Characterization

Character Depth

Posted on July 24, 2026 by L. M. Montes

When creating fictional characters, so many details needed in building them exist. So, how do you choose what traits to give them externally and internally? Let’s focus on the internal, for now. In the reading a work of fiction for pleasure, part of what pulls me in is the depth of character of the protagonist. Their emotional response to the people and events going on around them, their thoughts, and their actions taken all play a role in achieving this.

Emotions:

Do: Tears skated down her cheeks. Don’t: She cried.
The goal here is to allow the reader to feel right along with the character. You want to pull them in. The first example does this.

Do: Sam backflipped, shot his arms into the air, and danced. Don’t: Sam was excited.

Actions:

Do: Gwen sat on the park bench and waited. Her hands rested either side of her knees, tapping out a nervous rhythm. She checked her watch, continued tapping, checked her watch again, and continued tapping. Why was he late?

Don’t: Gwen sat on the bench tapping her fingers

In the first example we get a clear picture that Gwen is nervous about her meeting with a man. In the second example we don’t know why she is there. Her actions don’t indicate whether she is nervous, relaxed, or happy.

Thoughts:

Do: My heart ached, watching him go. Would he be back? Would he find another? Would he get killed? I knew these long missions away from home was part of his job. One would think I’d be used to this by now. Maybe some do. But a nagging pit in the well of my stomach sat lying in wait each time he went on assignment.

Don’t: I didn’t like him leaving on assignment.

Clearly the first example paints a deeper picture of what she’s going through. Her situation carries quite a bit of emotional baggage and fear. It is conveyed to the reader. The second example tells us nothing.

Think of creating character depth this way:

How can I cast a line into the character and pull out a wealth of emotions, thoughts, and actions that will pull the reader in, make them care, and turn pages?

Characterization

Character Moments

Posted on June 4, 2025 by L. M. Montes

Creating book characters can be a lot of fun, but there is a process. How you wield that process is really up to you as the author. Many authors create a character bible consisting of everything from physical attributes to personality analysis. Some do this before writing that first chapter. Don’t get me wrong, it’s always a good idea to know who your character is before you place them in your story. But you will not know everything about them when you start writing that first chapter.

There will be moments while you’re writing your story when ideas about your character will begin to germinate in your mind, thereby giving him/her more depth. That’s great! Go with that! Those are unplanned parts of the character’s personality. Now, that type of situation typically works out great. But there are times when that happens, and it can throw a monkey wrench into the situation. For example, years ago when I was in the middle of writing my first novel, I had one of my male characters do something out of character. And I’m talking WAY out of character. I sat there, stared at the screen, and said, “What do I do now? I like what I had him do?”

The easy way to fix this situation would have been to change his action and move on. The complex way to fix it was to go back to the beginning and change his whole character, moving forward to that point. So that is what I did. In the end I was happier with him, and the story was better off as a result.

Can you plan everything about your characters from the start? You can try, but be ready when that runaway moment comes that makes your story that much better.

Characterization

Blocks of Knowledge

Posted on August 17, 2024 by L. M. Montes

Think of your main character as you would a lump of clay. At first that’s all they are, someone ready for molding and maneuvering into whoever you want them to be. People are complex, so there is much information that goes into creating them. First think of the different types of qualities, traits, and information needed for a character’s creation. Then break that information down into categorical blocks. Then fill in each block with the type of information assigned to it. Please see the example below.

Believable Characters

Image• Posted on April 11, 2024April 9, 2024 by L. M. Montes

5 Characterization Essentials

Image• Posted on March 5, 2024 by L. M. Montes

Characterization

Kyle Stevens and His Cat Bubba from my Novel The Cross’s Key

Posted on January 10, 2024 by L. M. Montes

Kyle Stevens and His Cat Bubba from my Novel The Cross’s Key

Characterization

Character Arc

Posted on June 9, 2023June 8, 2023 by L. M. Montes

In reality we all go through our own personal growth. It’s called life. In a story our main characters go through their own personal growth. It’s called a character arc. With all of the mistakes we make, most of us learn from them and move on to the right path. Along the way we hit another snag, we learn (hopefully), and continue on. Because we learned our lessons from the past, if we’re hit with the same situation again, we’ll know how to handle it the right way. We grow from our experiences.

But here’s the thing. Our lessons in real time are learned over the course of a lifetime, which can be years. In a book the character arc for the main character progresses for the life of the story/book. Think of it of as a cycle of sorts or a path. The character starts out at point A then moves to point B by way of various experiences, conflicts, decisions, and mistakes. From point B they move forward using what they learned to get to point C. They go through more challenges and are faced with more fears. Then they reach point D. By the end of the book they’ve gone through some changes personally and overcame their fatal flaw. Growth. If your main character goes through each of the points in the character arc cycle without showing any kind of growth, there’s something wrong. There must be growth.

A character arc that has a fascinating and compelling character arc will have characters overcoming challenges and facing fears as the story unfolds. The outcome? Personal growth, much like how people in real life obtain personal growth.

Characterization

There’s Always that One

Posted on June 3, 2022 by L. M. Montes

How many times have you been part of a group or team where there is at least one person who has to be a stickler for keeping things on track? They correct you if they feel you’re wrong, and/or make sure everything is done right. I think it’s a rule of life that every group has to have someone like this in their life in order to keep everyone on track whether it’s their job or not (I’m laughing here, because I know people like this). These people can (but not always) cause tension in your story. So if you want to spice things up a bit, included one of these types of characters within your story.

Characterization

Character Richness

Posted on May 25, 2022 by L. M. Montes

Have you ever read a book, and you liked the characters so much that you didn’t want the book to end? Oh yes, I’ve been down that road myself. That means the author did their job of creating characters that stand out and touch your heart. But, how did they do that?

Their characters displayed emotion to the point that the reader ‘felt’ right along with them.
The character displayed a habit or two. This personalizes the character, makes them human.
The character was relatable. We as a reader could identify with that character. We may have understood what they were experiencing. If not, then we could at least feel for them and/or root for them.
The dialogue sounded real and not mechanical or robotic. Maybe they made you laugh or cry.

These are just some of the elements a writer uses in order to bring a richness to their characters. Take your time developing them. Observe people around you and jot down notes of things you see or hear them say or do.

Characterization

List of Character Flaws

Posted on May 22, 2022May 22, 2022 by L. M. Montes

Below is a list of character flaws you might find helpful when creating characters for your story. It always helps to consult a reference when the mind goes blank and you can’t think of enough possible ideas. My article I published on January 18, 2021 called Character Flaws goes into more detail about this topic.