How to add some depth to your characters

Monthly update

This was one of my goals, out of a few I'm hoping to complete (we'll see about the rest of them). Let's see, I went camping with my family, had a ton of fun, refused to pay a ton of money for ice cream, and I think I bought one thing. (I'm not a very good tourist, I'm aware)

Softball started and is now ending soon, for anyone curious I play Pitcher. (:

And... hmmm... Went to a few parties, and my youth group has started their summer bible study.

Adding depth to your characters

Are your characters feeling boring? Are they all sounding the same? Well here are a few ways to give them depth.

Note: Your characters might become very angsty if you follow all of these tips, so be careful.

You have been warned.

Tip #1 - Give them a backstory

If you're like me it's probably a tragic one XD. but really it can be anything, but it should give the character a reason to act the way they do.

Just don't overdo it, remember it's just the backstory, not the book.

But you're also not just giving them a backstory for the fun of it, usually the backstory should affect the rest of the book.

Did that confuse you? Well on to the next step.

Tip #2 - Give them an accent

Would Wanda or Natasha be nearly as cool if it wasn't for their accents? Probably but that's not the point. It helps them, and it makes their quotes even more memorable. Plus it's uh... really fun to write, even if the person reading doesn't know they have an accent through half of the book, you know. XD

But seriously the reader should know about the accent, and how it affects the way they talk. And who knows, maybe there's a sad backstory behind that accent.

Tip #3 - Give them an obstacle

It's time to really damage your character emotionally and probably physically. For some people, this is fun, for others this is hard. (I'm in the middle XD) I can handle it, as long as it doesn't include killing a different character.

sadly this is the best way to really bring out your characters. Grief really brings out the character's emotions and feelings. And how they react to grief, really gives the character depth.

Tip #4 - Make boards!!!!!!

Totally don't have an addiction to this one, I might share one I made XD. There is nothing more inspiring than quotes and images. and then you put them on a board, and it's like your whole character just came to life.

I have way too many, but this is one of my favs.

Tip #5 - Give them some bad qualities

This is hard for me, I mean really hard. I don't like my characters to be wrong, but we're all sinners and it's unrealistic to have it otherwise. But there's a difference between mistakes and pure villains, this can be hard when you want to play the redemption arc over and over again.

I think my biggest pet peeve in writing is when the writers ruin a favorite character. Ugh... Why?! So don't be that writer, remember a character doesn't have to turn into the villain. Mistakes can be made, and they can be forgiven, remember that.

Examples of character arcs done wrong

Anakin Skywalker (it's a classic, but I honestly preferred him when he was good)

Luke Skywalker (must I say more?)

Wanda Maximoff (Don't even get me started)

Examples of it done right

Loki (You know that amusing villain but not villain, yeah he confuses us all)

The Beast (What can I say, it's a tale as old as time)

Thanks for reading!!

Hope you enjoyed this post, and hopefully it helped you.

What tip did you like the most? Do you especially struggle with one of these? Who's your favorite fictional character?