How to create realistic characters
One of the most essential elements of any novel is the characters that inhabit it. So how can you write characters that keep readers reading?
In a recent interview on the Thriller 101 podcast, Lisa Unger shared her top advice for writing characters that leap off the page.
Lisa Unger is a New York Times and internationally bestselling author of more than 20 novels. She is widely recognized as a master of suspense, and her stories have a devoted readership.
1. Let it happen
For Lisa Unger, character development is not about a specifically planned process. Instead, it’s a journey of discovering characters by exploring how they:
- react to any given situation
- interact with each other.
Unger talks about how her plot is derived from the characters she’s exploring.
…all plot flows from character for me. There’s no plot and then the characters get fit in to the plot. Like that’s just not the way it works.
-Lisa Unger
This is contrary to a lot of the plot advice writers get.
There are countless guides out there about how to make a plot that stand out. However, Unger’s work is all about showing characters naturally and letting them drive the plot.
To pull this off, Unger views her characters as real people, not just creations. She draws her inspiration from past life experiences, observations, and her imagination.
I hear a character voice and that character…reveals him or herself to me on the page as I write. A long time ago I stopped thinking about characters as people I create and started thinking of them as people that I meet. And it feels really like that for me. I mean I know that’s not the truth of it, you know, I’m the author, every character here is a…mosaic of my experiences, my observations, things I overhear, things I understand about psychology, you know, my imagination, all of it, right?
-Lisa Unger
This method adds depth and authenticity to her characters in a way that makes them feel more real to readers.
So instead of trying to fit a character into a plot. Maybe it’s more important to find and develop your characters first. Then, as writers, we can allow the plot to develop naturally from how those characters interact.
This leads to how Lisa Unger plans (or doesn’t plan) her novels.
2. Plotting vs. Pantsing: Lisa Unger’s Approach
In the world of writing, there’s a long-standing debate between “plotters” and “pantsers.”
Plotters do a varying degree of planning prior to writing. “Pantsers” start writing and see where the story takes them. They fly by the seat of their pants — hence the name.
…there’s always like that big question, like plotter versus pantser, which I hate that word because it’s like, oh, you accidentally wrote a novel, like by the seat of your pants…I have been such an avid reader all my life, in a lot of ways I’ve just kind of internalized the form of the novel.
-Lisa Unger
Most writers fall somewhere on a spectrum between plotting and “pantsing.”
Unger appears to be a true pantser. She allows the characters to form the narrative. By letting the characters lead, she uses a more organic process of story-creation.
I prefer to think of it as like a garden or there’s a seed that gets planted, it grows, you give it some light and some water and you prune some things and you know, a flower blooms…that’s how I see the writing of a novel.
-Lisa Unger
3. Complexity
One of the most important qualities of any Lisa Unger novel is the depth and complexity of the characters she creates.
Lisa delves deep into human nature to create her flawed but relatable characters. To do this effectively, she says it’s important to be empathetic toward the characters we write.
And I have a lot of empathy for [my characters], like even the worst even the worst among them. And that is…why I think they, they are alive because they reveal themselves to me because…I don’t judge them. Which sounds crazy, but I do believe that.
-Lisa Unger
It’s that level of empathy which shines through in her stories. She makes subtle choices about words and interactions because of her empathy that reveals a level of humanity.
Even when she’s creating her darkest, most depraved characters, she’s treating them with a sense of empathy. It’s this empathy which serves as a driving force behind her character’s authenticity.
When you’re writing characters, especially the unsavory ones, think about treating them empathetically. It might serve to make them feel more real.
No one is all good or all bad. By showing the different shades of each character, you’re creating a more three-dimensional portrayal. And that’s ultimately what many readers crave.
4. Finding Your Writing Process
Underlying everything Lisa Unger says is this…
And there’s no right or wrong way to write a novel. That’s the other important thing. Like, your way is right for you, my way is right for me, and that’s just what it is.
-Lisa Unger
The reality is, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to writing a novel or developing characters.
For every writer, we need to discover our own unique process. The only way for you to write a novel and uncover your characters is your way.
It’s certainly worthwhile to study how others do it because you never know what part of someone else’s process will work for you. So study and explore different ways of writing.
But ultimately, it’s important that you embrace your process.
Celebrate your approach and share it with others. Just like readers resonate with different kinds of stories, it’s up to us as writers to find our path to storytelling success.
Conclusion
Throughout the interview with Thriller 101, Unger shares a variety of useful advice. But none is more helpful or actionable than her advice about developing characters.
Next time you sit down to write, remember to use these four tips:
- authenticity
- empathy
- creativity
- process
This can help you create the kinds of characters readers can’t get enough of!
