3-Dimensional, layered, complex — in this context, it all means the same thing. A character becomes considered complex when they go beyond surface-level traits, such as: “his hair is green,” “she’s popular,” “he’s adopted,” etc. This isn’t to say that green-haired, popular, and adopted characters can’t be layered or complex. But if their descriptions and archetypal/stereotypical personalities stop there and the readers/watchers aren’t able to learn more about them outside those traits, those characters fall flat and feel boxed up for one purpose: being the side piece.
Table of Contents
- How To Write Complex Characters
- Motivation — Give your character a reason
- Decisions — Have your character choose
- Emotions — Let your characters feel
- Change — Have your character evolve (or regress)
- Controversy — Make your character discussable/arguable
- Ambience — Give your character an aura/vibe
- Conclusion
How TO write complex characters
How can we make characters complex? You might associate the word ‘complex’ with ‘confusion’. But in a literary sense, complex means that there is more to something. It’s really about getting to know them as a human who lives that 24-hour clock just like you and I do. A weird parasocial thought I have sometimes is that characters don’t have any free will — they just follow the script the author creates. That’s why it’s important to make your characters feel as human as you can make them. (I actually just use that thought to justify writing that doesn’t sit right with me. Jake wouldn’t cheat on Miley, right? So out of character!)
I devised 6 fundamentals to help us write more complex characters:
1. Motivation — Give your character a reason
Why does your character do what they do? Motivation refers to the driving force behind your character’s actions, goals, and choices. A character’s motivation can stem from various sources such as ego, desires, necessities, beliefs, experiences, feelings, or people. Developing clear and believable motivations helps readers understand why your character acts the way they do and adds depth to their personality.
2. Decisions — Have your character choose
The choices your characters make speak volumes about who they are. There doesn’t need to be a gun at a person’s head for them to make a choice. Every day, we make hundreds of choices. We choose how we care for our bodies (diet, hygiene, exercise), how to present ourselves (fashion), how to express ourselves, and how we treat others. It comes so naturally that you don’t even notice, right? Probably because that’s the type of relationship and love we have for ourselves and others. All the decisions your characters make, whether in a pickle or not, should either:
Reveal character
Choices can be influenced by a character’s motivations, values, morals, and/or emotions. A detail you could add in moments like these can be the speed of making these choices. Was the character hesitant? Or was there no thinking twice when voting to continue the tradition of the Hunger Games?
Advance the plot
All choices and decisions reveal character, but not all advance the plot. So if you bombard a narrative with only those, your pacing becomes… unbearable. Like we get it, he’s evil and narcissistic. When will someone finally defy and ruin his ego? Have decisions change relationships and stakes, for worse or better. Characters that drive the narrative are the most impactful.
3. Emotions — Let your characters feel
Writing fiction makes it easy to forget that we are writing humans. My Little Pony, Ninja Turtles, Kung Fu Panda — yeah, they’re all written humanly too. When characters are more human, they’re closer to what we know and feel. Emotions are a part of the human experience, and it’s important to recognize that we all have our ups and downs. I’m not saying to have every important character display the full spectrum of emotions, but don’t brush over any reasonable reactions either. Allow your characters to feel after a traumatic event, especially if they’re the type to. And if you won’t allow it, at least acknowledge how everything feels so fast-paced that they have no time to process/let out their emotions. (This depends on the setting and circumstances of your story.) When traumatic events take place and don’t have consequences — such as to a person’s dignity, confidence, or other feelings — they come off as just there for shock value and nothing else. Feelings stick, and they’re hard to move past. Healing physical injuries is more passive (not when you need months of physical therapy though), making it feel easier if you compare it to the complexities of emotions and mental health.
4. Change — Have your character evolve (or regress)
Major and important characters must undergo some type of change in their lifetime. And for the protagonist(s), they should undergo change throughout the narrative — on screen. This does not call for a complete 180 of your characters! Change can take the form of seeing from a different perspective, learning from past mistakes, maturing, or even regressing to a past state.
Change does not always have to be positive either. Growth and development is not a linear, well-built staircase. You’ll realize that sometimes you have to rebuild the path in front of you and make it sturdier before you walk up it. Maybe even have to create the tools and gather the materials on your own too. Practice some Minecraft survival mode.
5. Controversy — Make your character discussable/arguable
Some character traits can be controversial, ambiguous, and/or against the status quo. Usually, this deal relates to morals, ethics, and empathy. When sacrifices have to be made because there isn’t a clear line between what’s right versus wrong, this creates discussable tension. Then giving insight to how your character(s) handles this turmoil — it just adds so much to the complexity of their motivations.
This type of character can be bundled into the archetypes: anti-hero or anti-villain.
6. Ambience — Give your character an aura/vibe
Your characters should be identifiable by the mood they give off — whether it’s to the audience or other characters. Complex characters have a unique presence, demeanor, set of mannerisms, and style. Giving your characters a distinct vibe adds depth to their character and the atmosphere of your story. Have fun and mix up how you portray your characters up until a big reveal! A sudden change in attitude often has people on the edge of their seats!
Conclusion
All of our most beloved characters are the well-written ones. By reasonably and cleverly incorporating motivations, decisions, emotions, change, controversy, and ambience, we are able to create characters that are not only complex but more human, relatable, and engaging. Crafting characters in this manner elevates storytelling to a greater experience, where readers not only witness the plot unfold but also embark on a personal journey alongside characters they come to understand and (possibly) empathize with. I use ‘possibly’ loosely because not all characters are meant to be empathized with, which is a-OK!