How Do Pro Writers Create Characters?

People are complex, and creating people to appear in movies and TV shows can be even more complicated.

Character creation is one of the great joys of writing, and the great frustrations. When you’re developing a character, you have to decide on their arc, their personality, and even pull a few flaws into play.

Today, I want to go over how pro writers create characters. We’ll see a bunch of different approaches from this YouTube video from Behind the Curtain, and talk about them in general after.

Let’s dive in.

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How Professional Screenwriters Create Character

Honestly, you can learn more from just listening to pro writers talk about thee craft than you can doing just about anything else.

In this video, some of the best writers working in Hollywood givr a plethora of answers on how they create characters.

Let’s go over the main takeaways together.

Creating three-dimensional characters is one of the most challenging aspects of screenwriting.

The easiest way to achieve this is to put a little bit of yourself into every character. It may be easier for you to identify their motivations that way or to understand their behavior in a scene. But it will also be easier for audience members to connect.

But this doesn’t mean that the characters should be autobiographical.

Instead, the writer needs to find a way to personally connect with the characters that they want the audience to connect with. If the writer can’t connect with the characters, they’ll come across as caricatures or stereotypes.

And people won’t connect with the story.

You also want to show the audience what the character wants. What are their goals? What’s motivating and driving them?

I loved the Great Gerwig quote “Writing is listening.” You characters are telling you who they are over and over. You have to keep that channel open and listen to them as you write.

They’re going to tell you what they need.

It’s your job to get it onto paper.

What Are Some Writing Strategies You Can Employ?

After watching the video and hearing all of that advice, I’m sure you’re wondering how you can apply it to your own screenwriting.

Well, I wanted to make a list of the techniques and tricks you can use.

Check it out below.

• Drawing from personal experiences: Many writers infuse elements of their own personalities, experiences, and observations into their characters. This doesn’t mean the characters are autobiographical, but it allows for a deeper understanding of their motivations and behaviors.
• Treating each character as the lead: Even minor characters should have their own unique perspectives, motivations, and backstories. Imagining each character as the protagonist of their own story can help flesh them out and make them feel more real.
• Defining characters by their opposition: Conflict is the heart of drama, and characters are often defined by what they struggle against. This could be another person, societal norms, their own flaws, or even their past.What’s going against your characters?
• Striving for believability: The people you create should behave in ways that are consistent with their personalities and circumstances. This involves giving them both strengths and weaknesses, virtues and vices. Let them draw a clear line in their actions and motivations.
• Embracing flaws and contradictions: Real people are complex and contradictory, and so should fictional characters. Perfect characters are often boring and unbelievable.
• Researching real people: Talking to people who share similar professions or experiences with the characters can provide valuable insights into their language, mannerisms, and worldviews.

All of these are just ideas. All that matters is that you follow your intuition and write a version of the character that you believe in. Listen to feedback and see where people connect or bump.

Incorporate that in your own unique voice.

And above all else, just keep writing.

Let me know what you think in the comments.