What Is Good Characterization in Fiction? 6 Tips for Writers

Build realistic and relatable characters that your reader will never forget, with this introduction and tips from a professional screenwriter and author

A strong fictional character changes throughout their story, learning about themselves and the world as their secrets and flaws are revealed. You as the author need to answer a key question: what does your character want, and are they going to get it?

Here, writer Mark Boutros (@mboutroswrites) explores what goes into good character-building in literature and screenwriting, with six tips from creation to dialogue to motivation.

Whether you’re a total beginner or a seasoned writer, focusing on character depth will take your storytelling to the next level.

What does characterization mean in literature?

Characterization is the process of revealing details about your character's personality, life, and goals. It can be direct, when you tell and describe details directly to your reader, or indirect, where you show traits through their actions, dialogue, and relationships.

Good characterization means crafting a person who goes on a journey — whether internal or external. They need to have reasoning and consistency behind what they do, and dialogue and actions that reflect their needs. As you write, remind yourself: “Who are they at the start, who are they at the end, and what has to happen to get them there?”

Mark is an Emmy-nominated screenwriter and author based in London. He has written for the BBC and SkyOne, and is the author of The Craft of Character and a fantasy novel series. He explains, “It can sound corny to say ‘character leads the story’, but you don’t really have a story until there’s a character with a problem, and they need to do something about it.”

Let’s deep-dive into six specific methods and approaches to characterization in writing.

1. Understand how your character fits into the world and plot

“Story worlds are often linked to how the character feels,” Mark explains, “the character’s place in that world is very important.”

For example, you could locate a character who lacks meaning in their life in a world where people have a predestined sense of purpose. Ask how you might use opposition and contrast to create the most tension?

Mark gives an example of when he wrote a sitcom about a heart attack survivor who has to change the way she lives. Originally set in Norwich, UK, Mark decided this was too peaceful a setting, and London was a far more effective environment to explore her stress and disconnection from others.

2. Learn everything you can about your characters

Research and planning can ensure you write a consistent character. “I do long, incredibly dull but important questionnaires!” Mark explains, “And I do one for every significant character.”

In his course teaching the foundations of creative writing, Mark shares the detailed questionnaires he completes before starting to write. This makes sure that whatever happens in the plot (whether he plans in advance or plots as he goes), his characters react consistently.

Another reason to get your research done early and thoroughly is so you can capture many characters, including those who think and view the world very differently to you. “Everything we bring to a character or story comes from our own set of experiences,” Mark notes. So, if you can get into each of your characters’ minds in the early stages, you’ll write more empathetically, expanding outside your own instincts.

3. Character agency = motivation + action

Even a villain thinks they’re on the right side; and even if they know they’re causing harm, they’ve often been pushed to that by significant events in their own lives. Every character, “good” or “bad”, should have a sense of agency, making choices and changing the plot through their actions. This will make them a dynamic character, rather than static or passive. And this agency comes from the character’s motivation.

“Everyone should want something,” Mark says, "even if they serve a plot function like villain or sidekick." Each should be well-rounded and considered.

Remember that all characters affect each other through what they say and do, too. Ideally, your protagonist should have the most agency, and the most impact on other characters and the plot.

4. Let them speak for themselves through dialogue and action

What characters say and do is absolutely key, with the action being the most important element. Characters should say the wrong thing, and make mistakes, in order to learn.

“Everything a character does is coming from what they want," Mark notes. When writing dialogue, remember that not everyone communicates directly. Rather than using dialogue tags like “she said” too often, offer moments of action that convey the character’s true emotion. Do they shuffle in their chair when they're nervous, for example?

Mark recommends The Emotional Thesaurus, which lists physical descriptions, mental responses, and the many ways to capture a character’s emotion without using repetitive language.

5. Allow them to change as you discover the story

It’s commonly said that writing is rewriting. “Sometimes my questionnaires shift as I get into dialogue and realize the dynamics of characters are slightly different. That’s just the story developing, that’s okay,” Mark says.

With screenwriting, after your initial outline you also have a “scene by scene”, which is a beat-by-beat detailed outline. But even then, you shouldn’t stop yourself from exploring further if you feel called to. “Your plan is just a safety net,” Mark assures. If something more exciting comes up, don’t be afraid to adapt.

6. Know what’s out there, then find what’s new

It’s easy to lean on the crutches of what we’ve seen before because it feels safe and sensible. But try to imagine how you might “twist” common character archetypes.

Of course, you can start by finding some favorite characters you are inspired by. In his course, Mark mentions Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride, who in the book is given a sympathetic backstory that explains his relentless revenge mission.

His favorite villain is Annie Wilkes in Steven King’s Misery, a famous writer's "biggest fan" who kidnaps and tortures him. Once you have identified the tropes and archetypes that you like, allow your own characters to grow new interesting, or conflicting, traits.

If you’re not restricted by genre, try flipping the age, gender, or other traits of a character. What are you bored of? What’s always been there, but maybe hasn’t had mainstream recognition before?

Above all, Mark encourages writers to “write the thing you wish you’d seen as a kid.” Free yourself from misconceptions, and craft the character you know you’ll love writing, and readers will love reading.

Build your writing craft further with these resources

If you learned something from Mark’s advice about better characterization, why not dive deeper and study other aspects of writing craft?

1. Learn about another key element of storytelling in this introduction to worldbuilding.

2. Discover more about the publishing process with these four tips for aspiring authors from writer Courtney Maum.

3. Bring your story to life from scratch with Shaun Levin’s course, Creative Writing for Beginners.

4. Traverse the psychology of your characters with this course by Cecilia Magaña Chávez.