How to Create a Character Driven Book
Focus on character wants and needs., Decide how your main characters will change., Establish a plot., Think of a setting., Consider theme.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Focus on character wants and needs.
In a character driven book, your character's wants and needs should be of upmost importance.
Oftentimes, the primary action of a character driven book involves how a character's wants, needs, and opinions change over time.
As you begin to carve out the basics of your book, spend some considering what your characters want.All characters should yearn for something.
This can help drive their actions throughout a story.
For example, maybe your main character desperately wants to be a professional ballet dancer.
His passion for dance can be the driving point of his actions throughout the story.
Your characters should, on a deeper level, need something as well.
Maybe your main character's desire to dance is driven by a deeper need for control.
Ballet requires a certain amount of perfection.
If your character has had a messy life, for example, he may use dance as a way to create perfection from chaos. -
Step 2: Decide how your main characters will change.
In a character driven book, interpersonal and internal changes are what mark the trajectory of your story.
No one wants to read about a character who stays stagnant.
Your story arch is built around your characters' inner journeys.
Decide going into the writing process how your characters are going to change.Your main character's wants and needs should change in response to what happens around him or her.
Think of all the things that can change a person over the course of a lifetime.
Relationships can change us.
Jobs can change us.
Trauma and loss can also foster change.
Current events can alter a character's worldview.
Think about how certain events will shape your character.
Many character driven books, for example, are driven by a relationship.
Maybe your ballet dancer can reconnect with his estranged father.
He may become less focused on success as he mends some issues from his past.
His big realization may be that his career aspirations are unrealistic or too rigid, and they stem from his own troubled past.
When in doubt, return to your theme.
Think about the topics you want to explore.
You can shape character development and events around your theme.
If you're writing a story of redemption, for example, how a character feels about him or herself will be a focal point focal point of your story.
What events could occur to shift your character's opinion of him or herself? How will your character change based on these events? , Even when a story is character driven, there is always a plot.
It may not be action and adventure based, but you should have some plot in mind before beginning your story.
Character driven stories are often focused on personal journeys.
Having a literal journey, like a road trip, can help drive a symbolic one.
You could also focus on how certain relationships change.
If you're telling the story of a friendship, a romance, or a family relationship, how will this relationship progress? What events will occur to drive this relationship forward? , Oftentimes, a setting is very important in a character driven book.
The relationship characters have to their home is often a big aspect of their identity.
Decide where your story will take place and, from there, spend some time thinking about the relationship your characters have with that place.
Do they love the setting or do they hate it? Are they longing for escape, or looking for a way to settle down in their current location? , Every book has a theme.
This the central idea or message that the story explores.
Figuring out your theme, or having some idea of what topics you want to explore, can help you develop your characters.
The theme your work grapples with should be of central importance to the characters.Think about your favorite book.
If you had to sum that book up with a few words, what would those words be? For example, say your favorite book is Mrs.
Dalloway.
What is the first word you think of when considering this book? Words that come to mind may be time, death, trauma, and loss.
These are certainly all themes explored in Mrs.
Dalloway, primarily through the book's characters.
Think about a theme you want to explore in your book.
Do you want to write about love, loss, heartbreak? Do you want to write a story of redemption or courage? Try to jot down a variety of themes you would like to explore in your book.
Think about how your characters could exemplify those themes. -
Step 3: Establish a plot.
-
Step 4: Think of a setting.
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Step 5: Consider theme.
Detailed Guide
In a character driven book, your character's wants and needs should be of upmost importance.
Oftentimes, the primary action of a character driven book involves how a character's wants, needs, and opinions change over time.
As you begin to carve out the basics of your book, spend some considering what your characters want.All characters should yearn for something.
This can help drive their actions throughout a story.
For example, maybe your main character desperately wants to be a professional ballet dancer.
His passion for dance can be the driving point of his actions throughout the story.
Your characters should, on a deeper level, need something as well.
Maybe your main character's desire to dance is driven by a deeper need for control.
Ballet requires a certain amount of perfection.
If your character has had a messy life, for example, he may use dance as a way to create perfection from chaos.
In a character driven book, interpersonal and internal changes are what mark the trajectory of your story.
No one wants to read about a character who stays stagnant.
Your story arch is built around your characters' inner journeys.
Decide going into the writing process how your characters are going to change.Your main character's wants and needs should change in response to what happens around him or her.
Think of all the things that can change a person over the course of a lifetime.
Relationships can change us.
Jobs can change us.
Trauma and loss can also foster change.
Current events can alter a character's worldview.
Think about how certain events will shape your character.
Many character driven books, for example, are driven by a relationship.
Maybe your ballet dancer can reconnect with his estranged father.
He may become less focused on success as he mends some issues from his past.
His big realization may be that his career aspirations are unrealistic or too rigid, and they stem from his own troubled past.
When in doubt, return to your theme.
Think about the topics you want to explore.
You can shape character development and events around your theme.
If you're writing a story of redemption, for example, how a character feels about him or herself will be a focal point focal point of your story.
What events could occur to shift your character's opinion of him or herself? How will your character change based on these events? , Even when a story is character driven, there is always a plot.
It may not be action and adventure based, but you should have some plot in mind before beginning your story.
Character driven stories are often focused on personal journeys.
Having a literal journey, like a road trip, can help drive a symbolic one.
You could also focus on how certain relationships change.
If you're telling the story of a friendship, a romance, or a family relationship, how will this relationship progress? What events will occur to drive this relationship forward? , Oftentimes, a setting is very important in a character driven book.
The relationship characters have to their home is often a big aspect of their identity.
Decide where your story will take place and, from there, spend some time thinking about the relationship your characters have with that place.
Do they love the setting or do they hate it? Are they longing for escape, or looking for a way to settle down in their current location? , Every book has a theme.
This the central idea or message that the story explores.
Figuring out your theme, or having some idea of what topics you want to explore, can help you develop your characters.
The theme your work grapples with should be of central importance to the characters.Think about your favorite book.
If you had to sum that book up with a few words, what would those words be? For example, say your favorite book is Mrs.
Dalloway.
What is the first word you think of when considering this book? Words that come to mind may be time, death, trauma, and loss.
These are certainly all themes explored in Mrs.
Dalloway, primarily through the book's characters.
Think about a theme you want to explore in your book.
Do you want to write about love, loss, heartbreak? Do you want to write a story of redemption or courage? Try to jot down a variety of themes you would like to explore in your book.
Think about how your characters could exemplify those themes.
About the Author
Isabella Thomas
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in practical skills and beyond.
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