Character development is an important aspect to writing a good story. In some genres, like coming of age, it is arguably the most important aspect to writing a good story. A coming of age story, for example, is ineffective without proper character development. Creating characters is not difficult. Developing good characters, on the other hand, takes a little work to make them real and relatable for readers. Consider these three qualities as poor character development habits to avoid.
The Perfect Hero or Heroine
This character is gorgeous, brave, highly intelligent, possesses every talent he could possibly need and has little to no flaws. This character always knows what to say and has no problem saying it. Moreover, this character is adored by every other character and sought after by all the characters of the opposite gender.
Perfect heroes or heroines are unrealistic and boring. Nothing trips them up, or exposes their flaws, if they even have any. Readers cannot relate to them. Protagonists are much more interesting for their human-like qualities, their flaws and the obstacles they must overcome.
This is not to say that a protagonist cannot be beautiful, intelligent, talented, or well-spoken – these, too, are human-like qualities. Many a good protagonist may have all of these qualities, yet if they are a well created character, they also possess those flaws that make them someone a reader can understand and give them room for development.
The Immature Character
An immature character that is purposefully meant as an immature character makes a point. However, the immature character who is supposed to be mature is a blunder indeed. Immature in this case does not necessarily mean a character acting childish, but rather a character’s personality not matching his age.
For example, it is disconcerting when the actions and thoughts of an adult character reflect that of a teenager. An adult character who is supposed to be a grown up with a responsible career who makes decisions like a fifteen-year-old is an under-developed character. Were this character a real person, they would not act in such a way. On the flip side, overly mature teenagers are also unlikely.
It is true of course, that some teenagers are mature for their age, and some adults are immature. If a character is meant to act out of character for their age and the maturity level they would likely have were they a real person, it makes a point and promises future character development. If immaturity is not the intent, try to create more real characters who act, speak, and think their own age.
Lack of Character Development
Character development, especially in coming of age stories, indicates that a character would experience change in some way or another. Perhaps the character learns a valuable moral lesson. Maybe the character reaches his or her goals. Maybe a young character reaches a level of maturity. When a story lacks character development it lacks a valuable aspect to story writing itself.
While a story may be driven by plot, rather than characters, the protagonist is still going to be the star of the story. Readers are less apt to identify with the exciting events in the story, unless they can identify with the character experiencing those events. Consider that even a plot-driven story will benefit from good character development.
When writing a story, consider that characters tend to be the focal point, as readers will relate to characters more than other aspects of the story. Consider these three factors of character creation as character qualities to avoid.
Michelle Wright - Michelle is an avid reader and writer, with a focus on book, film and music reviews, gluten free recipes, and fiction writing "how-tos."
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