in a post on BookBaby, Joe Yamulla examines character development and offers advice on creating compelling characters. “Complex characters are what make stories relatable, interesting, and timeless,” he says. “Character growth and development are important because they construct the arc that keeps readers engaged with your story.”
To create a compelling character arc, your characters need a strong motivation and the ability to evolve constantly over the course of your story. They need strengths and flaws, and their challenges should be relatable. Even if your plot requires your characters to engage in outlandish behavior, their internal workings should be recognizable to your readers. Finally, Yamulla says your characters need their own voices, which are clear and consistent throughout the story.
Yarmulla suggests 8 steps to creating a great character development arc:
- Develop a strong visual.
- Don’t tell the reader everything at once.
- Develop a strong backstory.
- Use conflict to reveal character.
- Make your characters relatable.
- Use secondary characters as contrast.
- Give your hero clear morals and values, even if you don’t necessarily agree with them.
- Develop antagonists strategically, so they reflect and challenge your protagonist
