Psychology is a science, the science of the brain and mind. So what does that have to do with an artistic, literary occupation like writing, or with developing our characters for that matter? Actually, a lot! A thorough knowledge of how the human brain works benefits our writing and the way we create content and connect with our readers, as well as the way we develop characters our readers can relate to.
Take a look at four ways to use psychology to develop our characters:
1. To Develop Our Characters, Understand Their Background
The way we grew up affects us far into adulthood. The same is true for our characters! Even if our character is a 60-year-old woman, a lot of her habits, fears, and idiosyncrasies are a result of how she was raised, who her relatives are, and how she grew up to this point. How we develop our characters is how we “grow them up” so their current reactions, emotions, and interpretations of their experiences make sense.
We need to dig around a bit and look for developmental clues in our characters’ pasts. (I talk a bit about what this process can look like here on The Creative Penn.)
- What was our character’s childhood like?
- What did he experience that was unique or unusual?
- Who was in his immediate family?
- What were the dynamics?
- Did he feel valued or ignored?
- Encouraged or disheartened?
2. To Know Our Characters, Understand Their Struggles
Everyone has struggles. How we handle them—how our characters handle them—will reveal a lot.
- What affects our characters?
- What issues do they have to work through?
- What griefs do they carry?
- What secrets do they hide?
- What are their fears?
These weaknesses and struggles are what make them real and relatable to our readers.
Don’t create perfect characters. Not only are they not relatable, but they also just don’t feel real. They seem fake and insincere, and it’s difficult to feel empathy for them because they are too robotic. Instead we must develop characters who are real, rough, and relatable.
3. To Portray Our Characters, Understand Their Personalities
Have you ever classified yourself using the Myers-Briggs personality assessment? How about the Enneagram? While these are not perfect representations of everything about being human, they are excellent tools not only for personal growth but also for a deeper understanding of our characters so we can develop them thoroughly and accurately.
When we’re feeling stuck or we’ve lost sight of who our character really is on the inside and can’t determine what course of action he would take (not what we think he would take), it may help to consult a personality assessment. For example, the Enneagram provides a breakdown of each personality type’s core fear and core desire. If our character’s core desire is to be loved, he will choose the course of action he thinks will get him that result.
We must use these assessments loosely—as supplementary guidelines—after we’ve done the grunt work of developing our characters, and not as a replacement for this work. After all, we must have a thorough understanding of our characters’ brains; we can’t let the tests do the work for us (they’re not perfectly accurate anyway!). Also, make sure you’ve used them on yourself first and that you understand how they work before applying them to people who don’t exist.
4. To Develop Our Characters, Understand Our Readers
Finally, we can use psychology to understand our readers and how they relate to our characters. Who is our audience? Are we writing for kids, adults, both? We need to study the demographic we’re writing for. What do our readers need from us? We should know what moves them, how to evoke reactions, and how they relate to our content.
Beverly Cleary is an excellent example of an author who writes with a thorough knowledge of her audience. She wrote classics such as the Ramona series. I grew up loving these books, and the older I get, the more I appreciate how well she writes on life from the mind of a kid—how she develops Ramona’s character as a mischievous, humorous, often-frustrated, and seemingly misunderstood kid who ultimately just wants her family to love her. Kids adore Cleary’s books, and parents and teachers are helped by being reminded of a child’s thought process as they deal with the kids in their own lives.
What methods have you used in your character development? Have you been able to use psychology in aspects of your writing? Share your secrets in the comments below!
{To get more writing tips sent straight to your inbox, put your name and email in the sidebar on the right for my free weekly e-newsletter. Join today and also receive your free ebook, Bust Writer’s Block!}
Leave a Reply