What Makes a Character Complex? The Ultimate Guide

Complex characters captivate audiences through their intricate layers, a concept often explored in depth by institutions like the Gotham Writers Workshop, which emphasizes character development. Internal conflicts, characterized by opposing desires or moral dilemmas, add compelling dimensions to a character’s persona. The Society of Authors champions the creation of multi-faceted characters, who are not merely archetypes but individuals shaped by unique past experiences and motivations. Exploring narrative structure can reveal what makes a character complex, unveiling the nuances that drive their actions and decisions throughout a story.

Crafting Unforgettable Characters: The Heart of Storytelling

Characters are more than just names on a page or faces on a screen. They are the beating heart of any story, the driving force behind plot, and the emotional bridge that connects us, the audience, to the narrative. Without compelling characters, a story risks falling flat, failing to resonate, and ultimately, being forgotten.

Why Well-Developed Characters Matter

Think of your favorite stories. What makes them stick with you? Chances are, it’s the characters. They are the lens through which we experience the world of the story. Their struggles become our struggles; their triumphs, our triumphs.

Well-developed characters provide emotional investment. We root for them, fear for them, and celebrate with them.

This connection is what transforms a simple sequence of events into a meaningful and memorable experience.

The Key Ingredients: Motivation, Conflict, and Flaws

Building such characters requires a deep understanding of human nature and a willingness to explore its complexities. Several key aspects are crucial in shaping a truly complex character.

Motivation: Understanding why a character does what they do.

Conflict: The internal and external battles they face.

Flaws: The imperfections that make them relatable and human.

These elements, when carefully woven together, create characters that feel real, authentic, and deeply engaging.

Your Character-Building Toolkit

The aim here is simple: to equip you with actionable strategies for crafting such compelling characters. Consider this your ultimate guide, providing the knowledge and techniques to elevate your storytelling.

Whether you’re a novelist, screenwriter, game developer, or simply a storyteller at heart, mastering the art of character development will transform your work.

Get ready to embark on a journey into the minds and hearts of your characters, and in doing so, create stories that truly matter.

Foundations of Character Development: The Building Blocks

Before a character can leap off the page or screen, they need a solid foundation. This goes beyond a simple description; it requires understanding the fundamental elements that make them tick. We must delve into their core motivations, explore the shadows of their past, and confront them with the conflicts that will shape their present and future. A strong character foundation is the bedrock upon which compelling narratives are built.

Motivation and Backstory: Understanding the ‘Why’

At the heart of every compelling character lies a driving motivation. This “why” is the engine that propels their actions, fuels their desires, and ultimately, dictates their choices. It can be a conscious, clearly defined goal, or a deeper, often unconscious yearning that lurks beneath the surface.

A compelling story is often a character in pursuit of their motivations. To align motivations effectively, consider how they intersect with the central conflict of your story. Does the character’s desire propel them into the heart of the narrative? Does it put them at odds with the antagonist or the world around them?

A character’s backstory is inextricably linked to their motivations. It’s the tapestry of experiences, relationships, and traumas that have molded them into who they are today. A well-crafted backstory provides context for their current behavior, explaining their fears, their prejudices, and their deepest desires.

However, the key is to weave backstory organically into the narrative. Avoid lengthy infodumps that grind the story to a halt. Instead, reveal glimpses of the past through dialogue, flashbacks, or subtle details that hint at the character’s history. A well-balanced approach keeps the reader engaged while enriching their understanding of the character.

Internal and External Conflict: Fueling the Drama

Conflict is the lifeblood of storytelling, and it manifests in two critical forms: internal and external. Internal conflict represents the character’s inner turmoil – their struggles with doubt, fear, guilt, or conflicting desires. It is the battle raging within their own mind and heart.

Internal conflict creates depth and relatability. When we see a character wrestling with their own demons, we connect with them on a human level. Their struggles mirror our own, making them feel real and authentic.

This is often seen in the interplay between desires and moral obligations. A character might desperately want something but know that achieving it would compromise their values or hurt someone they care about. This internal tug-of-war creates compelling drama and forces the character to make difficult choices.

