Bring Your Characters to Life: A Guide to Unforgettable Fictional Souls

Characters are at the heart of every great story.  Behind every plot twist, in every setting, saying that fantastic one-liner you came up with – characters make choices, face fears, and bring life to the story.  As writers, it’s our job to understand them.

However, that doesn’t mean filling out some extensive, generic questionnaire.  I’ve done it – it doesn’t help as much as you’d think.  You don’t need to nail down every detail.  You just need a question, a moment, a little hint of their voice.

Then, you start peeling, because like ogres, characters are also like onions; they have layers.  It’s time to start building those layers into someone your readers will care about.

Why Characters Matter More Than Plot

A good plot keeps readers turning the page. But it’s the characters who make them care about what happens next.

Think about your favorite books. Chances are, you remember how a character made you feel more than the exact sequence of events. Maybe it was a heroine who stood up when it mattered, or a deeply flawed antihero you couldn’t quite stop rooting for. The reason people love Haymitch in The Hunger Games is because he’s a developed, nuanced character – enough so that he now has his own book. Plot is important – but it’s the people in the story who make it matter.

Characters give the story stakes. They make decisions that shape the plot. They bring emotion, conflict, growth. Without them, a plot is just a series of things happening.

So before you map every twist and turn, spend a little time getting to know the people driving the story. Ask: Why does this matter to them? What are they afraid of losing? What might they do that surprises even me?

That’s where the heart of your story lives – not just in what happens, but in who it happens to.

Start with Curiosity, Not Control

You don’t need to know everything about your character before you start writing. In fact, trying to nail down every trait, flaw, and childhood trauma from the start can leave you feeling stuck – or worse, bored. Unless you’re writing a murder mystery where the suspect is a woman with particularly large feet, you do not need to know their shoe size.

Instead, begin with curiosity.

Ask a few simple questions, and let the answers surprise you. What’s something this character would never admit out loud? What’s a small thing they do when they’re nervous? What would absolutely ruin their day?

You don’t need a full character sheet – you need a spark. One moment. One mystery. That’s where you begin.

And remember: your character isn’t just a tool to move the plot forward. They’re a person (or close enough). Treat them like someone you’re just getting to know. You ask questions. You notice patterns. You listen to the way they talk – and the things they avoid.

Here are a few low-pressure ways to explore your character:

• Write them a letter – as you, the author. What would you want to say to them?
• Interview them – but skip the basics. Ask weird things, like “What’s in your pockets right now?” or “When was the last time you felt proud?”
• Drop them in a small, ordinary moment – burning toast, finding an old photo, running late to work. How do they react?

Think in Layers, Not Lists

It’s tempting to treat character-building like a checklist: name, age, eye color, favorite snack, tragic backstory… done. But the most memorable characters don’t come from lists. They come from layers.

Start with what’s visible – how they present themselves to the world. Then dig into what they’re hiding, what they wish they could change, what keeps them up at night. That’s where your story finds depth.

Think of it like this:

• Surface layer: What the world sees – job, habits, personality quirks.
• Private layer: What only close friends or family might know – fears, dreams, regrets.
• Core layer: The thing they might not even admit to themselves – wounds, shame, longing, belief.

You don’t have to write all three right away. But the more you understand these layers, the more your character will feel like a real person – not just a role in your plot.

You can start with the surface layer, but only spend as much time as it takes to get down what matters.  Maybe your character has flaming red hair.  That may not matter, but if it’s a sign of his Irish heritage, and he’s about to end up back in his grandparent’s home town…well, now it’s definitely worth noting.

Then move onto the private layer.  This is generally where you’re going to find the core of your plot.  What is your character’s goal? Who knows about it? Who are they close to who can play a role in your story as sidekick, mentor, friend?

Then you go deep.  And this is important – because deep inside, you’ll find their biggest, most hidden fears, their worst habits.  And those things are what keep your character from easily reaching their goals.  Even if there are external factors, in real life, there are almost always internal factors too.

• Moving beyond character sheets: personality vs. soul
• Show complexity through contradictions
• Visual: “The Character Tree” (Roots = past, Trunk = present, Leaves = choices)

4. The Role of Backstory and Wounds

Every character carries something with them – some past experience that shaped how they see the world. That doesn’t mean every character needs a tragic backstory, but they do need a past that explains their present.

A well-crafted backstory isn’t just filler. It’s the soil your character grows from. It explains why they’re afraid of falling in love, why they always double-check the locks, why they never talk about their hometown. It doesn’t have to be dramatic – but it does need to matter.

Here’s the key: don’t treat backstory like a data dump. Instead, let it slip in like memory does in real life – through behavior, reactions, moments of silence.

Start small. Try one of these:

• A memory they return to more often than they admit
• A mistake they’ve never forgiven themselves for
• A lie they told a long time ago that still shapes how they act

And if your character does have trauma in their past, handle it with care. Focus on how it shaped them rather than detailing the event itself. You don’t need to relive the pain on the page to show its impact.

Dialogue as a Window to Inner Life

What a character says – or doesn’t say – can reveal more than any character sheet ever could.

Dialogue isn’t just about moving the plot forward. It’s about showing who a character is when they’re under pressure, trying to connect, trying to hide. The way they speak – the rhythm, the word choice, the silences – can tell us everything we need to know.

Some characters talk in circles because they’re afraid of being direct. Some snap out one-liners as armor. Some say exactly what they mean… but only when it’s already too late.

Try paying attention to:

• What they say: Are they blunt? Rambling? Overly polite?
• How they say it: Do they interrupt? Apologize a lot? Avoid contractions?
• When they go silent: Sometimes what’s left unsaid is the most important part.

Want to deepen a character quickly? Drop them into a conversation where they’re uncomfortable – talking to someone they admire, disagree with, or are trying to impress.

Let Them Evolve (Or Refuse To)

Stories are about change. Not just the big external stuff – battles won, secrets revealed – but the quiet, internal shifts that turn a character into someone slightly different than they were on page one.

Not every character needs a sweeping transformation. But the ones who feel most real are the ones who wrestle with something – whether they grow, backslide, or dig their heels in.

Character arcs can look like:

• Growth: A fearful character finds courage.
• Fall: A well-meaning character compromises too much.
• Resistance: A stubborn character refuses to change – and the story shows what that costs them.

The key is emotional honesty. If your character changes, it shouldn’t be instant or easy. They should earn it, stumble through it, maybe resist it. If they don’t change, that choice should have weight.

Ask yourself:

• What belief does this character need to challenge?
• What would they have to give up to grow?
• What might they lose if they stay the same?

Try tracking your character’s emotional arc alongside the plot. At each major moment, jot down how they feel, what they learn, what they cling to.

Embracing the Unexpected

You don’t have to know everything before you start writing to bring your characters to life. In fact, some of the best moments come when a character surprises you.

Maybe you planned for them to fall in love – but they don’t trust easily. Maybe they were supposed to be the hero – but they keep making selfish choices. Instead of forcing them back into the outline, pause. Ask what’s really going on.

When a character “goes off-script,” it’s not a mistake. It’s often a sign you’ve created someone who feels real enough to make their own decisions. That’s not something to fix – it’s something to follow.

Sometimes, the best writing happens when you stop directing and start listening.