Have you ever read about a character in a book and thought to yourself, “I really don’t care what happens to them!” right before putting the book down? If so, then there’s probably something wrong with their character arc.

A character arc is the development of your character from the beginning of the story to the end. It’s crucial that each character has an arc where they grow and change as individuals.

In this article, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about how to develop a good character arc for your story.

What Is a Character Arc

A character arc in a work of fiction is the change or growth that a character experiences over the course of the story. This can be a physical, emotional, or psychological change, and it often leads to your character becoming a different person by the end of the story.

A character arc usually follows three steps:

1. The character is introduced with some flaw or weakness.
2. The character is challenged in some way, and this challenge forces them to grow and change.
3. The character returns to his starting point but is now stronger and wiser thanks to the experience he has undergone.

The best character arcs are those that are believable and that make logical sense given the events of your story.

For example, if a character starts out as selfish and self-centered but then undergoes a change where they become more compassionate and selfless, that arc needs to make sense in light of the events that transpired in the story.

Why Do We Need a Character Arc

In real life, we all have highs and lows, moments of greatness and moments of weakness. Our memories are filled with both good and bad experiences, happy and sad moments.

To be truly believable, a fictional character needs to reflect this same complexity. They need to experience growth and change over the course of the story. This is an essential part of storytelling and something that keeps readers engaged.

Without a character arc, your characters will feel one-dimensional and flat. They’ll be little more than cardboard cutouts going through the motions of a plot without any real emotional connection to the reader.

But with a well-written arc, your characters will come alive on the page. A good character arc will show that a character is willing to put in effort to grow and change, even when obstacles seem insurmountable.

And, as they progress through their arc, they should learn more about themselves and come to understand themselves better. This growing self-awareness is what makes for an interesting read; it’s why readers keep turning pages to find out what happens next.

How to Create a Character Arc

When creating a character’s arc there are a few things to consider. First, you need to think about what kind of journey the character will go on. What challenges will they face? What growth opportunities will be available to them?

Second, you need to make sure that the arc is consistent with the character’s backstory and motivations. Why do they want to change? What inner conflicts are driving their behavior?

Third, you need to create plot points that’ll force your character to confront these challenges and opportunities.

Here are three basic steps to creating a character arc:

1. Start with your protagonist’s flaw or weakness. This should be something that keeps them from achieving their goal, and is also something they’re aware of.
2. Set up an event early in the story that tests your protagonist and forces them to confront their flaw head-on.
3. Have your character find a way to overcome their flaws and become stronger as a result.

The key to creating a successful character arc is ensuring that the change feels organic and believable.

This means that the reader should never feel like the writer is forcing the character to change for the sake of the plot, but rather that the character’s development follows naturally from their backstory, personality and experiences.

Plotting Your Character Arcs

Plotting a character arc in your story can be tricky, but it’s essential for creating an unforgettable and believable character. It usually follows a three-act structure:

1. The Setup – In this act, the reader meets the protagonist and learns about their life.
2. The Conflict – This is when the protagonist’s world is turned upside down and they are forced to change.
3. The Resolution – In this act, the protagonist resolved their conflict and changes as a result.

Here are a few tips to help you get started:

• Know your character inside and out. What motivates them? What are their fears and desires? What is their backstory? Only by understanding your character completely can you hope to write an arc that feels true to them.
• Figure out what the story is really about. Every good story has a central conflict or problem that the protagonist needs to solve. Your character’s arc should be directly related to this main conflict.
• Create a clear goal for your character. This goal should be something that is both challenging and motivating.

Character Arcs In Different Genres of Fiction

There are a multiple types of character arcs that can be found in different fiction genres, but some of the most common include the following:

• The typical hero’s journey, in which the protagonist starts out as someone who is not particularly heroic or special, but who goes on a journey and eventually becomes a hero.
• The journey from innocence to experience, in which the protagonist starts out naive and inexperienced but gradually learns about the world and becomes more capable.
• The journey from selfishness to altruism, in which the protagonist starts out as someone who only cares about themselves but eventually learns to care about others as well.
• The journey from being powerless to becoming powerful, in which the protagonist starts out weak and vulnerable but eventually becomes a force to be reckoned with.

