In a post on Writers Helping Writers, Angela Ackerman shares advice for rescuing flat characters in your writing. “A flat character is one-dimensional, lacking the depth and human complexity required to feel true to life,” she explains. “Not only do they seem unrealistic, they also fail to capture a reader’s curiosity or interest.”
Sometimes, characters are flat on purpose. Background or minor characters who don’t move the plot generally don’t need a lot of depth. However, the more important your character, the more dimensions we need to see.
Why do characters feel flat? Ackerman offers some suggestions and fixes:
- Shallow Backstory. “If a character’s backstory is missing, weak, or generic, their behavior may lack credibility or be inconsistent,” she writes. Go deeper into your character’s past to find life experiences, lessons, fears, and wounds.
- A Too-Basic Personality. A character with “typical” traits, may feel like a stereotype – the dumb blonde, the bookworm – rather than an actual person. Give these characters some complexity by adding a contradictory personality trait, flaw, or strength.
- Over-Reliance on Character Tropes or Stereotypes. Similarly, over-reliance on tropes can result in flat characters – the wise mentor, the trusted sidekick. Use tropes as a starting point. Give your hero that mentor, but make it fresh.
- Tunnel Vision. “Characters who are only about one thing—the mission or goal, proving loyalty, success, etc.—come across as one-dimensional and unrealistic,” Ackerman writes. They need more than one layer. Give these characters more layers by introducing multiple aspects of their lives. If your character is laser-focused on their studies, examine their home or romantic life to see what else is going on.
- A Lack of Drive. Some characters simply seem to have little gumption. This is deadly for a protagonist or significant supporting character. Give these characters a sense of urgency or a deadline. Raise the stakes. Make it too painful for them to sit still.
- Distanced Emotions. Readers may find it hard to relate to characters who are too reserved with their emotions. Use subtext to show that there’s more going on beneath the surface. Don’t let them hide everything from everyone, every time. Open the taps.
- Inadequate Internal Conflict. Your characters need internal as well as external conflict. A character with no self-doubt or conflicting desires will feel dull. Find unresolved wounds and inhibiting beliefs, and challenge them.
- Little to No Growth or Change. “Primary characters who respond to every problem the same way, repeat mistakes without growth, or remain rigid in their viewpoints can feel unrealistic and unconvincing to readers,” Ackerman writes. Go deeper into characterization to find why they think, act, and behave the way they do. Create conflict to force change.
