How to Build Characters to Believe in

If you're anything like me, then the first thing you look for when you pick up a book is a good character to connect with. Someone to relate to, to share experiences with. Someone… to believe in. 

But how to you create such a character as a writer? 

Now bear in mind that I don’t just mean a believable person, that’s a start of course, but this goes beyond making sure your characters are well-balanced between their talents and their faults. What I mean is, a character to root for, whose cause and internal quest makes us believe in him, in his ability to overcome his own demons and so save the day in the wider world. 

This might seem like an impossible task for the beginner. I’m essentially asking you to deliver your theme through your character, but don’t worry, I’ll walk you through it.

What does this have to do with Building a Character?

EVERYTHING! 

Humans are moral beings. That doesn’t mean we always act morally, it means we speak in the language of morality. We innately have a sense of right and wrong and have long since used these insights in order to enforce standards of peace within a society. Even those that outright reject moral teachings or prefer moral ambiguity still tailor their message in opposition with a certain set of morals in mind. Regardless of your message, understanding the importance of stating it from a moral standpoint will deliver it with greater efficiency and emotional resonance than anything else. 

The Tale of Two Journeys

Throughout your story, this character you build will be experiencing two journeys. The outer one, where he is fighting space aliens, or saving a princess, or just trying to stave off starvation, but there is also an inner one. Where the events of the story slowly changes his inner worldview. While following the tips in this article and the resources it cites will get you a well-balanced character, adding this extra sense of morality will prepare you for your character’s inner journey (also known as the character arc), and for pinning down your theme (according to the Moral Premise by Stan Williams). So keep it in the back of your mind and remember, when your character really believes in something, we have something to root for. When your character has nothing to believe in (but will gain something later on), we can sense what he’s lacking and we beg for it to return. But only if you write it that way.

Of Vice & Virtue 

So, at the heart of your character is morality, and that morality is expressed and denied in the form of attributes and flaws. This is how you build a believable character. What sets this system apart is among your attributes you will choose one true Virtue and of your flaws, one true Vice. These must be diametrically opposed, and truthfully you’ll probably have a few to start with before you whittle it down to just the one. This will be the foundation for your Moral Premise and the main focus of your character’s inner change. 

The Virtue is the Moral Imperative for your character, though he may not yet realize what it is or how important it is to him. The Vice is the Fatal Flaw that directly violates this moral principle, and is how he is living at the beginning of the story. He may be knowingly living against this Virtue, in denial that it exists or is important, or ignorant of it entirely. Throughout the story this struggle represents the hero’s inner journey as he works to overcome this Fatal Flaw. (Note: If your character rejects this change and his Virtue, then your story is a Tragedy and will end poorly for him).

Here are some examples:

VICE: Selfishness, Cowardice, Doubt, Dishonor, Pride, Greed, Wrath, Hatred

VIRTUE: Self-Sacrifice, Courage, Faith, Honor, Humility, Generosity, Patience, Forgiveness

So what are attributes and flaws? How do they develop?

Attributes & Flaws

Well, according to two of my favorite writer’s resources, The Positive and the Negative Trait Thesauruses by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi from WritersHelpingWriters.net, all traits, whether positive, negative, or completely neutral, are the result of upbringing, genetics, physical environment and past experiences both good and bad, and serve to satisfy your character’s basic needs and wants according to this moral code.

 In these books, they describe flaws as traits that hinder a character’s development and advancement in the story, that damages relationships, and tend toward being self-serving (Ex. Jealousy or a Controlling nature). If a flaw does help advance the story, it comes at a cost. Attributes aid the character’s personal growth and achievement throughout the story, often enhancing relationships, and focusing on others rather than on oneself. Finally, there are neutral traits that don’t fit in either or category. They may not advance goals but they allow for further self-discovery. (Ex. introverted, extroverted, flirtatious). It should also be noted that an attribute can sometimes be a weakness if exploited, and that a flaw can be used to attain some achievement, but at a cost.)

Categories of Attributes

The Positive Trait Thesaurus uses four categories for their attributes. These are Moral, Achievement, Interactive, and Identity. Remember, you may have multiple Moral Attributes, but the goal is to eventually choose one Virtue that will determine your Moral Premise and Inner Journey. You may also have traits that belong in multiple categories.

• Moral Attributes: Traits related to the belief in right & wrong. Ex. kindness, honor, justice, honesty, etc. 
• What defines this person at their core, even if they deny it?

• Achievement Attributes: Aligns with Morality, but bolsters achievement and advancement. Ex. If a person sees responsibility as a Moral Imperative, then they would develop things like meticulousness, dependability, organization to support that morality. 
• What traits do they actively use to their advantage against obstacles? 
• How do they reach their goals? 
• What Methods do they use?

• Interactive Attributes: Emerge through experiences, surroundings and social interactions. Based more on personal preference than others. Most populous category in the thesaurus. A character that hates conflict might be friendly or introverted to avoid it, humor can be used to deflect serious situations. 
• How do they act in conversation? 
• How are they perceived by others (correctly or not)?

• Identity Attributes: Promote greater sense of personal identity, often results in personal expression. Ex. Creativity and quirkiness. Can also be foundational if it isn’t quite their moral imperative. Ex. Spirituality, patriotism, etc.
• How do they WANT others to see them? How do they see themselves (honest or not)?

NOTE: 

• I apply these same categories to flaws just to better understand them. The categories would be Immoral Flaws, Obstructive Flaws, Interactive Flaws, and Identity Flaws.
• Immoral Flaws: Violates the Moral Attributes
• Obstructive Flaws: Gets in the way and causes problems rather than solutions
• Interactive Flaws: Cause particular tension in social situations
• Identity Flaws: Mar the character’s sense of self or other people’s view of them, fairly or not.

Hierarchy of Flaws 

Where does this Fatal Flaw, this terrible Vice, come from? Well, it usually comes from a negative past experience called The Wound. The Wound happened before the story began, and is usually addressed during the Inner Journey. It’s something he must accept or own up to if he wants to succeed in the main plot. In the Negative Trait Thesaurus, this is expressed as a pyramid, each category stemming from the one above it. 

• The Wound: The Backstory event that made them adopt the lie and their outlook on life? What trauma caused this unbalanced state at the beginning?

• The Lie: This is the Lie that the character tells themselves, the one they must overcome. Is connected with their primary need. (See Appendix A in the Negative Thesaurus)

• Core Flaws: (Fatal Flaw, Vice) The one great Vice that continually causes failure. Must be addressed to complete the inner journey. Must be diametrically opposed to the one great Virtue they are denying. Also, includes other major flaws that usually stem from this one.

• Lesser Flaws: Stem from Core Flaws

• Behaviors, Thoughts, Actions, Quirks

 Now that you have a basic understanding of Attributes & Flaws, the next step is to use these elements in the Reverse Backstory Tool (Coming Soon) in order to build your character from the inside out. 

What systems or methods do you use to build characters? What are your favorite kinds of characters? Comment below!

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Working with realistic psychological disorders in your story? Try The Writer’s Guide to Psychology, written by Caroline Kaufman PysD., the same psychologist that wrote the foreword for the Negative Trait Thesaurus.

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