In mystery novels, the protagonist’s character arc is often one of self-discovery. They start out uncertain of who they are and what they want in life, but over the course of the novel, they come to understand themselves better and figure out how to solve the mystery.

In romance novels, the protagonist’s character arc is often one of finding love. They may be unsure of themselves at first, but by the end of the novel they have found someone to love and care for them.

In science fiction novels, the protagonist’s character arc is often one of accepting change. They may be resistant to change at first, but eventually come around to accepting the new reality.

Common Pitfalls When Writing Character Arcs (And How to Avoid Them)

If you want your story to resonate with readers, it’s essential to make sure your characters feel real and believable. Avoid these traps, and your readers will be rooting for your characters all the way!

1. Making the character arc too simple or predictable.

For example, beginning with a character who’s completely unformed and ending with the same character fully formed; or having the character go through a series of challenges that always result in growth with no backsliding.

A more effective approach is to make the arc more gradual, with the protagonist evolving step by step including missteps. This makes the transformation feel more believable and realistic, and it also provides a greater sense of suspense since the reader doesn’t know exactly what will happen from one moment to the next.

2. Another pitfall is not giving the arc enough time to play out.

If you try to cram too much change into a short story or novel, it will feel rushed and unnatural. Or conversely, if you stretch out the arc too long, your readers may lose patience and quit before they reach the end.

3. Another common mistake is making the character’s growth too linear or simplistic.

For instance, a character might only change in one specific way over the course of the story, and this lack of complexity can make it difficult for readers to identify with or care about the character.

4. Inconsistency in the character’s arc throughout the story.

The characters and their arcs should be believable and consistent within the context of your plot. If something about the arc feels disconnected, then make adjustments until it does.

5. Focusing too much on plot and not enough on the character arc, resulting in a story that’s uninteresting or implausible.

Plot arcs and character arcs are two different things, and you can’t just assume that because you have a great plot your characters will automatically be interesting.

Your plot is the sequence of events that happen in your story, while your character arc is the journey that your protagonist takes over its course.

If you want to create an interesting story, you need to focus on creating a strong character arc as well as a strong plot arc.

Tips for Writing a Good Character Arc

• Start with the end in mind and work backwards to figure out how you want readers to feel when they finish reading your story
• Keep the stakes high — make sure that there’s something at stake for both your protagonist and your antagonist
• Make sure there are enough obstacles in the way of your protagonist’s goal so that they have to struggle to reach it
• Create compelling characters who are easy for readers to relate to or empathize with
• Give readers time between chapters so that they can process what has happened before moving on (this also helps them anticipate what will happen next)
• Use dialogue sparingly — use more description than dialogue because it engages other parts of reader’s brain besides just hearing words in your mind
• Use point-of-view shifts strategically; don’t switch back and forth too much (only do this if a necessary part of your story)
• Pay attention to sentence length; shorter sentences create tension while longer sentences provide space for reflection
• Show rather than tell — don’t give away too much of what is happening early on or else people won’t be interested in reading more

Conclusion

Character arcs are the foundation of fiction writing. They’re the sum of your character’s emotional and psychological progress over time.

They allow readers to connect with your characters on a deep level that translates into empathy for their struggles. Your story will be richer and more satisfying if you take the time to map out each character’s journey from beginning to end.

I hope this article has given you the tools and knowledge you need to create a character arc that’ll be both engaging for your readers but also fulfilling for your protagonist.

Best wishes!

If you’re working on a nonfiction book, be sure to check out my free nonfiction success guide, drawn from years of experience editing books for bestselling authors (including a New York Times bestseller) and ghostwriting for CEOs and politicians. Simply click here to get instant access.

Ben

Leave me a comment below if you have any questions or a specific need that I can help you address – I operate an author services firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurs, professionals and business owners who want to publish books as a calling card for prospects, to establish their status as an expert or to generate additional leads for their businesses.

 

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

The 7 Most Effective Book Promotion Ideas For Nonfiction Authors

How to Find The Best Book Marketing Services For Nonfiction

How to Promote Your Nonfiction Book to Rank High on Amazon

 

Bennett R. Coles is an award-winning author of six books published through Harper Collins (New York) and Titan Publishing Group (London). He is also the publisher at Promontory Press, editor for multiple bestselling authors (including a NY Times bestseller), ghostwriter for CEOs and politicians and the founder of Cascadia Author Services, a boutique full-service firm that specializes in premium author services specifically designed for busy professionals. Our end-to-end services include writer coaching, ghostwriting, editing, proofing, cover design, book layout, eBook production, marketing, printing and distribution.

