Become the character.

I'm sure that is something an acting coach would say, but in a way the same can be said when writing about fictional characters in our stories. Some writers, however, feel it's better to totally disengage yourself from your character as it enables you to have a clearer perspective.

Whatever the case may be, creating a believable, three-dimensional character requires you to know them inside and out. If you don't know your characters, then how can you convey who they are to your readers? Characters are the heart and soul of every story. Plot, setting, theme and every other element of fiction is secondary to realistic characters that an audience can connect with on an intellectual or emotional level.

Again, a few writers argue that it's not necessary for readers to identify with the characters in a story. That might be true to some extent, but the most beloved stories throughout the history of literature are populated with characters we love and characters we love to hate.

Why do fans adore Harry Potter and Katniss Everdeen? Because they feel like real people. The sign of a great character is when you can't believe the character isn't real. Especially your protagonist since they're the star of the show!

Some characters feel like friends; others remind us of our enemies. We might admire a character's heroism or we might admonish his acts of destruction and hate. It's all about making the reader care, and for that to happen the characters have to be believable. Let's face it, people relate to characters with depth and humanity more than an alien robot with no emotion. The more realistic the character is, the more lovable the character will be.

Getting into your character's mind is essential in making the character real to you and most importantly your readers. Character and plot collide to make a story. The truth is that even if your story is mostly plot driven, good characters make for a great story.

Real characters need both strengths and weaknesses. Nobody's perfect, not even superman and so your character can't be good at everything, and they also can't be bad at everything. Both perfect characters and totally lame characters bore readers. To make things exciting, have your character lose just enough battles so that when the final showdown comes around, the readers are biting their nails and flipping furiously through the pages!

Another point about strengths and weaknesses is that they may reverse value in different situations. At different times, what was a weakness may be valuable; what was a strength may be useless. Characters––like us––may have depended too much on one talent, and have to learn to use the others.

Do characters need to be detailed and complicated in order to seem real? Well just like people, your character should have a mix of traits that come from both innate nature and experience—constants the character has no control over, and variables that involve the character's response. So lots of complexity in a character offers the writer a wide choice of motivations for any action which could lead to interesting subplots and brings an overall richness to your story.

A character chews her nails while watching movies. Another runs his hands through his hair when he's trying to figure something out. Give your characters identifiable quirks and behaviors. Although, traits that have no plot function are mostly useless for storytelling.

In my experience, I saw my main character develop and even change their own traits and hobbies throughout the course of the story––quite unconsciously I might add. But it doesn't always come that naturally and in most cases, you just have to sit back and let the character do all the talking. That's where character interviews come in.

Find out what your character's motivation and goals are. What is your character afraid of? How does your character interact with other characters in the story? What does your character look like? Does your character wear crazy clothes or mismatched socks? Allow your character to speak and in turn listen to what they have to say.

Experience also can be an effective tool. It is especially helpful when you want to perfect a character's imagery. I'm not saying that you should endure seven or more years of medical school just because you want to write about a doctor, or kill someone to write about a murderer. There are other things that are far more personal. For instance, writing about someone with a mental illness or even about falling in love. Having an idea of what it feels like from a personal angle can be beneficial.

Investing your time in research, whether you know a lot about the topic or not, is vital. Realistically, you won't be able to experience every situation or emotion your character goes through. Perhaps that's what makes it fun and interesting––taking that journey along with your character.

With these few tips, I hope you'll enjoy the ride!