What is the best way for you to develop a character for a story?

[nathankschulz]

Developing characters is tricky. But some of the things I do is build a skeleton of the character's personality. And the fun way I do it is by asking questions of them. If they answer with boring stuff, then I try to delve into that answer and give some better backstory. I like to KNOW know my characters.
So for example:
Which is their Deadly Sin? (Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Lust and so on). If its wrath, then your character has a temper. Whether that temper is hot or cold depends on their past. Did they get in a lot of fights as a kid? Did they NOT get in enough fights? If the answer was Greed, then you know they're driven by money, but then you answer with WHY greed is the winner.
What is their favorite food? If its spaghetti, then what and why? Was spaghetti the only thing their family could afford? Was it cheap store bought food or lovingly made from scratch?
If someone punched them, how would they react? With questions? Hurt feelings? Punching back immediately? Why?
If they found $1 million dollars, what would they do? Keep it? Find out if their was an owner? BURN IT?
Anyways, ask your character a LOT of questions. At some point they'll start answering. They might even surprise you. At some point, you will be able to move past plastic lead character to uptight leader who's haunted by past vulnerabilities and failures. Or cool under pressure, but terrible with people.
That's my approach and I hope it helps!

[CrazyPotato]

Ahhh, thank you! I really like how you included some sample questions and answers to get my and anybody else's ball rolling with their character mega interrogations. Your input's definitely going to be super helpful. ;D

[Aloredd]

Part of how I develop my characters is to just write them. By coming up with situations (like being attacked unexpectedly) they will usually start showing something that you can expound on or crush, depending on how mean you want to be to the character....this brings out odd quirks too. For example, one of my characters is fascinated with birds and I had no intentions of making him that way. It just happened and once I realized it I continued with it. Having odd quirks makes the character more believable too

[shazzbaa]

I second @joannekwan -- I think in your situation, where you have a lot of other characters, you don't want to develop aimlessly -- you need to know where this guy is going, what he's gonna learn, and how his path is different from the others.

Here's a couple of sorta weird things that have worked for me!
First: I actually had a character I'd been struggling to define for years, and somehow the thing that made that character click was to change every outward quality about him. He was originally white, and a scrawny little boy, and over a series of changes became a black sorta-chubby little girl. FOR SOME REASON, despite the fact that I'd been really unsure about the change, the girl was the one I clicked with, and suddenly an entire personality I'd never been able to put my finger on just erupted out of her.
I had another character who started to develop a much stronger personality once I changed him from Basic Bishounen Young Adult to Probably 50-something With A Sweet Moustache. I dunno if this works for everyone, but for me, making a character LOOK really different from my other characters, implying some life experience that the others don't have, can sometimes make a startlingly big difference in how I perceive them.

Second: I'm really, uh, REALLY interested in the Enneagram personality-typing-thing. Running characters through personality tests isn't anything new, but I particularly like enneagram because, since it's a little new-age-y and all about "being your best self" and all that, it has a LOT of information that can be really useful jumpstarts for character development. It kinda focuses on each "type" having a greatest fear, or insecurity, and how that greatest insecurity can also tie into your greatest strength.
So, like, it's neat to know if your character is introverted or extroverted, but looking into the difference between a shy character whose greatest insecurity is conflict and change, versus a shy character whose greatest insecurity is feeling that if others don't need her she won't be loved, verses a shy character whose greatest insecurity is the fear of trusting others, and how each different type will cope with that shyness -- that can add a world of depth to a character! This exact question made a BIG difference in developing one of my main characters.
(If you're interested in this kinda stuff, my favourite test is here, which also has my favourite type descriptions under "personality" on the left, and this site has a TON of info, though it's also the one that sounds the most like it's coughing up several books on new age spirituality. xD )

[avalonmao]

I try to combine characteristics of ppl I know in real life lol to give it more meaning I guess

[nathankschulz]

I can only hope I helped! Good luck on your character work!

