How to Avoid Creating Flat Characters

Welcome back to Ask Rachel, a blog column dedicated to answering your writing questions. Send your questions to [email protected] for a chance to be featured in upcoming blog posts. 

This week's student writes: 

"My characters feel kinda boring and one-dimensional. How do I make them feel like real people?"

This is a really common question, and a great first step is to grab The Character Deep-Dive Guide here on my website. You can check it out by clicking here. 

Why We Create Flat Characters

Before we dig into creating interesting characters, let's make sure we square up on what a flat character actually is. Flat characters are typically one-dimensional, lacking the nuances and layers that make real people interesting. They often serve a single purpose in the story and don’t undergo significant growth or change. While flat characters can sometimes work for minor roles, your main characters need to be well-rounded and dynamic to captivate your audience.

The most common reason why we create flat characters is because we haven't gotten to know them very well before we start working with them. Now, if you're like me, you probably get to know your characters through writing them. I personally can't just sit down and start making epic characters; I usually have to sit with them in my sandbox for a while before I even know their names. So if you're worried that your characters aren't jumping off the page from the very start, don't be. It's a natural, normal part of the process. 

The problem with flat characters isn't that they exist - it's that a lot of people who have them could avoid them if they simply experimented with them a little bit more. The good news is that you're not going to be like that - because you're here, and that tells me you're interested in making sure you aren't. Let's get into some simple ways to avoid creating complex and interesting characters, shall we?

Develop Detailed Backstories

Backstories provide context for your characters' actions and motivations, making them feel more real. Although we should avoid the exposition info-dump first thing in the novel, revealing the key parts of a character's backstory at the right time will increase the relatability of your characters, which will then make them more memorable. 

Creating backstories can go one of two ways: some writers LOVE it, and others hate it with a dying passion. I tend to be somewhere in the middle. I like to have fully-developed characters, of course, but spending time writing them and deciding why they are the way they are feels tedious to me, and that makes me want to pull my hair out. 

The other thing that happens is we work entirely with cliches. While creating characters with relatable backstories is a good move, not everything should be the same as every other character out there (this sounds like a stupid and obvious thing to write...but there are so many books I've read with this problem that it's worth saying it here at least once). The joke about these characters is that they're all orphans, they have some forgotten power, they go on a quest to solve a problem and end up defeating a dark lord instead (I'm guilty of a few of these tropes, so it's not entirely bad). You've probably conjured up at least three famous books/movies that fit this narrative, so that proves the point. 

So - relatability is great, cliches can be used occasionally, and redundancy should be avoided. Easy peasy, right?  

Wrong. 

Sometimes it's still difficult, and that's why I created The Character Deep-Dive Guide. 

Goals and Motivations

There's nothing more frustrating for me than getting 40% through a book and not knowing what the heck a character wants. 

There's something to be said for mystery, but if your character has no identifiable goals or motivations, they are going to be flat and boring. Period. I'm sorry I had to break it to you this way. 

Here's the deal: your reader doesn't always have to know what the characters want, but you need to know, and the actions of the characters need to line up directly with what they want (even if what they want is a lie). 

Here's a good example. I have a character who always acts out, is violent, wants attention from lots of people, and gets angry when she's not the center of attention. She sounds like a brat, I know, but she's actually pretty awesome. She looks like she just wants attention. In reality, though, she has two very wealthy, very absent parents and she wants their affection. Since she can't seem to get it, she opts for negative attention - through the form of punishment for her acting out. 

This character isn't even aware she's doing this. All she knows is that when she behaves badly, she has her father's full, undivided attention. See? Goals and motivations can be layered like this; they don't have to be stark and clear. They do need to exist. 

Having goals is different than motivation, but works the same way. I have a character whose entire life is centered on reuniting with his lost family; that's a goal. The motivation is because he loves them, he misses them, and without them, he feels lost and like a complete failure. 

This makes our characters fully formed. 3D. As in the flesh as they can be. Capice? 

Growth and Change

Another really frustrating thing about a character is when they go through the entire arc of the story and don't change. 

Ugh. 

There is something to be said for characters that change the world around them - my mind conjures Hiccup (from How to Train Your Dragon, a movie and book series that has my whole heart). But even Hiccup, who manages to change the minds of his family and friends about dragons, changes a little himself: he becomes stronger, more sure of himself, and more of a capable leader (by the end). This is satisfying. And realistic. And probably why I love the story so much. 

Your characters should change, even a tiny amount, from start to finish. They learn something. They're older. They've gained people or lost people in their lives. Maybe they've changed physically (like lost a limb or gotten a new haircut). Making these changes and having the characters respond appropriately is going to signal to the reader that you are an author who can be trusted. 

This requires planning (ugh) but it is doable and, when you get good at it, fun. With a little bit of help, you can get those characters growing and changing at your command (that sounded better in my head). 

Flaws and Strengths

One of the dreaded characters in literature can be identified as the Mary Sue. This character is perfect in all things, unrelatable in all things, and flatter than the palm of my hand flying across the face of Kathleen Kennedy for adding her as the protagonist of the Star Wars sequels. We hate her. If you've written a Mary Sue, go sit in the corner and think about what you've done. 

The problem with the Mary Sue is that she has strengths but no flaws. To have a well-rounded, relatable character (remember that's our keyword here), you need a character who's got problems to go along with her bright-and-shiny abilities. Maybe she's got a crap attitude about something, or maybe she badly misjudges people the first time around. Maybe she's an alcoholic or has a secret craving for chocolate at all times. 

