Character Development
At the beginning of a story, a character is anchored by their backstory and driven to act by a catalyst - an event that compels them to get involved. This inciting moment propels the narrative forward.
Once the character is engaged, they begin to pursue a specific goal. As they move toward that goal, their personality and motivations are slowly revealed through their thoughts, actions, and reactions to the situations they face, as well as through interactions with other characters who may either help or hinder them.
In order for a character’s goal to function well, there are three main requirements:
Something must be at stake that convinces the reader or audience that a great deal will be lost if the character does not attain the goal. If we don’t believe in the necessity of the character reaching it, we won’t be able to root for the character.
A workable goal also brings the protagonist in direct conflict with the goals of the antagonist. This conflict strengthens the main character because they now have a worthy opponent, and attaining the goal won’t be easy if someone else is intent on them not achieving it.
In this way, the goal should be sufficiently difficult to achieve, so that the character changes while moving towards it. The strongest characters will achieve some extra dimension, or be transformed, because the goal cannot be achieved unless this happens. The method by which the character achieves the goal demonstrates their strength, sincerity and level of motivation. Those who say they want something, but don’t do anything to get it are not sincere, and they are difficult to believe in. The stronger the actions and barriers are to achieve the goal, the stronger the character will become.
Characters need these elements to clearly define who they are, what they want, why they want it, and what actions they’re willing to take to get it. If any of these elements are missing, the character becomes confused and unfocused.
In addition, a character’s thoughts, actions and reactions should tell us something about the human condition or even ourselves. Actually experiencing everything that is happening to the character creates our identification with them and the story. And identification is the thing, otherwise we won’t care what happens.
In essence, the reader, listener or viewer must hope for the best, and fear for the worst - to empathise with the protagonist’s predicament. While the protagonist does not have to be likeable, or a hero or heroine, they should be fully-developed - in that they have flaws or weaknesses that they have to overcome. The antagonist, as an opponent to the protagonist, can present as either a person, nature, society, or an aspect of the protagonist.
Questions regarding character development:
Is my character motivated by action or by talk? Is there a clear moment when my character enters into or becomes fully involved the story? Do we know why they begin to act? What is their motivation?
What is my character’s goal? Is it compelling enough to move my character through three acts?
Does my character have a worthy antagonist, who gets in the way of them achieving their goal?
What is the antagonist’s goal or motivation?
Is my character active or passive in achieving the goal? Do their actions meet the needs of the storyline?
Can I clearly discuss my character spine in a few words? Is it clear how the character spine intersects with the spine of the story?