[monotone_ink]

With character development, I think there needs to be a starting point, and knowledge of what you want your character to end up like.
There are a lot of ways you can go about doing this, but I'll just suggest a few:
- Giving the character a big flaw, or multiple flaws, that they can work on as the story progresses.
- Having the character start out as a decent person, but then slowly falling down the pit of degeneracy to the point of no redemption.

You need to know how the story's events are going to affect this character, and where you want this character to end up.

[AnnaLandin]

Short answer is: whatever way works for you.

But let's get down to the nitpicky bits - why is your main character the main character? Why, out of everyone in your cast, did you choose him as the central character? What makes him interesting? You say he feels plastic - what is he lacking that the other characters aren't lacking?

You can sit here all day and answer questions about what his favourite food is, and what his favourite childhood memory is, but all you'll be left with is a list of facts which isn't always a useful thing. You want to know how your main character fits into the story, and most of all, you need to care about him. He needs to be more than just the story-function.

For example; my main character is my main character because the trigger-event for the entire story happened to him - but it also happened to another character in my cast. I could just as easily have made them the main character and told the story from their point of view, but I picked him because ultimately, the impact the trigger-event had on him was a lot more shattering, and he has a more interesting emotional journey to go through. He better represents the central themes of the story, and his character arc is more complex. He's also interesting to write, because he has to balance his responsibilities, his need to go on this (physical) journey, his ASTOUNDING grumpiness and wish to be left alone, and his underlying decency of character.

You said you've been going at your main character's personality, but you can't come up with anything - it sounds like you came up with the plot first, and the character second? I usually do it the other way around; I come up with the character, and then craft the story around them. If you came up with the plot first, and the plot is what matters, you might want to look at what kind of main character the plot needs to make it work, and then sort of work backwards from there.

Say you have a story that demands your character be an adventuring hero - then you can sit down and figure out why your character decided to go on the adventure; why did they run off to fight dragons instead of settling down to be a baker in a quiet village, or whatever choice it is they've made. Is it because they're restless and impatient? Is it because they never felt at home in the village? Is it, oh cliché of clichés, because a dragon killed their mother? Are they the sort of person who goes adventuring for fun, or are they more responsible and serious? And so on and so forth.

Also, there is absolutely nothing stopping you from keeping this character the way he is, and merely shifting the focus to someone close to him instead. That way, he still gets to exist within the story and do what the plot demands he do, but we the readers get to see him do it through the viewpoint of another character. Like, he's off fighting dragons, and we exprience that through his best friend who has tagged along and is worried about him/cheering him on/angry at him for going on an adventure/whatever. There is ALWAYS more than one way to tell a story, so if this guy doesn't feel up to scratch as a main character, you can shift focus without having to reorganise your cast.

[R.n.P]

from your character design u can pick to give him an attitude that matches his appearances or one that is totally different from his appearance.
For example if your character looks thug-like in the design u can give him the rebel kinda attitude or give him a surprisingly happy n soft attitude that he can go from rescuing kittens from trees to helping old women cross roads, sorta like a Grimmjow that loves peace.

[RewindLabs]

Just remember, theres nothing wrong with taking it slow.
It wont really bore the reader.

If you need an example, theres this comic here that I've been following for a while.
Ill post the link, its amazing in terms of character development.

Grey Is: http://tapastic.com/series/greyis

[KSlinger]

Loads of good tips on here already, but personally I've found the only way of really getting to know a character is by forcing myself to write them. If you want, write down a load of scenarios like 'stuck in a cellar filling with water' and 'caught taking a whiz behind a tree' or 'waking up after a night on the town' and draw them out a hat. Most importantly don't skip scenes you draw just because they wouldn't happen to a certain character! You might struggle a little but you really have to work through it in order to know that character better. Usually they blossom all on their own.

[FixerTheWise]

That's exactly what I was going trough until I remade my comic and rewrote my protaganist. He started off as a cliche brooding Sasuke rip-off pretty much. Sow I feel a lot better about him. What I did was write a very complex character and don't tell the reader about him.
I put him in situations where different personalities and qualities have a chance to shine. This way I can do the "Show, don't tell" method.
Let's say a character is bitter with others but cares deep down, put him in a situation where that caring is shown. That keeps the reader guessing and already makes your character a lot more interesting.

