5 Tips to Deepen Your Characters

Take your characters deeper

All great writers understand the importance of creating well-developed characters, but how does a character go from predictable to unique? Here are five suggestions to deepen your characters, making them more interesting, realistic and memorable.

1. Include a habit or two – We humans are habit-prone. We chew our fingernails, shove the hair out of our eyes, or always eat a banana and a yogurt for breakfast. Giving fictional characters habits not only enhances their interest but helps the reader recognize and interpret emotions. For example, your hero’s father always runs a hand through his hair when he’s upset, or the villainess cleans her glasses before making a decision. Once you’ve established a habit, readers will take note if a character suddenly changes their normal patterns. #writetip Share on X
2. Give them an unusual physical trait or handicap – What if one of your characters suffers from migraines, or is allergic to peanuts, or is confined to a wheelchair? Giving characters a physical hurdle to overcome not only tests their mettle, but can lead to clever plot points. Example: Juan Cabrillo in Clive Cussler’s Oregon Files novels has a prosthetic leg. At least once each novel that leg (or some tool hiding inside it) becomes significant to the storyline.
3. Determine their love language – Whether your story is a romance or a family drama, communicating love between characters is important. But when it comes to expressing love, we humans don’t all speak the same “language.” If your hero understands one love language, and your heroine another, you’ve created opportunities for tension. How many stories can you think of where the main character’s most heartfelt need is to hear a parent actually say, “I love you?” Take that deeper by showing the parent did love their child, but showed it another way.
4. Add a hobby or passion – Something outside the main plot that gives the reader a different angle on the character’s personality. If your main character is an amateur photographer, they might notice background details another character misses. If your heroine supports the local food pantry, readers might be more willing to believe it when she later decides to quit her job and go into missions. Example: Sam Gamgee enjoys cooking, so much so that he brings salt along on an epic quest. The ring would still get to the Crack of Doom without that detail, but what does it tell us about Sam?
5. Violate a stereotype – Want to surprise your readers? Build a character that seems to fit a stereotype, then break them out of it. For example: a motorcycle rider in full leathers who goes to wine tastings—and knows what he’s talking about. Or a mousy-looking woman who works at the library, but is also a loud and opinionated soccer coach with three championships under her cleats. Go ahead, shake your readers up a bit; just make sure you’re not doing it for shock value alone. Find a way for it to enhance the story.