Some characters just grab you with their witty exchanges, mind-boggling stunts, and heartbreaking confessions. The way they interact with each other just keeps you turning the pages, wanting to see what happens next.
That’s the power of character dynamics. When characters of different personalities and opinions mesh well together, it makes for a more enjoyable read.
What Are Character Dynamics?
Character dynamics refers to the way that different characters in your story relate to one another.
The word dynamic can be defined as something that results in change, growth, activity, or interaction. Character dynamics are how you use the relationships between characters to help your characters grow or transform. Growth and transformation are essential elements in creating a compelling character arc.
When you create great character dynamics, readers keep reading to find out how the relationships evolve and how the different characters change throughout the story.
A successful writer is one who is able to stir up his readers to laugh, cry, and rejoice with the characters. You can do this by creating characters whose personalities complement one another’s and pull the readers deep into the heart of your story.
In this post, we’ll talk about proven tips to create great character dynamics in your book.
How to Create Good Character Dynamics
Here are some of the best ways to create compelling dynamics between your characters:
1. Create characters who are different from one another.
Stories become boring when everyone in it is the same. Where’s the fun when David, Dana, Karla, and Tami all like spicy food, watch the same movies together, help out in Habitat for Humanity the same day each week, and never disagree on anything?
When you encounter someone who thinks, acts, and lives differently from you, they challenge your perspective. The same is true for your characters. Putting them in contact with people who are very different than them will help them grow, learn new things, and change their perspective on life.
For example, in L.M. Montgomery’s bestselling classic Anne of Green Gables, the strong independent Marilla has to raise the little orphan girl Anne with her quiet, seemingly weak-backboned brother Matthew. Their differences in opinion and even personality give our protagonist an interesting experience, and one Christmas, Matthew goes against his sister’s insistence on plain clothes and goes all out to buy Anne a dress with puffed sleeves, much to Marilla’s annoyance!
2. Use these differences to spark personal change.
You can create characters that clash against one another in many ways but keep in mind that their differences must also lead to personal change. What’s the point in having characters who argue all the time when no transformation happens as a result?
Dynamic character relationships are meant to challenge our characters to grow and change through the course of the story. In the example with Matthew and Marilla, after Matthew makes a stand to give Anne the fashionable dress while Marilla is forced to rethink her convictions about raising Anne. Eventually, you find them growing, slowly but surely, into a loving and loyal family.
3. Give your characters complementary personalities and skills.
In real life, no one has all the answers. The same is true in fiction. If your hero has all the skills he needs to succeed, he has no need for anyone else, and also doesn’t need to change at all! Instead, create characters whose skills complement one another’s.
Let’s take an example from the TV series Gilmore Girls. Lorelai is an impetuous, party-loving mom, and her sixteen-year-old daughter Rory is a conscientious, goal-driven, and sweet-tempered girl. Whenever they visit Lorelai’s mother Emily, Lorelai, and her mom always get into an argument, and Rory is always there to mediate and smooth things over.
In addition, Lorelai and her best friend Sookie run an inn, and their different skills work at getting their events off the ground. Although Sookie is portrayed as a flake in most cases, her exceptional skills in baking and cooking are a must-have, and eventually, they both open their own inn—which they could never have done alone.
4. Create a unique purpose for each character.
Each character you create must have a specific, and unique purpose for the story. If two characters serve the same purpose, you might as well just delete one of them!
For example, in the Netflix series The Good Doctor, each doctor on the staff plays a different role, not just in terms of their profession, but also in influencing savant doctor Sean Murphy’s career. Hospital president Dr. Glassman is his main advocate while Head of Surgery Dr. Andrews is his main antagonist, waiting for a chance to see him fail.
Among his colleagues, Dr. Claire Brown is his first confidant, and he also becomes intimate with his fun-loving neighbor Lea, who helps him overcome the limitations of his condition. Each of them plays a role in his development, and the audience watches anxiously to see how each person contributes to his growth.
The same is true in the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. It doesn’t have four siblings as the main characters for no reason. Instead, each one has a specific role to play.
Lucy is the one who first finds Narnia; Edmund is the one who betrays his brother and sisters and later repents. Peter, the oldest, works to lead and protect his siblings, while Susan serves as the voice of reason throughout the story.
Unless each main character has a specific purpose in the story, scratch them off the list and you will make your plot tighter and more engaging.
Character Interactions Make or Break a Story
Learning how to write compelling dynamics is an important element of writing a successful story, be it a novel, short story, or screenplay. Use these tips as a checklist for a story you’re already writing. While they’re not foolproof, they definitely help in writing believable character interactions.
You might also want to create character profiles to help you craft a cast of characters that are diverse and compelling. Creating great characters might make it more fun to write, which goes a long way in making your story exciting for your readers too!
Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- How to Create a Compelling Character Backstory
- Character Regression: How to Use Setbacks to Create Better Characters
- 60 Questions to Ask Your Characters
- How to Introduce a Character Your Readers Won’t Forget
Yen Cabag is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She is also a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.