Conflict is at the heart of any story and it can take many forms. In this article, we’ll highlight five common types of conflict that make up the basis of most fiction stories.

Before you embark on the creation of your fiction book, you’ll need to decide what type of conflict you’ll want your story to have and then create a plot with specific details about how it will play out.

How to Create Conflict in Your Story

The key rule for creating conflict in your story is to give your protagonist some sort of goal they have to achieve and then make it difficult for them to do so.

You have to make sure that there are clear stakes for both sides involved in the conflict and provide enough backstory so readers can understand why your characters behave the way they do.

The nature of the conflict could be self-inflicted by your protagonist’s own limitations, beliefs, psychology, and so on, or imposed by external circumstances that are completely outside of their control.

For internal conflict, your story will revolve around the emotional journey of your protagonists as they overcome their limitations and grow beyond them to overcome the conflict and arrive at a resolution.

For external conflict, your story will revolve around your protagonist’s ability to overcome outside forces and triumph over them.

Although there are many types of conflict you could create for your story, there are five types that are common in the world of fiction. The conflict in your story should be introduced early on and it should escalate as your book progresses.

5 Types of Conflict in Fiction

1. Man vs. Self

In this type of conflict, your protagonist’s emotional journey consists of overcoming their own internal struggles as they are antagonized by their own thoughts.

2. Man vs. Nature

In this type of conflict, some natural disaster or other force of nature threatens the protagonist’s existence and they must take the necessary actions to save themselves and others from their demise, usually while facing limiting thoughts that put their ability to succeed in doubt.

3. Man vs. Society

This is an external type of conflict where social norms and expectations prevent your protagonist from achieving their goals as they feel like they don’t belong or are being judged by others.

4. Man vs. Man

This is the typical clash between a protagonist trying to achieve their key goal in the story and their main antagonist, who has an equal and opposite goal and who’ll try to do everything in their power to stop them from fulfilling theirs.

5. Man vs the Supernatural

This is the conflict between your main character fighting against an evil force that’s trying to harm them and others close to them, a supernatural creature, monster or entity that stands as an otherworldly obstacle for your protagonist in achieving their mission.

Conclusion

Stories are all about conflict and how it’s resolved — the existence of a problem that creates tension between characters and forces them into difficult choices. Without conflict, your reader will lose interest in your story quickly.

When you’re plotting out your fiction, keep these five types of conflict in mind so you can create more realistic characters with believable challenges.

I hope this article has helped you to better understand the different types of conflict in fiction and how they can be applied to your writing. Experiment and see what works best for your story and which types of conflicts you enjoy writing about the most.

Best wishes!

If you’re working on a nonfiction book, be sure to check out my free nonfiction success guide, drawn from years of experience editing books for bestselling authors (including a New York Times bestseller) and ghostwriting for CEOs and politicians. Simply click here to get instant access.

Ben

Leave me a comment below if you have any questions or a specific need that I can help you address – I operate an author services firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurs, professionals and business owners who want to publish books as a calling card for prospects, to establish their status as an expert or to generate additional leads for their businesses.

 

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

The 7 Most Effective Book Promotion Ideas For Nonfiction Authors

How to Find The Best Book Marketing Services For Nonfiction

How to Promote Your Nonfiction Book to Rank High on Amazon

 

Bennett R. Coles is an award-winning author of six books published through Harper Collins (New York) and Titan Publishing Group (London). He is also the publisher at Promontory Press, editor for multiple bestselling authors (including a NY Times bestseller), ghostwriter for CEOs and politicians and the founder of Cascadia Author Services, a boutique full-service firm that specializes in premium author services specifically designed for busy professionals. Our end-to-end services include writer coaching, ghostwriting, editing, proofing, cover design, book layout, eBook production, marketing, printing and distribution.

Irony is a powerful tool to have in your writer’s toolkit. It can make your writing a lot more interesting and entertaining for your readers, adding a wonderful new dimension to your fiction.

