Drilling to the Core of a Character

Fictional characters are like onions; they are made of many layers.  A writer must peel back the layers to reveal the core of a character.

The outermost layers include demographics, career, and other information that paints a generic picture: A young, unmarried carpenter named Brandon who lives in suburb of Chicago.

Peel back a few layers and the information begins to get more specific: Brandon played football in high school, works out at the gym, specializes in furniture, and takes care of his younger brother and sister because their parents are dead. With this level of information Brandon is starting to become a unique person with a bit of backstory, but there are deeper truths that have yet to be revealed.

If a writer wants truly well-developed characters, she must drill through layer after layer until she arrives at the core. To get there a writer must keep asking why about the decisions she’s already made until she gets to the bottom of things. For example, why does Brandon go to the gym? Because he wants to stay in shape. Why? Because he wants to take care of himself, but also because he is responsible for his siblings. If we keep drilling along this line of logic we eventually discover that one of Brandon’s core values is the need to protect those he loves. He is willing to sacrifice his religious convictions, his career, or his own happiness in order to protect his loved ones.

That’s the kind of deep truth you can build a story around.

Understanding a character’s core values will inform how they behave in whatever situation you put them in. Or, as Kevin Daum writes at Inc.com:

 …your personal core values are there to guide behavior and choice. Get them right and you’ll be swift and focused in your decision-making, with clear direction. Get them wrong or leave them ambiguous, and you’ll constantly wonder how you got into this mess.

That same truth applies to fictional characters. Understanding the core values of a character will make the writing process smoother.

How do you know when you’ve reached the core?

Core values are a character’s non-negotiables, the beliefs, needs or truths that form the bedrock of who they are. Core values are things like integrity, the importance of money, and a need for acceptance. Ask what this character will give anything to have or achieve and you’ve identified which values lie at his core.

This post on How Morals and Basic Needs Influence a Character’s Strengths has a great description of how to unearth core values. For more help identifying specific character traits, check out The Positive Trait Thesaurus, and its companion The Negative Trait Thesaurus.

Peeling back the layers to discover your character’s core values is worth the time and effort. Maybe it’s time you tried it.