of adversity.
Example Value 1 ‘I value status above everything, which means I can’t ever hang out with other people I see as weak.’
Example Value 2 ‘I value family above everything, so no matter how difficult it’ll be to get those ingredients, I have to make sure my grandmother has her favourite soup as soon as possible.’
6. What does your character need to grow or change?
It’s very likely your character will develop and change throughout their journey. You have the responsibility of deciding whether they ultimately obtain their desires or discover there was something else they lacked and didn’t know they needed all along. At the start of their journey, your character may think that they know what they want or have misguided aspirations. However, what stands at the centre of their ultimate transformation, whether for better or worse, might be completely different from what they initially pursued.
Example Need 1 ‘I needed to realise that even after saving the world, glory and recognition didn’t bring me happiness. The friendships I made along the way and accepting myself for who I am brought me true happiness.’
Example Need 2 ‘I needed to realise the soup wasn’t the most important thing to my grandmother, but me actually showing up and just being there for her was.’
7. Has your character's desire been obtained or changed at the end of their journey?
As your characters face their obstacles and in doing so may discover unconscious needs and desires, their journey may veer off in a new direction or take unexpected turns. On the other hand, the challenges they face could strongly strengthen their original desires and resolve. To bring their journey to a close, consider where your characters stand at the end of the story in contrast to the beginning. Did anything change?
Example Change 1 ‘I don’t seek out glory anymore in my day-to-day life. I now want to live more peacefully surrounded by the people I love, not pushing myself to have to want glory, but save the world to ensure my friends can keep on living.’
Example Change 2 ‘I still want to bring my grandmother her soup, but if for some reason the soup isn’t available, I make sure to still show up with whatever I can bring instead. I just want to make sure to spend as much time with her as I can.’
Once you’ve answered all these 7 questions, you'll have a solid and authentic blueprint of your character's inner workings and how it will impact both them and your story. After all, what could be more authentic than witnessing your characters endure hardship and challenges to become stronger or transform entirely?