External conflict, on the other hand, encompasses the challenges the character faces from the outside world. This could be anything from a physical obstacle to a powerful antagonist, a societal injustice, or a natural disaster.

External conflict acts as a catalyst for character development. It forces the character to confront their limitations, make tough decisions, and ultimately, grow and change. It tests their resolve and reveals their true nature under pressure.

The most powerful stories skillfully intertwine internal and external conflict. The external challenges should exacerbate the character’s internal struggles, and vice versa. This creates a feedback loop of drama, pushing the character to their breaking point and ultimately, leading to meaningful transformation.

The Imperfect Ideal: Embracing Flaws and Moral Ambiguity

Perfection is boring. It’s flaws that make characters relatable, human, and ultimately, memorable. Imperfections provide depth, complexity, and a touch of vulnerability that draws the audience in.

These flaws can also drive the narrative forward. A character’s weaknesses can lead them to make mistakes, create conflict, and force them to confront their own shortcomings. It is through these trials that they have the opportunity to learn, grow, and evolve.

Moreover, exploring moral ambiguity is a powerful tool for creating complex characters. A morally ambiguous character exists in the gray areas between good and evil, making choices that are neither entirely right nor entirely wrong.

Moral ambiguity challenges the audience’s perceptions and assumptions. It forces us to question our own values and consider the complexities of human behavior. By presenting characters who are flawed and morally ambiguous, we can create stories that are thought-provoking, engaging, and deeply resonant.

Theoretical Frameworks: Insights from the Masters

To truly elevate character development, it’s essential to look beyond the surface. We must delve into the theoretical underpinnings that have shaped our understanding of human nature and storytelling for centuries. The wisdom of the masters, from Aristotle to Jung, Stanislavski to Campbell, provides invaluable tools for crafting characters that resonate with depth and authenticity.

Aristotle’s Influence on Character Arcs: The Essence of Change

Aristotle’s Poetics, a cornerstone of dramatic theory, offers profound insights into character and narrative. While written millennia ago, its principles remain remarkably relevant to modern storytelling. At the heart of Aristotle’s philosophy lies the concept of the tragic hero – a character who undergoes a significant change in fortune, often brought about by a hamartia, or tragic flaw.

The notion of a character arc is central to Aristotle’s influence. A character arc refers to the transformation a character undergoes throughout the course of a story. This transformation can be positive (a character overcoming their flaws and achieving growth) or negative (a character succumbing to their weaknesses and experiencing a downfall).

Applying Aristotelian Concepts Today

Aristotle’s ideas aren’t just historical artifacts; they can be actively applied to modern narrative structures. Consider the protagonist of a contemporary novel struggling with addiction. Following an Aristotelian framework, their hamartia could be their self-destructive tendencies, leading to a series of escalating crises. Through confronting their addiction and seeking redemption, they might undergo a powerful positive arc.

By understanding and implementing concepts like hamartia, hubris (excessive pride), and catharsis (emotional release), writers can craft character arcs that are both compelling and psychologically resonant. These elements elevate a character from a simple player into a memorable, transformative force in the story.

Jungian Archetypes in Character Design: Universal Patterns

Carl Jung, the renowned Swiss psychiatrist, revolutionized our understanding of the human psyche with his theory of archetypes. Archetypes are universal, inherited patterns of behavior, thought, and symbolism that reside in the collective unconscious – a shared reservoir of human experience.

Jung identified numerous archetypes, each representing a distinct set of characteristics and motivations. Some of the most well-known include The Hero, The Villain, The Mentor, The Lover, The Rebel, and The Innocent. These are not mere stereotypes, but rather foundational patterns that resonate deeply with audiences on an intuitive level.

Leveraging Archetypes for Relatability

Using archetypes in character design can instantly create recognizable and relatable figures. For instance, a mentor figure, embodying wisdom and guidance, can quickly establish trust and authority. Conversely, a villainous character, driven by a thirst for power or a desire for revenge, can immediately generate conflict and tension.

