How to Nail Your Character Creation in 6 Steps

Let’s say you’ve finally got some time to yourself. Now you’re choosing between two books for your next read:

• The first recounts a throne succession with a standard murder mystery plot. 
• The second stars a young, hesitant prince who struggles to know whether he should avenge the murder of his father by killing his uncle.  

Which would intrigue you more?

Both share a core concept. But “Hamlet" also gives you a protagonist who’s juggling a complex set of practical and psychological conflicts: someone whose personal journey has grabbed people for centuries. 

If you get your character creation right, your character, too, can help your book become a genre classic. Here are six steps to show you how to achieve a fully realized, memorable character. 

1. Determine the character’s goals

To build a character who’s worth telling a story about, you need to first establish two things: your character’s current goal, and the motivations to reach that goal. 

A character’s goal is simple: it’s the specific and actionable thing that a character wants over the course of your story. This is what will drive your plot forward as your character takes actions to fulfill their goal. 

A character’s motivations, meanwhile, infuse the goal with meaning. If you’re struggling to nail down these motivations, ask yourself the ‘W’ questions that will help spell out your ‘in order to.’ Why, for instance, does your character want what they want? What are they willing to risk to achieve their goal? Where will they end up if they can’t achieve their goal? 

When you put it all together, this is what it’ll look like in action: 

• Luke Skywalker’s goal is to defeat the Galactic Empire ... in order to end the Galactic Civil War and restore democracy to the world.
• Frodo’s goal is to bring the One Ring to Mount Doom ... in order to defeat Sauron and ensure the safety of his beloved Shire.
• Hamlet’s goal is to kill his uncle ... in order to avenge his murdered father and show himself capable of decisive action.

2. Don’t forget the character’s external and internal conflict

If Frodo strolled to Mount Doom, dropped the ring in the lava, and made it back in time for second breakfast, you probably wouldn’t have much of a story to read, right? To avoid this fate, you need obstacles that will make the character unforgettable as they battle them. 

You’ll find two broad...

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