How to Write A Complex Character

By Matthew DiRienzo

Creative writing isn’t something we do a ton of at BHS - most important writing assignments end up either analytical or argumentative - which is why, when it comes to actually doing it, you might be lacking in academic experience when comparing it to other types of writing.

Both inside and outside of school, I have heard that one concept many struggle with when trying to write fiction is writing well-developed characters. They end up too flat, too static, too boring, or sometimes even too complex for their own good. When trying to write characters there are some pitfalls that are far too easy to fall into (trust me, I’ve fallen victim to some of them myself!) and your characters will be better for it. So on that note, here are 3 basic tips for writing good characters.

#1: Don’t get lost in the backstory

Backstory can be an essential tool for a character. It can be the catalyst for their motivation, be relevant to the plot moving forward, give important worldbuilding details, and more. But if you are writing a story about a character avoid bringing it up too often, or in too much depth.

The plot of any conventional narrative follows the character or group of characters here and now - what they are doing in the present for whatever reason - so dwelling on the past for too long can sometimes be disconcerting. Their backgrounds can absolutely play into what they are doing in the present, whether it be driving the plot or explaining a small character building moment, but it is also important to not overdo that. People usually don’t bring up their life stories until they have a good reason too, and most probably wouldn’t even be willing to share some or all of it. And they might think about it somewhat sure, but no one thinks too deeply into their past without some kind of prompting.

The point is, less is not always more, but less is often cleaner. When you are writing a character make sure their backstory is discussed with relevance in mind. It doesn’t always have to be used sparingly, but massive exposition dumps can only get you so far without being tiresome for a reader. Feel free to come up with awesome tales of who your characters are and how that has shaped them, but you don’t have to tell all of that if the story isn’t really focusing on it.

#2: Your characters do not have to be carbon copies of yourself

This is the easiest trick in the book to fall for. You’re writing a story, and you have to come up with a character. It is only natural that most people’s initial instinct is to draw from their own experiences and knowledge. But do it too much and you no longer have a character...you just have yourself.

Now don’t get me wrong - if you want to tell a story that is intentionally about a character just like you, then do that. But if you’re telling a story where that isn’t necessarily the case, make a conscious effort to consider all of your options. How would people of other personality types respond to the same scenario? What relationships could they have? Traits? Background? Motivations?

This is more of a pitfall for you as an author than it as for the story itself. If you can make your narrative work around a character very similar to you, no problem. But you’ll become better at writing characters if you don’t stick to the same archetype every time - and who knows, you might enjoy exploring other mindsets along the way.

#3: No character is truly original

Ever heard of the website TVTropes? If you haven’t, it’s a fantastic resource (and a great way to get lost down a rabbit hole of tropes). It’s a huge extensive catalog of recurring tropes throughout fiction that explains them, gives examples of them, and lists them on every aspect of every work of fiction they have in their database. It is a testament to one important thing: nothing is truly original. Really. Fiction has been around for so long that it is nearly impossible to come up with ideas that are entirely and completely unlike anything else before it. Originality can still exist - but it exists in the execution and coherence of ideas, not in the individual ideas themselves.

Now that might seem terrifying to some, but really, it can be liberating. Don’t bother trying to make a character stand out so uniquely from every other character you can possibly think of, because that’s impossible. Prioritize what makes sense. What would be best for your narrative. What you feel you can get the most mileage out of plot-wise, or how that detail connects to the larger setting in an interesting way. Hinging your character on how unique they are is an easy way to get yourself stuck or dissatisfied. It is better - and easier - to recognize tropes, play into the ones you like, and avoid the ones you don’t like. True originality results organically from effort being put into a character, and not from how conceptually different they are from what you already know. This is true of all fiction in general, but especially of characters.

To any of you out there writing narrative fiction, on your own time or for school, we here at the BHS Writing Center hope these tips can help and wish you the best of luck.