Everything You Need to Know About Developing (and Writing) Characters

I’ve covered a lot about developing characters and writing about them, here on Aliventures. I wanted to collect those posts together in one place so you can find them easily.

Whether you’re just figuring out who your characters are for your story, you’re in the messy middle of your draft, or you’re trying to nail your characterisation as you rewrite, hopefully there’s a post here that covers just what you need!

Developing Characters

Five Different Approaches to Developing Characters

Should you fill out a character questionnaire? Interview your characters? Or just start writing and let them develop naturally on the page? There’s no one “right” method, so in this post, I take you through some different options and how they might work for you.

Five Straightforward Ways to Create Stronger Characters

How do you build characters who come across as strong, compelling, and three-dimensional? Here, I run through five practical things you can do: you could apply these when brainstorming and outlining, while drafting, or when revising your novel.

What is a Character Arc? Positive, Negative, and Flat Character Arcs Explained (Plus Examples)

You know your main character needs a “character arc” … but what exactly does that mean? This post digs deep into character arcs, with examples, and discusses the different types of arc you might consider.

What Comes Before and After your Story? Character Backstory and Living Happily Ever After

Characters feel most real to your readers when there’s a sense of them existing before your story begins … and after it ends. So how do you work this into your story as you develop your outline or begin to write? That’s what this post tackles. 

Character Flaws: Why They’re So Important to Your Story [With Examples]

Should your characters have a flaw? And how big should that flaw be? Here, I run through some different types of character flaws and look at specific examples from literature as well as in TV and movies.

Writing Characters

How to Write Character Descriptions That Work (With Examples)

It can be tricky to know how to describe your characters’ physical appearances. How much detail is too much vs too little? What makes descriptions interesting and engaging to your reader? We tackle these issues here, with plenty of examples.

Seven Common Problems Writers Have With Characters

Are you struggling with something character-related? Perhaps you’re juggling too many characters, or your characters seem too perfect, or they’re simply haring off in their own direction. This post gives you tips on how to fix some common problems.

Indirect Characterisation: What Is It and How Is It Different From Direct Characterisation?

Characterisation doesn’t have to be overt or involve telling the reader what someone’s like. In this post, I run through indirect vs direct characterisation, exploring six different methods of indirect characterisation  plus examples from novels.

Why You Should Stick to One Name for Each Character in Your Novel

Some writers, keen to avoid repetition, end up referring to their character by lots of different names and nicknames in the narrative, but this can get really confusing. This post explores why, and looks at when exceptions apply to the “stick to one name” rule.

Making Bad Things Happen to Good Characters

Some writers find it really tough to let bad things happen to their characters … but if your novel is going to feel exciting and high-stakes, there might have to be some rocky moments for your characters along the way! This post deals with some common worries plus practical advice.

15 Ways to Make Your Characters Suffer (for the Good of Your Novel)

This post is one of the most popular on Aliventures! It covers 15 different types of suffering you could put your characters through, with tips on what each one is useful for in story-writing terms, and examples from books, TV, and movies. 

How to Get Your Characters Right As You Rewrite Your Novel

During your first draft, you probably learnt a lot about your characters. As you rewrite, you’ll want to tweak their characterisation, making sure they come across consistently—while having a believable character arc. This post offers plenty of tips and things to think about.  

Want more help developing and writing characters? Come and join us in Writers’ Cafe, my friendly online writing community. As well as joining live writing hours, tackling writing prompts, and checking in to share your progress, you can discuss all aspects of writing and share your work for feedback.