However, it’s crucial to avoid simply copying archetypes verbatim. Instead, consider how you can subvert or twist archetypes to create unique and nuanced characters. A hero burdened by self-doubt, or a villain with a hidden vulnerability, can be far more compelling than a purely archetypal figure.

Stanislavski’s System for Emotional Depth: Acting for Writers

Konstantin Stanislavski, a pioneering Russian actor and director, developed a revolutionary system for training actors to achieve emotional authenticity on stage. His techniques, while designed for performers, offer invaluable insights for writers seeking to imbue their characters with believable emotions.

At the core of Stanislavski’s system is the concept of emotional recall – the process of drawing upon personal experiences to access genuine emotions. Rather than simply “acting” sad or angry, actors are encouraged to find a real memory or experience that evokes a similar emotional response.

Writing with Emotional Authenticity

Writers can apply Stanislavski’s principles by exploring their own emotional landscape. When writing a scene involving grief, for example, take time to reflect on a personal experience of loss. What did it feel like? What were the physical sensations? What thoughts and memories surfaced?

By tapping into your own emotional reservoir, you can infuse your writing with a visceral authenticity that will resonate deeply with readers. Remember, showing rather than telling is paramount. Describe the character’s physical reactions, their internal thoughts, and their subtle behaviors to convey their emotional state.

The Hero’s Journey and Character Transformation: A Blueprint for Growth

Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, also known as the monomyth, is a universal narrative pattern found in myths and stories across cultures and throughout history. It describes the archetypal journey of a hero who leaves their ordinary world, faces a series of challenges and trials, and ultimately returns transformed.

The Hero’s Journey consists of several key stages, including The Call to Adventure, The Road of Trials, The Abyss, The Transformation, and The Return. Each stage represents a critical point in the hero’s journey and contributes to their growth and development.

Using the Hero’s Journey as a Template

The Hero’s Journey provides a powerful blueprint for crafting compelling character arcs. By mapping your character’s journey onto this framework, you can ensure that their experiences are meaningful, transformative, and resonate with universal themes.

Consider how overcoming challenges leads to profound personal change. The hero’s initial reluctance to accept the call to adventure, their encounters with mentors and allies, and their confrontation with their greatest fears – all contribute to their ultimate transformation.

By understanding the Hero’s Journey, writers can create characters who embark on a journey of self-discovery, facing adversity and emerging stronger, wiser, and more complete. This framework ensures a story that is both engaging and deeply satisfying for the audience.

Literary Masters and Their Craft: Learning from the Best

Literary giants didn’t just tell stories; they sculpted characters that continue to breathe and resonate with readers across generations. Examining their techniques offers invaluable insights into the art of crafting truly complex and unforgettable figures. By understanding how these masters approached character development, we can elevate our own storytelling to new heights.

M. Forster’s Flat and Round Characters: Simplicity vs. Complexity

E.M. Forster, in his seminal work Aspects of the Novel, introduced the concepts of flat and round characters. These terms provide a foundational understanding of character dimensionality. Understanding these concepts is key to character design.

Flat characters are built around a single idea or quality. They are easily recognizable and predictable. Round characters, on the other hand, are complex and multifaceted, capable of surprising us with their actions and motivations. They often display contradictions and inconsistencies that mirror real human behavior.

The Function of Flat Characters

While round characters often take center stage, flat characters play a crucial role in storytelling. They can serve as foils, highlighting the nuances and depth of the round characters through contrast. They can also represent specific ideas or societal norms, providing a framework for the round characters to challenge or subvert.

Balancing Simplicity and Complexity

Effective character design involves a strategic balance between flat and round characters. Too many flat characters can make a story feel simplistic and predictable. Too many round characters can lead to confusion and a lack of focus.

The key is to use flat characters judiciously to support and enhance the development of the round characters, creating a dynamic and engaging narrative landscape.

Nuance and Psychological Realism: Deep Dives into the Mind

Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, and Fyodor Dostoevsky are renowned for their exploration of psychological realism. They delve into the intricate inner lives of their characters. Their work reveals the complexities of human consciousness.

These authors pioneered techniques like internal monologues and streams of consciousness to offer readers unparalleled access to their characters’ thoughts, feelings, and perceptions.