Now, there are several different types of irony that writers can use to great effect when crafting their stories. In this article we’ll talk about the seven types of irony that you can use to take your fiction to the next level.

What Is Irony?

Irony is a literary device that can be used very effectively to add humor and tension to your story, making it much more engaging for your readers.

Now, how do you define irony? It’s when something happens that seems like it should be the opposite of what your audience expects but in fact has a meaning that’s in line with their expectations. The end result is usually surprise and often delight!

Why Do Authors Use This Rhetorical Device?

Authors use this device because it can produce very interesting results by creating unique circumstances when your readers least expect it.

Irony can even open the doors to deeper insights by challenging your audience’s worldview.

In short, it’s a very versatile device that can be used to add an element of surprise not only to your dialogue but also to situations, places and circumstances throughout your plotline.

What Are the Different Types of Irony for Fiction Writers?

Here are 7 distinct types of irony that you can use in your fiction narrative:

1. Dramatic irony

Dramatic irony takes place when you make your audience aware of something that a key character in your story does not yet know.

With this type of irony your readers get to have an insider’s view of what’s about to happen to your character that’ll change their journey in an unexpected way.

2. Situational irony

Situational irony takes place when things turn out to be the opposite of what your audience expected.

This can be used to great effect, for example, when you want to throw your audience off the trail early on in your plot so you can surprise them at the end (think about the ending of the movie The Sixth Sense.)

3. Verbal irony

Verbal irony takes place when someone says one thing but means another. This is a commonly used device you can incorporate into your writing to spice up your dialogue with very humorous results.

The age-old technique of double entendre is a classic example of the use of verbal irony in dialogue.

4. Socratic irony

Socratic irony happens when someone pretends to know less than they actually do in order to teach someone else about an idea or situation.

This is less about humor and more about achieving an unexpected form of discovery or enlightened state (think about Al Pacino’s final monologue in the movie Scent of a Woman).

5. Irony of fate

Irony of fate takes place when events happen contrary to what is planned or expected by your audience.

This can be used to great effect to reach the climax of your story (like the unexpected ending of Thelma and Louise.)

6. Tragic irony

Tragic irony happens when actions lead to bad results despite good intentions.

This is a technique that’s often used as part of the hero’s journey, when the hero’s good intentions take them to a place where they hit rock bottom.

7. Sarcasm

Finally, sarcasm is an expression of scorn or disapproval often used as a form of verbal irony.

This device is often used to trigger a comedic effect out of a seemingly serious dialogue.

Some writers can craft sarcastic comments so well that they can unlock multiple layers of humor (Monty Python were famous for their use of multi-layered sarcasm in some of their skits.)

Wrapping Things Up

Irony is a powerful tool that will take your readers on an emotional roller coaster ride through twists and turns they didn’t see coming, often to very humorous effect and sometimes to a state of shock and surprise.

Use these rhetorical devices to take your dialogue writing skills to the next level by putting the rubber to the road and starting to incorporate them into your fiction!

Best wishes!

If you’re working on a nonfiction book, be sure to check out my free nonfiction success guide, drawn from years of experience editing books for bestselling authors (including a New York Times bestseller) and ghostwriting for CEOs and politicians. Simply click here to get instant access.

Ben

Leave me a comment below if you have any questions or a specific need that I can help you address – I operate an author services firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurs, professionals and business owners who want to publish books as a calling card for prospects, to establish their status as an expert or to generate additional leads for their businesses.

 

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

The 7 Most Effective Book Promotion Ideas For Nonfiction Authors

How to Find The Best Book Marketing Services For Nonfiction

How to Promote Your Nonfiction Book to Rank High on Amazon

 

Bennett R. Coles is an award-winning author of six books published through Harper Collins (New York) and Titan Publishing Group (London). He is also the publisher at Promontory Press, editor for multiple bestselling authors (including a NY Times bestseller), ghostwriter for CEOs and politicians and the founder of Cascadia Author Services, a boutique full-service firm that specializes in premium author services specifically designed for busy professionals. Our end-to-end services include writer coaching, ghostwriting, editing, proofing, cover design, book layout, eBook production, marketing, printing and distribution.

