Crafting Characters Readers Will Never Forget

 

Why Character Development Matters (And How to Nail It)

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Ask any reader what made them fall in love with a book, and odds are the answer isn't the plot twist or setting—it's the characters. The people we meet between the pages are what keep us turning them, what make us laugh, cry, and come back for more.

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Whether you're writing your first short story or plotting an epic saga, strong character development is essential. This guide will walk you through why it matters, how to do it well, and some practical tips to help you craft memorable, lifelike characters your readers will carry with them long after “The End”.

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Why Character Development Is So Important

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Plot might make us turn the page, but character makes us care. Without a compelling character, even the most action-packed story can feel hollow. If I asked you to recount any of the Sherlock Holmes stories, could you? But if I asked you to describe Sherlock or Watson, you could probably list all of their unique qualities, their quirks, and even their mannerisms.

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We remember a book because of who we met in it.

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Two Sides to Every Story

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Character development means two things:

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1. Planning the person – building a detailed character profile before you write.

2. Evolving the person – shaping how that character changes throughout the story. This is known as their character arc.

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For a story to truly sing, the character and plot need to feel inseparable—like one couldn't exist without the other. Your readers should feel like no other character could have walked that specific journey.

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Start With a Character Profile

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Before your protagonist even steps onto the page, you need to know them intimately. Think of them as a real person—not just a name and a hair colour, but a living, breathing human with quirks, habits, fears and dreams. For example, a female detective, aspiring to rise through the ranks with a nervous habit of biting her nails, but scared of confrontation.

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Try building a Character Background Sheet. I go into more detail on character lists and background sheets in a separate guide here. It doesn't have to be fancy—just comprehensive.

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Include things like:

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• Date & Place of Birth

• Education & First Job

• Socio-Economic Background

• Relationship With Parents

• Greatest Fear

• Favourite Food

• Most Embarrassing Moment

• Deepest Desire

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This process helps you understand not just who they are, but why they do what they do. Doing this can save you loads of time in rewrites later.

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I also have a list of character development exercises available for you to use to improve your writing skills and flesh out your characters.

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Decide What Kind of Protagonist You're Writing

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Characters generally fall into two broad types:

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Ordinary Characters in Extraordinary Circumstances

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These are your “every person” types. They're relatable, grounded—and when the adventure finds them, they grow. Think Bilbo Baggins or Harry Potter. We root for them because we see ourselves in them.

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Extraordinary Characters in a World That Doesn’t Get Them

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These are the ones who light up the page from the start. They leap into action, often uncomfortable in mundane life. Their arc is often about self-acceptance or finding where they belong. Sherlock Holmes springs to mind again here.

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Knowing which type your protagonist is will help you tailor their story—and their growth.

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Create a Strong Character Arc

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A satisfying character arc shows growth. It's the journey from who your character was to who they become—shaped by the story's events.

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Ask yourself:

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• What do they want?

• What are they afraid of?

• What flaw holds them back?

• How will they change as a result of their journey?

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Without this growth, your story might feel flat—even if the plot is technically exciting.

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Give Them Clear Motivations

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Every character needs a goal. It doesn't have to be grand—it just needs to be clear.

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They could want to win a court case, find a lost sibling, or finally tell their best friend how they feel. The important thing is: they want something specific, and they're willing to work for it.

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Readers engage deeply when they see characters struggling, changing, trying. If nothing's at stake, or the goal is fuzzy, your story can start to feel aimless.

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Make Them Real, Not Perfect

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Perfect characters are boring. Give them flaws, contradictions, and vulnerabilities. Make them three-dimensional.

Stereotypes—like the villain who twirls his moustache or the damsel in distress—are tired. If you start with a familiar “type”, twist it into something new. Surprise your reader.

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A detective who's afraid of confrontation. Sound familiar? A villain who volunteers at a dog shelter. These quirks breathe life into your characters.

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Let Them Sound Like Themselves

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Dialogue is one of the quickest ways to reveal character—but it can also fall flat if everyone sounds the same.

Focus on word choice, rhythm, and tone. You don't need to write thick dialect or phonetic speech (unless you're sure of it), but subtle choices can do the job. For example:

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“Are you coming to the soccer match later?”
“You mean the football game?”

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Same object. Different voices. And now, you know a bit more about both characters.

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Just remember: every line of dialogue should either move the plot forward or reveal character. If it does neither, cut it.

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Characters Drive Story

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Your character's choices should move the plot—not the other way around. If you're only dragging them through events, the reader won't buy it.

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For example, don't just send your character to into the desert, make them search. Motivation is the engine of story. Without it, your reader will get off at the next stop.

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Piecing It All Together

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If you're anything like me, you might struggle to put all of the information you've just read into context without a solid example.

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Allow me to introduce:

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Mary Wells.

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A female detective from the Caribbean who works for the Metropolitan Police. She has heterochromia; one blue eye, one brown, and a slight speech impediment from a cleft palate.

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(As you can see, we now have a unique memorable character unlike anyone your readers have probably met. She has a distinct appearance and unique profession. When she talks, she will have a very specific way of pronouncing words.)

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What makes Mary tick?

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Well, she simply wants to be like everybody else. She dislikes confrontation, because people use her speech impediment against her, so she remains reserved and quiet for the most part. But her eyes are always on show, so she is saving for coloured contact lenses to hide this. This is only one part of Mary's motivation, so we have to add layers. She lost her mother, brother, and two sisters when she was younger in a gang related crime. (We now know a significant part of her backstory, and readers can empathise with the loss of a loved one, whether they have experienced this or not.) We also understand why she chose the profession she is in—presumably, she was traumatised by her family loss, and it affected the course of her life.

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Moving on to making Mary sound like a real person. What will she sound like when she talks? This all depends on her background and upbringing. If we've given her a typical Caribbean upbringing, she will probably have a strong accent, but this depends on when she moved to the UK, and her cleft palate will have a further effect on her speech too.

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However, we need to know what she will talk about. She wants the coloured lenses so badly, that she can't think about anything else. She talks about them with her friends, colleagues, and her extended family. This isn't what the story revolves around, simply her desire, and will pull the reader in to the heart of our character. Perhaps after finally getting the lenses, she realises they don't make her as happy as she thought they would. Or could she be permanently blinded in the course of duty one day? There are no limits to where your mind may take you when developing a story, but giving our characters a defined set of parameters makes the job a whole lot easier.

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In just over 300 words, we have a well-defined, unique character, that will grip your readers, no matter where the story takes them. Your character profiles don't have to be essays, just well thought out.

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Final Thoughts

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Here's a quick recap for building unforgettable characters:

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• Think of them as real people

• Build a detailed background profile

• Decide what kind of arc they'll have

• Give them clear goals and motivation

• Make them flawed and human

• Let them speak like themselves

• Ensure the story grows from their choices

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And most importantly? Care about them. If you don't, your reader won't.

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Every story is only as strong as its characters. Get to know them, challenge them, and let them surprise you.

 

Your readers will thank you for it.