How can you create complex characters that resonate with your audience?

1 Understand your characters' goals and motivations

The first step to creating complex characters is to know what they want and why they want it. Every character should have a clear and compelling goal that drives their actions and decisions throughout the story. Their goal should also be connected to their motivation, which is the deeper reason behind their desire. For example, a character might want to save the world, but their motivation could be to prove themselves, to protect someone they love, or to redeem their past. Knowing your characters' goals and motivations will help you create conflict, tension, and stakes in your story.

2 Give your characters flaws and strengths

No one is perfect, and neither are your characters. To make them more human and believable, you need to give them flaws and strengths that balance each other. Flaws are the weaknesses, limitations, or negative traits that your characters have, and they often create obstacles or challenges for them. Strengths are the skills, talents, or positive traits that your characters have, and they often help them overcome difficulties or achieve their goals. Flaws and strengths can also create contrast, irony, or humor in your story. For example, a character might be very brave, but also very reckless, or a character might be very smart, but also very arrogant.

3 Show your characters' growth and change

One of the most satisfying aspects of storytelling is to see how your characters change and grow as a result of their experiences. Change can be positive or negative, depending on the type of story you are telling, but it should always be significant and meaningful. To show your characters' growth and change, you need to establish a baseline for them at the beginning of the story, and then show how they evolve or transform throughout the story. You can use different methods to show change, such as dialogue, actions, reactions, thoughts, emotions, relationships, or appearance.

4 Use your characters' voice and perspective

Another way to create complex characters is to use their voice and perspective to convey their personality, attitude, and worldview. Voice is the way your characters speak, write, or communicate, and it reflects their background, education, culture, mood, and intention. Perspective is the way your characters see, interpret, or understand the world around them, and it reflects their beliefs, values, opinions, and biases. By using your characters' voice and perspective, you can create diversity, variety, and depth in your story.

5 Make your characters relatable and empathetic

Finally, to create complex characters that resonate with your audience, you need to make them relatable and empathetic. Relatable means that your audience can identify with your characters, or see themselves or someone they know in them. Empathetic means that your audience can feel what your characters feel, or care about what happens to them. To make your characters relatable and empathetic, you need to give them realistic emotions, reactions, and choices, and also show their vulnerabilities, struggles, and hopes. You can also use humor, irony, or surprise to make your characters more appealing and memorable.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?