Crafting Characters with Psychological Depth

To emulate these masters, focus on capturing the nuances of your characters’ internal experiences. Explore their subconscious desires, hidden fears, and conflicting emotions. Don’t shy away from portraying their vulnerabilities and imperfections.

The Power of Internal Monologues

Internal monologues allow you to directly present a character’s thoughts and feelings to the reader. They can be used to reveal hidden motivations, explore internal conflicts, and create a sense of intimacy between the reader and the character.

Streams of Consciousness: A Glimpse into the Unfiltered Mind

Streams of consciousness offer an even more unfiltered perspective, mimicking the chaotic and associative nature of human thought. This technique can be particularly effective in portraying characters who are struggling with mental or emotional turmoil, allowing readers to experience their inner world in a raw and visceral way.

By studying and applying the techniques of these literary masters, you can unlock new dimensions of character development, creating figures that are not only believable but also profoundly human.

Practical Application and Techniques: Tools for Your Character Toolbox

Having explored the theoretical underpinnings and learned from literary giants, it’s time to equip ourselves with tangible techniques for crafting complex characters. This section dives into the practical tools that can elevate your character development. We’ll dissect character arcs, redemption stories, the power of subtext, and the allure of the unreliable narrator.

Character Arcs and Redemption: The Transformative Path

A compelling character is rarely static. They evolve, learn, and change over the course of a story. This journey of transformation is known as a character arc.

Charting this arc requires careful consideration of where the character begins, what challenges they face, and where they ultimately end up. This involves mapping their emotional and psychological development, identifying key turning points, and understanding how their experiences shape their values and beliefs.

Charting the Course of a Character Arc

Begin by defining the character’s initial state. What are their strengths and weaknesses? What are their goals and desires? This serves as the starting point for their journey.

Next, identify the major conflicts and obstacles they will encounter. These challenges should test their limits, force them to confront their flaws, and ultimately drive their growth.

Finally, determine the character’s end state. How will they have changed as a result of their experiences? What lessons will they have learned? This defines the culmination of their arc.

The arc should be believable, feel organic, and resonate with the overall themes of the story.

Exploring Redemption Arcs and Moral Growth

A redemption arc is a specific type of character arc that focuses on a character’s journey from moral failing to redemption. These stories can be especially powerful, offering hope and demonstrating the potential for change even in the darkest of circumstances.

Consider the character’s past actions and the consequences they have faced. What motivates them to seek redemption? Is it guilt, remorse, or a desire to make amends?

The path to redemption is rarely easy. It involves facing their demons, acknowledging their mistakes, and taking concrete steps to atone for their actions.

The key to a successful redemption arc is authenticity. The character’s transformation must feel earned and believable.

Redemption is not simply forgiveness but a true and fundamental change in character.

Subtext and Unreliable Narration: Adding Layers of Intrigue

Beyond explicit actions and dialogue, lies the realm of subtext and unreliable narration. These techniques add depth, complexity, and intrigue to your characters and narratives.

Mastering these tools is crucial for creating truly unforgettable stories. They allow you to engage readers on a deeper level, challenging their assumptions and inviting them to actively participate in the interpretation of your story.

Mastering the Art of Subtext

Subtext refers to the unspoken meaning beneath the surface of dialogue and action. It’s what characters don’t say, or the actions that betray their true feelings.

To effectively use subtext, consider the character’s motivations, fears, and desires. What are they trying to hide? What are they afraid to reveal?

Use body language, tone of voice, and carefully chosen words to hint at these underlying emotions. Leave room for interpretation, allowing readers to draw their own conclusions.

Subtext adds layers of complexity to your characters, making them feel more realistic and relatable. It forces readers to engage actively with the story, piecing together the unspoken truths.

The Unreliable Narrator: Creating Intrigue and Suspense

An unreliable narrator is a character whose account of events cannot be trusted. This unreliability can stem from a variety of factors, including bias, ignorance, mental instability, or outright deception.

Using an unreliable narrator creates suspense and intrigue. It forces readers to question everything they are told, searching for clues and inconsistencies that reveal the truth.

