By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills
If I don’t change and grow into a better person when writing a story, I’ve failed —not just the characters, but also the storyline, my readers, myself, and the God who gifted me with the ability to write. My characters help me see life from a new perspective, offering deeper insights into how others live in this complex world.
Well-developed characters are the foundation of a stories that entertain, inspire, and encourage readers. For over two decades, I’ve worked—and struggled—to create the most dynamic characters possible. This process is continually evolving. Through a detailed, fourteen-page characterization sketch, I explore eachcharacters’ personality, strengths, weaknesses, victories, challenges, childhood, and the experiences that shape them long before chapter one, line one of the story.
After each book is written, I revisit and refine my characterization sketch to better serve the next book. This ensures the real character comes alive. They no longer exist in my mind but are a constant companion. We have conversations, argue, and laugh. And, sometimes we need a break from each other. (Dear friends, I promise I’m not crazy.)
These characters journey with me through the pages of my books, facing goals to achieve or problems to solve. Their inner conflict holds the key to overcoming their physical challenges. I’ve always been fascinated by psychology—the intricate mysteries of human behavior have puzzled humanity from the beginning of time. The more I learn about the workings of the mind, the more I apply those discoveries to my characters. Every question I ask them in my characterization sketch carries a psychological implication.
Here’s the incredible truth about discovering how a character reacts and responds to the world around them. They teach me more about myself—my values, my faith, and my perspectives on life. Their stories aren’t mine, and I strive to remove traces of my own personality, crafting instead individuals shaped by their own life experiences.
Some of the beautiful life lessons I’ve learned through writing:
Passion is essential.
The word passion implies being willing to die for something you believe in. I must be deeply passionate about my characters and their plight, or the story is meaningless. The emotion and enthusiasm stem from understanding why I’m writing the story, grounded in its moral premise and purpose—a calling from God etched on my heart.
Names matter.
A character’s name must resonate with the story and the role they play. This allows me to honor and respect them as individuals.
Value for the character’s personality.
Every person on the planet is unique, and creating unforgettable characters means valuing that uniqueness. This extends to how I view people in real life. I might not agree with someone or even like them, but I remember that everyone is created in the image of God.
Physical traits tell a story.
The physical details of a character—their eye color, hobbies, to the place they call home—affect them psychologically. This makes me question if I am judging others because they differ from me.
Motivations reveal the heart.
When I delve into what drives my characters to act and ask why, I am prompted me to reflect on my own motivations. What drives me? Why do I make the choices I do?
Insights deepen.
Exploring the lies my character believes, blind spots, love language, treasured memories, nightmares, and those events from childhood that formed the character help me see myself more clearly—the good and not-so-good.
There is always room for improvement in my characters, and I see the same opportunities for myself. Some of my best teachers have been characters who walked the pages of a story.
Has a character in a story ever impacted you, inspiring growth and change in your life?
Comments 9
I do believe I may spend too much time finding just the right name for my characters. Yet, once I land on a name, it completes them in my mind. Even their surname. I think about who they are and search for a name that means the essence of the character.
As an aside, for the past six months I’ve started referring to my characters as people. My character sketch Word documents have been named “People – Lisa”, or “People – Jeff”. The folder is labeled “People – [Book Name]”. It’s a mental shift because character is the common term used in all writing classes, blogs, newsletters, etc. But, I felt thinking of them as people would help me get out of the way.
Then last week I read a quote by Ernest Hemingway from Death in the Afternoon. “When writing a novel a writer should create living people; people not characters. A character is a caricature. If a writer can make people live there may be no great characters in his book, but it is possible that his book will remain as a whole; as an entity; as a novel.”
I had to smile to think I didn’t come up with anything new. Hemingway thought of this long ago. And weren’t his people real?
(Sorry for not italicizing his book title. I couldn’t figure out how to do that here.)
Karen, Yes! Our character are real people, and we give them real names, birthdates, personalities, and all the other yummy traits. Hemingway’s quote is a keeper. “When writing a novel a writer should create living people; people not characters. A character is a caricature. If a writer can make people live there may be no great characters in his book, but it is possible that his book will remain as a whole; as an entity; as a novel.” Thank you!
I have just finished reading The Chase and The Survivor. I was so captivated by the characters and visualized them in my mind throughout the readings. I felt like I was the fly on the wall observing them using all 5 senses. Kariss and Tigo are etched in my mind.
I write Children’s picture books. The characters are very simple, but you have given me motivation to develop them further. Thank you!
By the way, as a counselor, I can assure you that youvare not crazy! I was advised to not only talk to them, but to listen to what they told me.
Thanks, Cindy! So glad to know I am not textbook insane! Thanks for reading The Chase.
Maybe I should have a party for all my characters?????
That would be fun! Just remember to invite me, even if I need to be that fly on the wall.
We get to know our characters in much he same way we get to know our friends–and our enemies: by watching them act and react; by seeing them doing and saying things. But there is another way to write characters: They are used rather than received, as when authors treat them as tools to achieve some purpose, rather than as people with lives of their own. The trick–the skill–of an author shows best when “used” characters appear to readers as “received” by the author. It’s interesting that in the Bible, God treats everyone both ways.
Lewis, thank you for sharing your wisdom. Our God always has a purpose for us – characters.
I have learned so much more about people since I have started to write. Rather than seeing people through one lens, I see their diversity, values, rationales, and their contradictions. I realize there is hypocrisy in each of us, but we are blind to it.
Creating interesting characters make for an interesting life.
Thank you DiAnn.
Philip, the uniqueness of each one of us is reflected in our characters. They react and respond in ways we writers never imagined, and in some ways, we don’t want to emulate. Thank you!