Developing a "Round" Character

Character development can make or break a story. However, this can be one of the toughest things to master as a writer. Most likely, you will have several characters in your writing, but there is always at least one character who is the star, and the others you can consider "static" or "flat." They serve only to compliment your more developed character or characters. Creating the more complex round characters takes time -- time spent thinking about how your characters look, where they're from, and what motivates them, for instance. While the reader will not need to know all the details, it's important that you do. The better you know your characters, the more realistic your story or novel will end up being. Consider the following questions as you develop your character:

1. Where does your character live?

2. Where is your character from?

3. How old is your character?

4. What is your character called?

5. What does your character look like?

6. What kind of childhood did he or she have?

7. What does your character do for a living?

8. How does your character deal with conflict and change?

9. Who else is in your character's life?

10. What is your character's goal or motivation in this story or scene?

11. How does your character sound when they speak?

12. Finally, use plenty of dialog between your characters. It helps to develop
your characters better and causes your readers to feel more connected to them.

We might also add:

11. Does your character have any strange habits?

12. Does your character have a peculiar way of speaking?