 

The second person is a powerful and vulnerable way to build your narrative, and can be used to great effect in both fiction and non-fiction.

While using the second person in non-fiction is very common, in the world of fiction it’s one of the most difficult points of view to write from, requiring a lot of finesse when crafting your words.

In this article we’re going to discuss what the second person point of view is, why it’s so powerful and some common mistakes authors make when writing from this perspective.

What Is The Second-Person Point of View?

The second-person point of view is a writing technique where you address your readers directly, breaking the fourth wall between author and reader.

As a result, writing a second-person narrative offers a much more intimate relationship with your audience, which other narrative styles cannot easily achieve.

The use of the second-person point of view is quite common in non fiction writing, especially books in problem-solving subgenres (e.g. the “how to” type.)

Although less common in fiction, it can still be used to great literary effect provided you take the time to master it first because it’s not as easy to pull off.

In either case, when writing from the second person point of view, authors get to have complete control over their audience.

Having said that, these are waters that must be navigated very carefully so as not to make your readers feel manipulated or uncomfortable as you address them directly.

Why Use The Second-Person Point of View in Fiction?

The second-person narrative can be an effective tool in your author arsenal because it places your reader front and center in your story — not just as an observer but also as a co-participant with your protagonist.

By making your audience feel that they are themselves part of the scene, you can take them on an exciting journey filled with surprise twists, thus creating a much deeper level of reader engagement.

How To Use the Second-Person Narrative in Your Book

In order to use the second-person point of view effectively, you need to focus your narrative on the use of second-person pronouns (you, your, yours). Note that sometimes these pronouns can be implied and don’t always need to be present in the writing.

While you can mix points of view by adding first and third person references, you have to make sure that you never dilute the presence of your reader as a key player in your story. This is particularly true in the non-fiction genre.

When you write a non-fiction book to address an issue your audience is trying to resolve (e.g. losing weight, quitting smoking, improving their relationships, etc.), your readers expect you to make your book about them and not anybody else.

They expect to be front and center in your narrative and will also want to be addressed as an audience of one. If you make your nonfiction book about you instead you’ll lose their interest.

Readers don’t want to learn how you solved your own problem, they want you to teach them how to solve theirs.

Having said that, this direct connection could backfire if you accidentally hurt their sensibilities. So, always make sure to write in the second person from a foundation of empathy.

If you’re writing a fiction story from this point of view, a similar dynamic takes place in that you’re making your audience become a character in your story, so make sure that your readers never feel manipulated by your narrative.

5 Tips for Using the Second-Person Point of Voice Effectively

Below are some useful second-person narrative tips to set you on the right path:

1. Use the second-person point of view to create a more personal connection with your readers

If you’re writing fiction, keep in mind that by addressing your reader directly you’re breaking the 4th wall.

So, always be conscious that you’re bringing an actual human being with feelings and emotions into your fictional universe and always engage your readers with empathy and respect.

2. For problem-solving nonfiction, always make the second person point of view center stage

If you’re writing problem-solving non-fiction (e.g. health, psychology, self-help, fitness and money subgenres, among many others), make sure to minimize the use of the first person in your narrative — i.e. readers expect your book to be about them, not you.

Your role then is to become a facilitator for information, skills and solutions to help your audience get to where they want to go.

3. For fiction writing, experiment with second person narratives in short stories first

Since in the world of fiction you’ll be making your readers part of your protagonist’s journey, try first to incorporate the second person point of view as part of a short story.

This narrative is hard to pull off for the full length of a novel unless you’re very skilled, so short stories are a great training ground to cut your teeth with.

4. Use the second-person point of view to create suspense

By addressing your fiction reader directly with a second person narrative, you elevate their commitment to your story since you’re involving them directly in your protagonist’s choices and outcomes.

As a result, you get to design how you want your readers to feel by selectively disclosing or withholding important information, therefore allowing you to keep your readers on the edge of suspense.