To effectively use an unreliable narrator, carefully consider the source of their unreliability. What are their motivations for distorting the truth?

Subtly hint at their unreliability through inconsistencies in their narrative, gaps in their memory, or contradictions in their behavior. Gradually reveal the extent of their deception, creating a sense of unease and suspense.

The unreliable narrator is a powerful tool for creating complex and morally ambiguous characters. They challenge readers’ perceptions and force them to actively participate in the construction of the story’s meaning.

Seeking Guidance and Inspiration: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

No writer exists in a vacuum. The journey of mastering character development is a continuous process of learning, refinement, and seeking inspiration from those who have illuminated the path before us. By studying the techniques and insights of established experts, we can significantly elevate our storytelling capabilities.

This section serves as a guide to some of the most influential voices in the field, encouraging you to stand on the shoulders of these giants and reach new heights in your character-building endeavors.

Consulting Experts: Learning from the Pros

The field of character development is rich with insightful analysis and practical advice. Several experts have dedicated their careers to dissecting the art of storytelling and providing actionable strategies for crafting compelling characters.

Among these luminaries, Linda Seger and Robert McKee stand out as particularly influential figures. Consulting their work can provide invaluable guidance and accelerate your growth as a writer.

Linda Seger: Championing Positive Characters and Deeper Development

Linda Seger is a renowned script consultant and author known for her work on character development and creating compelling narratives. Her book, Creating Unforgettable Characters, offers a wealth of practical advice and techniques for crafting characters that resonate with audiences.

Seger’s approach emphasizes the importance of understanding a character’s inner world, motivations, and relationships.

She challenges writers to explore their characters’ values and beliefs, ensuring that their actions are driven by authentic and believable motivations.

Furthermore, Seger advocates for writing positive characters and offers strategies for crafting narratives that are both uplifting and emotionally engaging.

She emphasizes the importance of understanding the emotional and psychological journeys that characters undertake throughout a story, allowing writers to connect with audiences on a deeper level.

Robert McKee: Structure, Substance and Story

Robert McKee is a celebrated screenwriting guru and author of Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting. His approach focuses on the fundamental elements of storytelling, emphasizing the importance of plot, theme, and character development.

McKee’s teachings emphasize the importance of understanding character archetypes, the interplay between character and plot, and the power of crafting compelling conflicts.

By understanding McKee’s framework, writers can create more compelling and emotionally resonant narratives.

McKee emphasizes that great stories are built on characters facing meaningful choices and undergoing transformative experiences. Studying his techniques will enable you to refine your storytelling skills and create characters that truly captivate your audience.

The Art of Dramatic Writing: Discovering Character Insights

Beyond individual experts, certain seminal works offer timeless insights into the craft of character development. One such work is Lajos Egri’s The Art of Dramatic Writing, a book that has influenced generations of writers.

Lajos Egri: Premise, Character, and Conflict

Lajos Egri’s The Art of Dramatic Writing presents a systematic approach to playwriting that emphasizes the importance of a strong premise, well-developed characters, and compelling conflicts. Egri argues that every great play (and, by extension, every great story) is built upon a central idea or premise that drives the narrative forward.

Central to Egri’s approach is the idea that character should drive the plot, not the other way around.

He argues that characters should be fully realized individuals with their own desires, motivations, and flaws.

By understanding your characters deeply, you can create conflicts that are both meaningful and emotionally resonant.
Egri’s techniques provide a valuable framework for analyzing and understanding the dynamics of compelling characters.

By immersing yourself in the wisdom of Seger, McKee, and Egri, you can unlock new insights and refine your storytelling skills. Their collective expertise provides a powerful foundation for crafting unforgettable characters that will resonate with audiences for years to come. Embrace their teachings, and embark on a journey of continuous learning and creative growth.

So, there you have it! Hopefully, this guide has given you a better understanding of what makes a character complex. Remember, it’s not just about giving them a tragic backstory or a quirky habit, it’s about creating a person who feels real, flawed, and ultimately, unforgettable. Happy writing!