7.1 Character Development Techniques

Character development is the secret sauce that brings feature stories to life. It's all about crafting people on the page who feel real, flaws and all. By giving characters depth, writers hook readers and keep them invested.

Techniques like vivid descriptions, revealing actions, and authentic dialogue make characters pop. When done well, readers connect emotionally and see the world through the character's eyes. This human element is what makes great features stick with us.

Compelling Characters in Feature Writing

Creating Authentic and Engaging Characters

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Top images from around the web for Creating Authentic and Engaging Characters

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  Character Fear Reference Sheet by AnikaandAj on DeviantArt View original

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  Character Flaw Reference Sheet by AnikaandAj on DeviantArt View original

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  8 Classic storytelling techniques for engaging presentatio… | Flickr View original

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  Character Fear Reference Sheet by AnikaandAj on DeviantArt View original

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• Character development involves crafting a fictional person's life, personality, and journey through a story
• Techniques aim to make characters feel authentic, relatable, and engaging to readers
• Character flaws, weaknesses, quirks and vulnerabilities make them more human and relatable to the audience
  • Perfect characters feel unrealistic
  • Flaws create opportunities for growth and development
• Character voice, the distinct way a character speaks or thinks based on their background and personality, helps distinguish characters and make them memorable
  • Voice can be conveyed through word choice, sentence structure, slang, metaphors, etc. (e.g. a teenage skateboarder vs. an elderly professor)
• Character goals, motivations, and desires, both external and internal, drive their actions throughout the story
  • Establishing clear motivations makes characters' actions understandable (e.g. a mother's desire to protect her child, an athlete's drive to win)

Characterization Techniques

• Direct characterization explicitly tells the reader about a character's personality, motivations, and background through description, inner monologue, or exposition
  • Quickly establishes key traits but should be used sparingly to avoid an info dump
• Indirect characterization reveals a character's personality through their actions, words, thoughts, and interactions with others in the story
  • Allows the reader to infer traits and motivations, making the character feel more authentic
  • How a character reacts to conflict, interacts with others, or makes decisions all provide clues about their inner self without directly stating it
  • Examples: slamming a door when angry, comforting a friend in need, agonizing over a moral dilemma

Character Development in Storytelling

Vivid Descriptions and Introductions

• Vivid character descriptions paint a picture of characters' physical appearance, mannerisms, and body language, allowing readers to visualize them as real people
  • Key details can hint at personality traits or history (e.g. a jagged scar, fidgeting hands, a locket with a photo inside)
• How characters are introduced sets the tone for who they are and their role in the story
  • First impressions matter and should be crafted to intrigue readers or establish key traits
  • Examples: meeting a mysterious stranger in a dark alley, a frazzled mom in a messy kitchen, a cocky athlete strutting into the arena

Actions, Decisions and Relationships

• Character actions propel the plot forward and reveal their values, morals, and priorities, especially when faced with difficult choices
  • Actions show if a character is willing to act on their beliefs (e.g. standing up to a bully, sacrificing something they want for the greater good)
• Decisions characters make when navigating challenges or pursuing goals demonstrate their true self and create consequences that raise the stakes and advance the plot
  • Difficult decisions force characters to weigh priorities (e.g. choosing between career and family, doing what's right vs what's easy)
• Relationships and interactions with other characters, through dialogue and behavior, reveal different sides of a character's personality and create subtext
  • How a character treats others is very revealing (e.g. kind to a server, short-tempered with a spouse)
• Character growth and change over the course of the story, as a result of their experiences and interactions, gives them depth and an arc
  • Static characters feel flat compared to dynamic ones that learn, mature or evolve in some way

Engaging Characters for Feature Articles

In-Depth Research and Interviews

• Conduct in-depth interviews with subjects to gather details about their background, personality, values, and perspective
  • Ask follow-up questions to dig beneath the surface (e.g. "Why was that experience so significant for you?")
• Observe subjects in their environment, interacting with others, to pick up on telling details, mannerisms, habits and behaviors that reveal character
  • Specific details lend authenticity (e.g. always keeps desk meticulously organized, has a ritual of afternoon tea)

Illustrating Character Through Storytelling

• Use anecdotes and examples to illustrate a subject's personality and character traits in action, rather than just describing them
  • Show their character through stories (e.g. recount a time they went out of their way to help a stranger)
• Include direct quotes and dialogue to let the subject's unique voice and way of speaking come through
  • Quotes breathe life into the character (e.g. "That's just how I roll, man. Gotta look out for the little guy, ya know?")
• Describe the subject's appearance, body language, and mannerisms using specific sensory details to paint a vivid picture
  • Little details make the character feel real (e.g. wild curly hair that can't be tamed, a crooked smile, bouncing on toes when excited)

Providing Insight and Depth

• Provide insight into the subject's inner world - their thoughts, fears, hopes, and motivations - so readers can step into their shoes
  • Help readers relate to the character by showing their internal experience not just external
• Show different sides of the subject through their relationships and interactions with a range of people in their life
  • Contrasting interactions add depth and complexity (e.g. tough with business competitors but gentle with small children)

Impact of Character Development on Features

Emotional Connection and Investment

• Compelling characters forge an emotional connection with readers, getting them invested in the story and its outcome
  • Readers are drawn to characters they relate to or empathize with
• Complex, nuanced characters with both admirable qualities and flaws feel authentic and human, reflecting the real people that readers know
  • Believable characters make the story feel credible and grounded

Immersion and Resonance

• Character motivations and struggles give readers a way into the story, an anchor to help them understand the significance of the events
  • Readers connect to the human experience, not just facts
• Vivid character details and descriptions immerse readers in the story world, making it feel real and immediate rather than distant
  • Specificity makes the story come alive in the imagination
• Dialogue and interactions that reveal character make scenes engaging and propel the story forward through subtext
  • What's unsaid is often as powerful as what's said aloud, hinting at deeper layers

Satisfying Arcs and Lasting Impact

• Character growth or transformation over the course of the story gives readers a satisfying arc and sense of meaning
  • Tracking a character's journey lends weight and purpose to the story
• When readers are emotionally connected to well-developed characters, the story's impact and resonance lingers after they finish reading
  • Memorable characters make a story unforgettable and leave a lasting impression