5. Read a lot of second-person fiction before you attempt it

Here are some great examples of the use of the second person narrative in the fiction genre. I recommend you read and analyze some of these novels and short stories to learn how this style is used by the pros:

• The Sound of My Voice by Ron Butlin
• The Book of Rapture by Nikki Gemmell
• Damage By A.M. Jenkins
• The Fifth Season By N.K. Jemisin
• Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney

Some Pitfalls And Challenges to Keep in Mind

• The second-person point of view is a difficult perspective to write fiction from. Make sure to read a lot of works from experienced authors before you attempt it
• If not done right, It can be hard for readers to understand who is being talked about
• The second-person point of view can be difficult to maintain for an entire novel. Begin practicing with short stories first and then build up your second-person writing muscle slowly
• Readers often find it hard to identify with the narrator unless they are clearly defined ahead of time, so don’t make your narrator unidimensional
• In order for your reader’s experience to be immersive, you must have a strong sense of who your audience is and what they’ll want to gain from your story. Don’t write for a generic reader, do your research

In Summary

If you’re looking for a new perspective to tell your fiction or create an engaging narrative, consider utilizing the second-person point of view. This is a sure way to make your reader feel as if they’re living through the same experience as your characters.

In the world of nonfiction, the second person narrative is a requirement for problem-solving books where readers expect to be addressed directly by the author.

In all cases, keep in mind that by using the second person point of view you’re engaging with living human beings with real feelings that can be hurt, so always approach your writing from a foundation of empathy.

Best wishes!

If you’re working on a nonfiction book, be sure to check out my free nonfiction success guide, drawn from years of experience editing books for bestselling authors (including a New York Times bestseller) and ghostwriting for CEOs and politicians. Simply click here to get instant access.

Ben

Leave me a comment below if you have any questions or a specific need that I can help you address – I operate an author services firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurs, professionals and business owners who want to publish books as a calling card for prospects, to establish their status as an expert or to generate additional leads for their businesses.

 

Here are some related posts I highly recommend:

The 7 Most Effective Book Promotion Ideas For Nonfiction Authors

How to Find The Best Book Marketing Services For Nonfiction

How to Promote Your Nonfiction Book to Rank High on Amazon

 

Bennett R. Coles is an award-winning author of six books published through Harper Collins (New York) and Titan Publishing Group (London). He is also the publisher at Promontory Press, editor for multiple bestselling authors (including a NY Times bestseller), ghostwriter for CEOs and politicians and the founder of Cascadia Author Services, a boutique full-service firm that specializes in premium author services specifically designed for busy professionals. Our end-to-end services include writer coaching, ghostwriting, editing, proofing, cover design, book layout, eBook production, marketing, printing and distribution.

Are you looking for character development tips? Do you need help creating deep, rich characters for your story? How can you make sure they are complex and yet relatable?

If you’re looking for answers you are not alone. Many fiction authors struggle with character development when they first start writing novels. But fear not!

This article will answer the above questions and more so you can develop dynamic characters that deepen the plot of your story and come alive in the minds of readers.

What Is Character Development?

Character development is the process of making a character compelling through backstory, personality traits, their actions in relation to other characters and the experiences that shape them.

The better developed your character is, the more interesting they’ll come across to readers making your story much more memorable.

How Do You Develop a Character?

The first step to develop a character for your novel is to give them a backstory, as mentioned above. What is a backstory? It’s the narrative that provides your character with a past that makes them who they are and gives their motivations meaning and purpose.

Now, as you begin to communicate this backstory to your audience, you should strive to strike a balance between providing too much information about their past and just enough to support their actions at any given point in your story. You don’t want to reveal too much too soon.

Also, avoid confusing your readers with inconsistencies in your character’s backstory when transitioning from one scene to another. Make sure to carefully map out the timeline throughout your character’s history to their present moment before you start writing.

The second step is to establish the emotional journey your character will need to experience in order to transform from who they are at the beginning of the story to who they’ll become after the climax.

This emotional journey needs to be something that your readers can relate to. If they can’t then they won’t be able to willingly suspend their disbelief and get into your book.

The third step is to figure out the course of events that needs to transpire in your character’s story. This work will help you determine how many details from their past should come into play before you reach the climax of your movel.

Characteristics of a Well-Developed Character

You know you’ve created a character that’s real and believable when your audience can identify with them to the point they “jump” out of the page and into your readers’ minds.

In other words, when you’ve given your audience enough credible details throughout your narrative that it becomes plausible for them to believe that your character could actually exist somewhere out there, whether in the past, present or future.

