Create believable characters readers care about

Use this guide when your plot works but your characters feel flat, interchangeable or hard to care about. Have your story idea or draft to hand and a notebook or document for each main character.

Step by step

1. Start with want, need and fear

   For each main character, write one line each for what they want (a concrete goal, such as winning back the family farm), what they need (the inner change, such as learning to trust others) and what they fear most. The gap between want and need drives the character's growth. If you cannot fill these three lines, the character is not ready to carry scenes.