Don't just assign a random flaw, however. These things need to be done carefully, because if you go too overboard, you'll end up alienating your reader (it's up there with don't kill the dog - you want them to be flawed, not unforgivable). So pick something that will cause tension but not cause your reader to hate the MC (unless that's your objective. 

And example of where this is done well is in When the Moon Hatched by Sarah Parker. Her main character, Raeve, is hard working, powerful, smart - all the wonderful characteristics we need in a successful MC. She's also judgemental, flightly, walled off, and stubborn as hell (to her own demise). This is frustrating for me as a reader, but not in the way that I want to stop reading the book - in that way that i want to keep reading, in case she grows out of it. 

See? That's well-rounded flaws. We need that.

To learn more about the Mary Sue character and how to avoid them, check out last week's blog post: 

What is a Mary Sue Character, and How Do I Avoid Writing One?

Internal Conflict

Have you ever done some really out of character with yourself and later thought, why the heck did I do that? 

That, my friend, is internal conflict. 

We all have it - some of us notice it, and some of us pretend we don't. But we all recognize it when we see it in well-rounded characters. 

Internal conflict is important because it adds layers to characters that make them more interesting. Instantly, Shrek comes to mind - but that's actually a really good example of internal conflict. Shrek is an ugly ogre who wants people to leave him alone. Why? Because people stink. He doesn't like them. But when he's out on an adventure to save Princess Fiona (to get rid of the people in his space) he suddenly starts caring about them (okay - about Donkey and Fiona, but that's still a change). The internal change creates conflict. Conflict creates interest. We watch Shrek battle this conflict, all the way up until he has to make some decisions about what to do. 

Not only does this make him more interesting, it also informs the plot. Character-driven plots only happen when the characters are well-crafted, and that's exactly what happens in this movie. 

So, how do you utilize internal conflict to make your characters not flat? Simple: explore their fears, doubts, and moral dilemmas. Then, when you fully understand those aspects of the character, put them in situations that make them confront those things - and watch them squirm.

Putting it all together

Creating well-rounded, complex characters takes time and effort, but it’s worth it. Characters with depth and complexity engage readers, drive your story forward, and make your book memorable. By developing detailed backstories, giving characters clear goals and motivations, showing growth, incorporating flaws and strengths, and using internal conflict, you can avoid the trap of flat characters and bring your stories to life.

What's Next?

If you're ready to take the next step in your character-creation process, then it's time to check out The Character Deep-Dive Guide. Here is everything inside: 

• Positive Character Arc Planner: Unlock your character’s potential with this planner that helps you shape a journey of growth and transformation, ensuring they end up as a more empowered, self-aware individual by the story's conclusion.
• Negative Character Arc Planner: Guide your character on a downward spiral with this planner that focuses on their descent, helping you create a believable path of corruption, moral decline, or tragic failure.
• Flat Character Arc Planner: Perfect for characters who don’t undergo traditional growth but still impact the story, this planner helps you focus on how your character influences the world and other characters without changing their core beliefs.
• Character Goals Worksheet: Clarify your character’s desires and drive by identifying their internal and external goals, ensuring their actions always align with what they truly want—whether it's success, love, or vengeance.
• Character Creation Template: Build your character from the ground up with this easy-to-use template that helps you define essential details like appearance, personality, and backstory, while leaving plenty of room for creativity.
• Psychological Profile Worksheet: Dive deep into your character’s psyche with this worksheet that explores their mental state, fears, motivations, and coping mechanisms, making them more realistic and complex.
• Character Relationship Worksheet: Develop dynamic relationships between characters by outlining how they interact, influence one another, and grow together or apart throughout the story.
• Character Flaw Finder: Give your character depth and authenticity by identifying their flaws—whether emotional, moral, or physical—and exploring how these flaws shape their journey and relationships.
• Goals, Fears, and Motivations: Align your character’s fears and motivations with their actions and decisions, ensuring that each choice is deeply rooted in what they truly need, want, and fear.
• Dialogue Development Worksheet: Bring your character’s voice to life with this tool designed to help you craft authentic dialogue that reflects their personality, background, and unique way of seeing the world.
• Point of View Selection Guide: Choose the best narrative perspective for your character, whether it's first-person, third-person limited, or omniscient, to ensure their story is told in the most compelling and fitting way.
• Backstory Builder Guide (Bonus): Create a detailed and emotionally resonant backstory for your character, filled with pivotal events and formative experiences that shape who they are and how they react to the world.
• Character Transformation Tracker (Bonus): Monitor your character’s development throughout your story, capturing key moments of internal or external change to ensure their arc feels organic and impactful.
• Voice & Speech Patterns Guide (Bonus): Make your character’s dialogue stand out by defining their unique speech patterns, tone, and vocabulary, adding authenticity and nuance to their voice in every scene.
• Character Archetypes Workbook (Bonus): Explore traditional character archetypes and learn how to subvert or deepen them to create characters who feel familiar yet fresh, drawing readers in with their complexity.
• Internal Conflict Map (Bonus): Visualize your character’s inner turmoil with this guide, helping you track their emotional and moral struggles throughout the story, and ensuring their decisions are driven by compelling internal conflicts.

Ready to take the next step? You can check out The Character Deep-Dive Guide here.