If your readers find themselves thinking about your character’s traits and inner-workings after having put down your book, then you’ve done a great job!

Avoid Over-Complicating Your Characters

When you create a character, it’s important that they don’t become a caricature or two dimensional. Characters need depth and complexity in order to connect with your audience.

Having said that, you don’t want to create a character that’s so intricate that they become impossible to figure out.

Another pitfall is making your character too perfect or flawless (in other words, devoid of real humanity.)

While this may seem like an appealing or even a convenient idea at first blush — after all who doesn’t want their protagonist to be infallible — it’ll actually hurt your reader engagement because you’ll make it difficult for people to identify with them.

Examples of Different Types of Common Characters

Here are some examples of character archetypes to help you get your character development started:

Protagonist

The protagonist is the main character in your story who you want your audience to root for. They’re generally a well-intended person who in good faith wants to do everything in their power to solve whatever problem has been set before them.

Antagonist

The antagonist is your protagonist’s counterpoint. They have different goals or motivations from what’s going on and will do everything in their power to stop your protagonist from being able to accomplish their goals.

Sidekick

A sidekick helps out with tasks such as research or gathering information while acting under another character like a protagonist or an antagonist.

This type of character can often offer more insight into your protagonist or your antagonist by providing your readers a “fly on the wall” viewpoint that can add nuance to the story, for example, facts that your main characters may not be aware of at the time but that you want your audience to find out.

Ways to Ensure That Your Readers Can Connect With Your Characters

Make sure your characters are developed to be approachable and three-dimensional.

Your goal with character development is to create a protagonist your readers will embrace and root for, and an antagonist that although malicious in nature has a human side that’s relatable.

By adding flaws and weaknesses to your characters you’ll be eliciting empathy from your audience, and empathy is the glue that connects characters with readers.

But you don’t just want to create flaws for the sake of eliciting empathy alone. You also want to force your characters to actively and even perhaps reluctantly deal with those flaws in order to experience growth within their character arc.

It’s also a good idea to create situations where your character’s past makes it difficult for them to experience growth resulting in pain or suffering, which will also elicit empathy from your audience.

Questions to Help You in Your Character Development Process

Here are some useful questions to help you frame your character development process:

• What flaws do your characters have and how can they overcome them? (how will they experience growth?)
• What motivates your characters?
• Do their motivations change throughout the story or is there a main motivation that never changes?
• How does your main characters react when someone close to them dies, gets injured, etc.?
• What kind of impact does this leave on them as a character? (think: origin stories of superheroes)
• What would cause your protagonist to turn into an antagonist toward another character at some point during the plot line?

Wrapping Things Up

As a final note, keep in mind that not all stories need a strong character arc in order to work. Some books focus on the plot instead of the emotional journey of specific characters (e.g. novels about famous bank robberies.)

Others strictly focus on the emotional journey of the protagonist while the plot line takes a back seat. And yet others focus on both, giving you a lot of freedom of expression as an author (e.g. fantasy stories.)

But in the end, don’t be afraid to experiment. You never know what kind of amazing storyline may pop into your head as you go through your character development process!

Best wishes!

If you’re working on a nonfiction book, be sure to check out my free nonfiction success guide, drawn from years of experience editing books for bestselling authors (including a New York Times bestseller) and ghostwriting for CEOs and politicians. Simply click here to get instant access.

Ben

Leave me a comment below if you have any questions or a specific need that I can help you address – I operate an author services firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurs, professionals and business owners who want to publish books as a calling card for prospects, to establish their status as an expert or to generate additional leads for their businesses.

 

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The 7 Most Effective Book Promotion Ideas For Nonfiction Authors

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How to Promote Your Nonfiction Book to Rank High on Amazon

 

Bennett R. Coles is an award-winning author of six books published through Harper Collins (New York) and Titan Publishing Group (London). He is also the publisher at Promontory Press, editor for multiple bestselling authors (including a NY Times bestseller), ghostwriter for CEOs and politicians and the founder of Cascadia Author Services, a boutique full-service firm that specializes in premium author services specifically designed for busy professionals. Our end-to-end services include writer coaching, ghostwriting, editing, proofing, cover design, book layout, eBook production, marketing, printing and distribution.