By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills
A writer cannot plunge their characters, protagonists and antagonists, into action unless deep psychological needs are clear, and powerful, unresolved goals—both external and internal—are established.
How can a writer discover what these characters want and need, as well as their strengths and weaknesses? I’ve had great success using focused interview questions and personality tests.
A psychology book can offer substantial help to not only understand human development, but also to understand a character’s behavior according to assigned traits. Writers take the gathered information and observe the character initiating and reacting to the events of the story, guiding unpredictable yet realistic behavior. By discovering information about a character from every angle, writers can create a picture of the character’s life—physically and mentally—before the first sentence. As the writer works through the story, more and more of the character’s personality, behavior, and motivation becomes more realistic.
Believable character motivation is driven by emotion. A writer often discovers why a character behaves a particular way by analyzing her backstory. This also helps to unveil her body language and internal dialogue. Is your character willing to make substantial sacrifices to reach her goal? Does she have mixed motives? Does she fight the truth behind her motives? You’ll learn the answers in her backstory.
If she refuses to act, what are the consequences? A true hero or heroine always initiates action. She is never the victim, and the reasons lie in backstory. The character may have been a victim in the past, but she vowed to never find herself in that position again.
Robert McKee defines backstory best: “previous significant events in the lives of the character that the writer can reveal at critical moments to create turning points.” In chapter seven, we’ll discuss where backstory fits into plotting your story.
Inventory the character’s childhood, then write about the experiences that formed her personality for the present story.
In her book The Power of Body Language, Tanya Reiman lists seven universal emotions:
- Surprise
- Fear
- Anger
- Sadness
- Disgust
- Happiness
- Contempt
POV characters need to experience all these emotions, several times. Ask the hard questions your characters might not want to discuss. Force them to expose inner hurts and pain. In the depths of their forbidden and unchallenged world, you’ll unearth the gems of temperament—and discover the power of motivation.
Perhaps the plotting of your story will now take a different twist. What happens when you ask your character the why of her behavior?
DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. Her titles have 
appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests. Library Journal presented her with a Best Books 2014: Genre Fiction award in the Christian Fiction category for Firewall.
DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Suspense Sister, and International Thriller Writers. She is co-director of The Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference and The Author Roadmap with social media specialist Edie Melson. She teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn is active online and would love to connect with readers on any of the social media platforms listed at www.diannmills.com.
The Conversation
So much great information, and perfectly timed as I begin adding layers to my characters! Thanks, DiAnn. I will be reading this again and again.