How to Write Authentic and Relatable Characters

A writer’s or author’s foremost duty involves a character's construction in stories which has to be real and relatable. The characters, either real or imaginary, have to charm the audience so that the readers pay close attention to the story and the readers invest interest in it. For readers to pay attention to the plot that unfolds, they must care about the characters which is possible if the characters are genuine and relatable.  

In what ways can an emotional attachment to a character be portrayed for the audience? In this article I will cover steps and tips that can help you portray characters with authenticity which your audience can relate deeply to.  

1. Know Your Characters’ Backstories  

You have to first accomplish knowing your characters which should set off first. It does not matter if you plan to use all of their backstory, being familiar with it, includes helps them all motivate, shape their behavior, plus even their responses to different situations perceived.

These are the answers to the questions that a character’s backstory explains:

• What childhood memories do they have about their place of living?
• What memories from their life are crucial for capturing in the future?
• What values do they stand for?
• What are some of the things they have accomplished alongside their failures?

Think about a character raised in an extreme and strict family environment. This character will have problems with trusting other people. Another character that experiences large losses will deal with relationships and life very differently. These experiences will impact how the individual will react and respond to events presented in your story.

2. Create Definite Objectives and Appropriate Goals to Them  

Goals drive people to do extraordinary things, which is a good trait to have in the characters. These motives can impact all of their intents and actions. Like all other characters, they must have goals, regardless of how trivial they may seem. A character may wish to save the world, but they may also wish to get into a romantic relationship, prove something, or even solve a problem they’re currently stuck in. 

Recognizing the reasons behind a character's goal is critical too. Motivation is a character’s choice and action in the process of pursuing a certain goal in the narrative. Concerning the action a character undertakes in a story, if the audience thinks there is some alignment with the character's motivation and actions, then that those actions will be deemed reasonable. 

3. Make Them Imperfect  

Giving your character the chance to fail and make mistakes is what truly breathes life into them. Characters are made of flesh and bones which means, like all of us, they have room for improvement. Authentic personality traits are bound to result in behavior that is predictable, reasonable and expected.

Flaws can manifest in countless ways. For instance, some may struggle with self-esteem issues while others may have a hot temper. A person may also show an extreme reluctance to seek help, be overly reliant on themselves, or demonstrate procrastination traits. 

4. Use Dialogue to Reflect Personality

The best way to make your characters realistic is through good dialogue techniques. The way a character chooses to speak and their word at a character’s use tells a lot about their identity.

These choices of words as well as the tone of voice, rhythm, and even speaking manners should match the character’s background and disposition.

A character of a village is less likely to have a broad vocabulary, and a character of a city is more likely to have one. Hesitated speech would be there for a timid character. A self-assured one will, however represent an assertive and fluent way of speaking.The character will feel more real as long as the dialogue is changed to be fit their personality.  

5. Show, Don’t Tell

A pivotal rule in writing is to always ‘show', not ‘tell’/' For example, if a character is perceived as brave, then portray them doing something that requires bravery as opposed to telling the audience. Refrain from instructing the audience on everything and give them the freedom to determine a character’s personality through their actions. It allows the readers to make assumptions about a character.

For example, use a character that is brave and has the ability to stand up against a bully, take on daunting tasks, or engage in reckless behavior. It will be easier to demonstrate bravery through John’s actions instead saying "John was brave." This rule helps the readers relate better to the character. 

6. Give Them An Inner Conflict

For an additional relatability boost, give them an inner conflict as a character trait. The internal conflict refers to the war in which character feels, wants and believes to have. This adds more depth to the character, making them feel more humane. 

A character might want to help people, but is too fearful of failing. This is an internal conflict. One wishes to be loved but fears commitment and thus push the desire away. These struggles are fundamental in order for readers to feel like they are partaking in real-world experiences.

7. All Character Relationships  

Any interpersonal relations wiil shape the identity of a character greatly. These can be from a friend, a family member, or a romantic partner and each unveils a certain aspect of a character’s identity. A character's interaction with other people can reveal parts of his or her vulnerabilities, even shed light on the darkest paths hidden within them.  

For instance, a character can be outgoing among friends, but timid around a crush. A person who is kind towards unknown people can treat family very harshly due to some hidden conflict. It is these details that create a rounded character.

8. Give Them Space To Grow

Character relatability is highly dependent on the character’s development throughout the narrative.  Like humans, characters must undergo developing, growing, evolving. While your characters must struggle, make mistakes, and, above all, learn as the story moves on.

Different people can show different types of growth, some can be more noticeable than others. What matters the most is that it feels sensible. Moreover, If readers notice how much the character has changed over the course of the story, they will pick up a bond with the character. These changes can be Physiological, emotional or mental, but they need to be believable. A character who does not progress or grow in any manner over the span of the story often comes off as flat and boring.