It’s tough to create character personalities that feel real—not to mention a cast of characters that feel authentic. Each character needs a personality that’s unique and different from your own.
And, of course, there’s internal conflict, which deserves its own blog post (read that post here).
You only have experience being you. So how do you write like you’re someone else?
Let’s take a look at 5 ways to create authentic character personalities.
1. Character Questionnaires
One of the simplest ways to develop your characters’ personalities is through character questionnaires.
What is a character questionnaire? It’s a list of questions about your character that you fill out with things like their name, hobbies, family dynamics, favorite food, secrets, how they would describe themselves, etc.
Think of it like an interview with your character where you ask them questions and they tell you the answers. You can even write it out like you are interviewing them if you prefer.
Character questionnaires are a great place to start creating your characters’ personalities because they cover all the basics and get you to think about character attributes that you might not think about otherwise.
2. Personality Tests
Personality tests are another great way to develop your characters. You can either take the tests as if you are the character or you can read about each personality and choose the one that best describes the character.
I’ve started using the Enneagram to flesh out my characters thanks to the recommendation of Abbie Emmons, and it has helped me take my characters to a whole new level. I feel like I know them and how they behave so much better.
You can also use the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Big Five Personality Test, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, and others.
3. Key Moments from a Character’s Backstory
I recently tried writing out the moments from my main characters’ backstories that shape who they are. While I have no idea if these scenes will actually make it into the book, they helped me see who these people really are. I have a good idea of how they came to become the people they are at the start of the book.
It’s so important to know a character’s backstory because without a history they can start to feel like their lives only started when the book started. Their backstories are also important because whatever happened in their pasts likely led to the flaws and misbeliefs they have at the start of the book.
4. Incorporating Personalities You Know
From movies to TV shows to people in your life and even to yourself, unique personalities surround you. And there’s nothing wrong with borrowing an aspect of a character you like or a person in your family.
I wouldn’t recommend stealing the exact personalities of a character or someone you know (especially if that someone might read your book), but taking inspiration from characters and people can bring life to your characters.
You can sprinkle in little quirks that you or others have to give your characters that extra-real feeling.
I’ve found that it is especially helpful for me to relate to each of my characters in some way or another. With one character I might understand how they feel about being loyal and with another, it might be sharing a fear of heights. It can even be something as simple as sharing a love for chocolate with them (who doesn’t love chocolate?).
5. People in a Character’s Life
Just like with the events that shape a character, people shape characters too.
So take a look at the people who’ve influenced your character—everyone from parents, guardians, and siblings to friends, bullies, and teachers. How have these people inspired your character to act in a certain way?
We often become like the people we spend our time with. So who is your character spending time with?
This is also something to think about as your character interacts with different people over the course of your book. How do the people in their life change them?
Bonus Tip: Diverse Personalities
I’ve noticed that characters in books feel even more unique and fleshed out when they have very different personalities from each other. If your characters are too similar to each other, they will all fall flat and seem like different versions of the same person.
But when they’re all different, their differences make them feel more real.
One of my favorite books is Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo because of its cast of characters. Each of the six main characters is very different from the rest. This excerpt from the blurb says it all:
A convict with a thirst for revenge.
A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager.
A runaway with a privileged past.
A spy known as the Wraith.
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.
Their personalities and their flaws are very diverse, and it is a joy to watch them all interact with each other because of the way their dispositions bounce off of each other.
These were 5 ways to help you create compelling character personalities. Let me know in the comments your tricks for developing realistic characters.
Happy writing!
One response to “5 Ways to Create Convincing Character Personalities”
[…] Without internal conflict, characters fall flat and aren’t relatable to readers. But with it, they feel authentic… […]