[Sanz]

I love all the advice this thread is giving! it's super helpful for character development, I tend to think of psychologically how the brain develops as a person grows older, then apply it to a in a smaller frame. like when a life lesson is learned, events that change perspective, and views on life or a situation, I also apply that to the individual personality of the character, which i usually determine by a zodiac trait. but that's just me and it seems to work out.

[Doubtcent]

When I come up with characters, there's always a part of me that I give to them. In many ways, I am my characters. If I can hop in their shoes, I just imagine what sort of thing this person would do, what they would think at this moment, and how they should react.
I mean, if I as their creator cannot relate to them in some way, then they don't seem as alive to me. I basically need to sit them down and talk with them or talk through them. (from afar it looks weird since I'm basically talking to myself, but that's just how I write)
One thing to also consider is motivation. The reason why actors ask directors what their motivation is - is because that's a major part of why or who the character is. And if you can grasp the why, it's not to far to understand their actions or personality, or how to develop it.

[loliroo]

Sometimes having a stoic character that never changes can be interesting at first. Some of the better character development arcs I've seen in anime come from boring characters finding their personality. For example, Kerei Kotomine from Fate/Zero. Super boring dude at first. But thanks to a supporting character, they literally explore what makes him tick in various conversations with Archer/Gilgamesh. If you can pull off decent dialogue discussions, then you can do it this way.

Another suggestion would be to give him a simple quirk. Like always carrying a hankerchief with mysterious initials stitched into them, or maybe he hates peanuts. Then ask yourself WHY does he carry it, or why does he hate peanuts? Perhaps the hankerchief was a piece of evidence on a case related to a family member's death, one he never wants to forget. Or perhaps he hates peanuts not because he's allergic, but because his parents forced him to eat PBnJs for three years straight. You can base entire plot arcs on simple backstories like this. And these things are what make characters interesting, even if they don't have a personality.

[iddqd]

I am surprised by how often psychology gets overlooked in any discussion of character psychology. Not just this thread, of course, but also a lot of literature on writing. I adore Dr. Linda Seger for her books on screenwriting, but even she manages to somehow gloss over the whole psychology part.

Also, I think Anna Landin is right, it does not matter whether your character likes his or her coffee black, half-and-half, or Wayne Gretzky, unless it's important for the plot for some specific reason. I think a lot of these questions can be helpful later on when the most of your character is fleshed out already, but not when you just start.

So consider some of the tried and true psychological science for the past century. Curious about what your character is in broad strokes? Consider the Big Five personality theory. It's been consistently replicated across studies across cultures and languages in the past decades. The theory hit a sweet spot that speaks to some universal and very human characteristics.

Want a little psychoanalytic twist? Consider the structural theory, together with its Id, Ego, and Super-Ego, initialy formulated by Freud. It has undergone a lot of development in different direction but it can still be a very useful shorthand in understanding your character. Don't forget to read up on what kinds of defense mechanisms your character may be prone to using to suppress those unconscious conflicts we all experience, too.

Want to know how your character relates to others? Research a little of attachment theory, started by a pioneering work of John Bowlby.

Want to know how your character may change over time? How about Erik Erikson's 8 stages of psychosocial development.

There's more of course, but these ought to get you started.

[SirHellsir]

Same here, my character was the typical little boy that knows no one at the beginnig of the story, has no experience or skills and was boring. I replaced him with a girl, mid 20s, skilled, with several flaws and weaknesses just enough to make her interesting but don't cripple her abilities, I also planned several characters and places she knows before the begining of the story. I gave her a clear goal and the way she's trying to acomplish it.
I feel my original character was to close to myself so I tried to distance myself from it

[CrazyPotato]

Thanks to all of you for your awesome advice! Hope somebody other than me will be able to use this to help develop their characters, 'cuz I know I will! ;D

[Kamikaze]

This short video may help you get a better idea of where to start, especially if you're looking for a more nuanced way of figuring out your lead.

[jessiepolfliet]

Lying in bed awake when you actually need to sleep. That is how I came up with one yesterday.