The purpose of this exercise is to develop a deeper understanding of non-Point of View (POV) and Point of View characters. 

Even though you might not use what you've written in your story, it will open your eyes to the desires, motivations, fears and idiosyncrasies of secondary characters, which enables you to write more realistic friends, colleagues, family members and villains. 
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Choose a location where you can put several of your characters together. The place and situation could be from your story or something totally different. It doesn't really matter, but if you need some ideas, try a cafe, community event or an aisle at a department store. 

Choose three characters you are going to put in this location including a POV character and two non-POV characters. 

Why do they interact? Come up with a reason for these characters to have a discussion, e.g. arguing, getting an opinion across, discovering information about someone else, working together for a cause. 

Jot down some ideas for each character: 

• Imagine what the location looks like and what's going on around these characters. Is it crowded or quiet, warm or cool, what does the room smell like? Think about what each character can see, touch, taste and smell. 
• Considering each character's upbringing, personality, job, hobbies and reason for being at this location, what kinds of details would they notice? For example, a detective might notice a teenager acting suspiciously in a dim corner, a waitress might notice the large bills in a man's wallet and hope he tips well, and a gardener might notice the well-kept pot plants by the window. 
• What emotional state is each character in? This will depend on why each character is there, how they feel about the other people in the room and even what sort of day they're having. 
• What opinion does each character have of the other characters and the topic they're discussing? Try to show what they want, why and how their approach and temperament is different. 

Now, write a scene where these characters interact with and speak to one another.

Take a look at what you’ve learnt about these characters, e.g. their personality, beliefs, desires, motivations and attitudes. Do they see themselves differently to how others see them? How can you use this information to make them more interesting on the page, even if you're not writing from their POV?
 
Once you have completed this exercise, leave a comment below to share your experience. Did you learn new things about your characters? Will it enable you to add depth to your story? ​

Grab a copy of my FREE Character Profile template to help you develop multifaceted characters. It's more than just a list of physical traits and preferences; this template includes prompts to help you ferret out your character's deepest desires, fears and motivations. 

Author: Sandy Vaile
​First published in Hearts Talk ezine in August 2023
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One way to bring readers closer to fictional characters is to get inside their heads and show their thoughts, to provide intimacy and insight to readers. But is the only way to do this to italicise them? If not, what other options are available to authors?

Formatting internal thoughts in fiction is a subject that causes a great deal of confusion.

It raises so many questions like: Should you differentiate thoughts from the rest of the narrative? If so, how? And if you don’t use direct thoughts, will it distance readers?

In this article we’re going to explore:

• What internal thoughts are (and what they’re not).
• What options are available for formatting thoughts.
• What thoughts look like in different Points of View.
• How each method influences the distance between readers and characters.

Providing readers with truly memorable stories requires complex and authentic characters, but to provide the kind of meaningful character traits and motivations that keep readers intent throughout a story and pondering its characters long after they close a book, you need to go much deeper than the standard Character Profile checklist.

The trouble is, deficient characters lead to weak stories. So, it's not enough to figure out where they came from, you need to make their thoughts and actions relevant to the plot.

Too often, when working with authors, I find missed opportunities in this area, which leaves readers not quite satisfied. The consequences of not delving deeply enough into a characters psyche are:  

• Characters behaving in ways that aren’t believable, based on their previous thoughts and actions;
• Two dimensional characters who readers don’t care enough about to feel an emotional response; and/or
• Puppets who are forced through the story to serve the plot.

All of which can lead to unpublished manuscripts languishing in bottom drawers.

The key to bringing out the best and worst in our characters, is to make their thoughts and actions relevant to the plot. 

Whether you start with plot or character, to create a dynamic story, you need to tie the two together and this means knowing which parts of their personality and backstory you can use against them, and which abilities you can harness to give them a fighting chance.

​It’s not enough to fling mud at the wall and see what sticks, you have to know which parts to use and how to leverage them for the benefit of the story.