How Do I Make My Characters Believable and Relatable?

One of the most important parts of writing fiction is creating characters that the reader can believe in. That doesn't necessarily mean the reader has to like them. In fact, some of the most memorable characters can be people we dislike intensely.

For me, the goal is simpler: I have to believe them.

If I can personally believe that a character would act, talk and behave in the way I've written them, then I have a much better chance of having the reader believe in them too.

Where Does a Character Begin?

When I have a story idea, it is generally based around a thought or idea about a place or situation and the person or people that the place or situation interacts with.

The place or situation can have a profound influence on the character. It can shape their personality, their attitudes and ultimately the actions they take.

In Bloodlines: Of Noble Blood, for example, one of the central characters discovers that his family history has been altered. Instead of being a commoner, he discovers that he is actually the rightful heir to an established English noble family.

But that discovery doesn't affect only him.

The current Earl discovers that he shouldn't have the title he has lived with. His spoiled daughter suddenly has something very important to lose, and her son is an even greater narcissist than she is. Each of these characters starts from one place, but the circumstances surrounding them cause each of them to develop as the story progresses.

That is where character development becomes interesting.

Know the Destination, But Allow the Journey to Change

When I begin a novel, I generally have a high-level idea of what will ultimately happen to my major characters.

But that doesn't mean I know everything they are going to do along the way.

As the writing progresses, their traits, decisions and actions change and grow as the story builds. Their ultimate outcome may still be the same, but the journey can change considerably.

Sometimes a character will do something I hadn't originally considered. The character almost seems to tell me, "No, this is what I would do."

And I listen.

Since my novels are a series, this becomes even more important. Many of the characters from the first book appear in some way in subsequent stories. They don't simply return as the same people they were before. They have experienced things. They've made decisions. They've suffered consequences. They've changed.

Just as real people do, they can develop in positive ways, or they can be driven toward the edge of their more negative impulses.

Much of that development happens organically. As it does, the characters begin developing their own voice, and what they have become—or are becoming—finds its way into the final story.

Believable Doesn't Mean Predictable

I believe humans are capable of almost anything.

People are capable of tremendous generosity and love, but they are also capable of vile and hateful behaviour that can result in abuse, torture and even death.

That gives a writer a tremendous range to work with.

I sometimes take recognizable human behaviour and move it to a higher or lower level. I want the reader to be able to think:

"I can't believe they did that!"

But I also want them to believe that the character could actually have done it.

That distinction is important.

If a character's behaviour moves too far outside the realm of what I believe a person could or would actually do, the character begins to move from fiction into fantasy. That's not what I've been trying to write in my novels.

Even when something shocking happens, it needs to belong to the character.

Good People Can Have a Dark Side

I like having likeable characters in my stories, but I also like villains that readers can "love to hate."

That balance between protagonist and antagonist creates interesting possibilities.

I also like allowing a good person to show their darker side when circumstances require it. At the same time, I like giving a villain at least a little possibility of redemption.

People aren't usually completely good or completely bad.

Those contradictions are part of what makes us human, and they can also make a fictional character much more interesting.

When the reader isn't entirely sure what a character is going to do next, the suspense becomes more than simply wondering what will happen.

The question becomes:

"What will this person do when it happens?"

That is a much more interesting question.

Dialogue Lets the Reader Meet the Character

Dialogue is an excellent way to allow the reader to learn about a character without simply telling them who that character is.

Just as in real life, people speak differently.

Someone who is formally well educated may speak differently from someone whose education has come primarily through experience. Someone who is book smart may react very differently to a situation than someone who is street smart.

The words themselves can tell us something.

But so can everything surrounding those words.

Humour. Sarcasm. Eye rolling. Nervous behaviour. Playing with change in a pocket. Tapping a foot while sitting. Hesitating before answering.

These small details help the reader build an image of the person they are "watching" in their mind.

And that image is both literal and figurative.

The character begins to feel real.

Everyone Has Flaws

Everyone has flaws.

Some are more visible to the outside world than others, but they're there.

Flaws can make a character relatable. Sometimes I will slightly exaggerate a characteristic or bring a flaw to the surface and expose it. When used carefully, that can add a great deal to both the character and the story.

The key is not to make the character perfect.

Perfect people are difficult to relate to because most of us don't know any.

A character who is stubborn, impatient, jealous, insecure, proud, overly trusting or simply capable of making a bad decision can feel much more real.

And sometimes the most interesting flaw is one the other characters don't initially see.

Death, Violence and Consequences

Death sometimes enters my novels, but when it does, it has a purpose. I don't use death simply to shock the reader.

I have read and enjoyed novels with a strong "slasher" element, but that's not what I've been trying to write.

In my stories, death can be an outcome, but it can also be the beginning of a new journey for the characters who remain.

Violence is almost never allowed to happen without consequence.

Bloodlines: Brenda's Revenge has a particularly dark and sinister thread running through it. Some of the actions are intentionally shocking, but those actions are never without consequences.

For me, that matters.

The reader may initially experience shock, but when the consequences eventually arrive, that shock can move toward understanding—and even satisfaction.

Not satisfaction because violence occurred, but satisfaction because the story dealt with what happened.

Let the Reader Fill in Some of the Blanks

One of the things I have learned as a writer is that readers don't need every question answered.

In my third novel, Connie appears to come to a realization about what has been happening to her during the climax of the story. The realization is hinted at, but what is actually happening is never completely disclosed.

I deliberately left that for the reader to decide.

Readers do, and I think they need to, fill in some of the blanks themselves.

Once a story is being read, it becomes partly the reader's story.

The author provides the characters, the circumstances, the clues and the possibilities. The reader takes those pieces and creates their own experience of the story.

I think that's part of the magic of fiction.

Start With People You Know

If you're struggling to create believable characters, my suggestion is to start with a personality type you have encountered or are familiar with.

I'm not suggesting that you copy someone you know. Don't name names.

Instead, take a personality characteristic you've observed and mix it into your fictional character.

You can amplify that characteristic or turn it down. You can combine it with other characteristics you've encountered. You can see how it works with the other characters and with the story itself.

For example, take the characteristics of a shy person and combine them with someone who is extremely attractive but completely unaware of their own attractiveness.

Yes, that particular idea has probably been done a thousand times before.

But that's not the point.

The point is what you do with it.

Start building the person.

Their clothing can tell you something. Their mannerisms can tell you something. Their hobbies and interests can tell you something. Their education, experiences, friendships, fears and ambitions can all influence who they become.

Everything you expose your character to can begin to build, enhance or change their characteristics.

Eventually, you may find that you aren't really designing the character anymore.

You're getting to know them.

And once you know them well enough, you should be able to put them into a situation and have a pretty good idea of what they would do.

Or, sometimes, they may surprise you.

That's okay.

Let them.

So, Are They Believable?

For me, the test is simple.

I know a character is "right" when I can personally believe that they would act, talk and behave in exactly the way I've written them.

I've made minor adjustments to scenes and dialogue over the years because something a character said, did, or even wore needed to be tweaked. Those little changes can make the difference between a character that feels written and one that feels real.

Ultimately, I'm not trying to tell the reader what to think about my characters.

They may love them.

They may hate them.

They may change their opinion of them from one story to the next.

That's up to them.

My job is to make the characters, their behaviours, their reactions and their dialogue believable enough that the reader doesn't want to leave the story.

I've had readers tell me that they love certain characters and dislike others. I've had them tell me they like—or don't like—the direction particular characters are taking as the stories progress.

But I haven't had anyone tell me that they didn't like one of my stories because of the characters.

I'll take that as a good sign.

After all, if you want me to read your book...

Just make your characters believable.