Today, I'd kind of like to talk about developing three dimensional characters for your stories in a different way. And I know that may sound a bit weird, and for some...it may sound pretty easy. But it really isn't, not on either side. That's something that I've learned over time, and I'd like to share what I've discovered with all of you since I started writing online.

I think that one of the biggest mistakes that a writer can make is solely creating a character with a 'purpose', as opposed to one with a 'personality'. Now, that doesn't mean that your characters don't SERVE a purpose when it comes to moving the story forward, and don't contribute to the story that you're trying to tell. Every character in your story should always have a reason for being there, and should definitely have some kind of an impact on the plot in one way or another. But they can't just be a tool in your writing arsenal. I truly believe that most readers can easily tell when someone is there just to provide a certain element to your story or make a certain dent in the plot...and nothing else. (The one to deliver exposition, the last minute hero, the comic relief, and so on.) One thing to always remember is that people are people. They have lives and problems and an entire existence outside of this particular series of events. Don't be afraid to touch on that. It only makes your story shine brighter than it would without those little details that many of us take for granted. This brings us to the idea of 'salt and pepper' when developing your characters.

For any of you who have ever tried to learn to cook at home, or...you may already be full blown chefs for all I know, hehehe...the simplest rule of seasoning your food is this...

Salt enhances flavor. Pepper changes flavor.

With writing, I believe that the same rules apply. Of course, there is a plethora of other personal spices that you can use to season everything to your particular taste...but let's just concentrate on these two for now. It's a writing metaphor! Hehehe! Bear with me here!

The salt in your story is the biggest draw. These are the details that you add to give your audience a deeper involvement in the story that you're trying to tell. These are the details and the backstory that you reveal about the characters inhabiting the world that you've built. It gives your readers a better understanding of the people that they're reading about. It explains their attitudes about life, about their interactions with other people, and it sets up their motivations in general. Spice things up! The salt in your character development is what is going to make them more interesting and build them up to be something important that your audience is going to really care about in the long run. Who are they? What kind of situation are they living in? Why are they there? How do they fit in with the other members of your written 'opera'? If you have a flat character that is only there to deliver an occasional information dump or to be fodder for the evil serial killer to stab and hack to pieces in the middle of your plot...I mean...it's not a bad thing, but it's kind of lame. Readers are looking for that these days. They'll notice. And it's difficult to stray away from that kind of bland character structure sometimes...but if you work at it, you can minimize it a little bit. I think that's why I like working with ensemble casts so much. So I can switch back and forth between certain story tropes with a variety of different characters without having it sound like a boring lecture all at once. The 'salt' is simply meant to give you some more info on the characters around you, and letting the readers know that they have a life too. A life that isn't just focused on pushing the current plot forward. This is why I always tell people to take short breaks in the action (Whatever that may mean in your personal story) to have a few casual conversations or provide some background on a character that is important in your story. Maybe this comes into play later on, and maybe it doesn't. What you have to do is separate the story from the character. DON'T think of any character, even the minor or side characters, as just another part of your plot. That sucks all of the 'life' out of them, and it creates a void, and a lull in your story that you don't want to be there. Enhance your story by giving these people lives of their own. They should all be interesting and intriguing individuals on their own. They just happened to cross paths with your main character, and even though they don't get the spotlight...your readers should feel as though they deserve one.

I've written many spinoff stories of my own, and almost all them have come from reader interest in what might be going on with characters that aren't taking center stage in the main story, but readers couldn't stop thinking about them regardless. This is a GOOD thing! It lets me know that I did a decent job of building them up enough to exist on their own without the other elements of my main story just carrying them along as dead weight. They're not just background. They're people that my audience cares about to some degree and are somewhat invested in. That can elevate a good story to a GREAT story like you wouldn't believe! They feel more realistic, more involved in what's going on, and they're not just waiting in a line of other ineffectual characters, waiting around for the author to call upon them so they can contribute something. It keeps readers interested while others are being slowly built up with details of their own...and then you can switch them around. This is the desired effect, and it can be extremely entertaining if done right.

Now...'pepper'...? Pepper changes the flavor of a story. This is when you get to have a little bit of fun with the details that you've given your readers so far. There is a lot of room to play around with this kind of writing. A few secret reveals, a few changes in attitude, a sudden knee-jerk reaction to an unexpected event? These are weapons that you can use to completely switch gears and subvert your audience's expectations if done with a little finesse. The 'pepper' can be a huge reveal of a past incident, a sudden conflict of ideologies, an unfortunate betrayal....it can be anything. But the idea is to take a character that people thought they knew, and were already invested in...and flip them on their heads to give them a serious WTF moment that will stick with them for the rest of the story. And this will force your audience to stumble and suddenly readjust to this seemingly 'new' entity that they didn't even know was there before.

This is a time when you get to play around with the more dark and selfish parts of your personality...and project it out onto the screen. Hehehe, I say that mostly because most of us start off with the attempt to make our characters pretty likable. So showing the negative side of those creations can be rewarding. There's a sudden switch in your readers' belief system. Because this person is not behaving in a way that they thought they would. The key here is to make sure that you slowly build up the character's path over time, and then put incidents and obstacles in that character's path for their story arc to curve over to the 'dark side' ahead of time...so that when it happens, it makes a certain kind of sense. The reverse is also true. To have someone who may begin as a bully or a user or just a total bastard in general...throwing a curve ball in your story where that character suddenly shows a bit of heart or does something noble, perhaps making a significant sacrifice for the sake of another, can have a real emotional impact on your readers. Just be sure to make it memorable.

Now, when I talk about adding pepper to your story arc, it doesn't have to mean completely reversing course on the character you built up to begin with. It's just a change in behavior. And that can be as drastic or as subtle as you want it to be. It is the spice that makes story arcs possible. Maybe you have a character that is super shy and insecure to start with. Add a little 'salt'...and you develop his personality, you fill in the gaps, you include information about why he is the way he is...what he's so scared of...and you build on that over time. Then, as he gains confidence and overcomes some of those fears...you add the 'pepper' to display a change in him that will be worlds apart from the quiet guy that you introduced your readers to in the beginning. After that...voila! You now have yourselves a gourmet dish worth the thumbs up that it deserves from your patrons. Hehehe!

Of course...as with any dish...too much salt or pepper can end up ruining the flavor and making it a bit too much for people to take. You don't want to do that. I don't want to add so much salt that my readers get bitter and upset with the enhanced flavors that they're not going to need. If you're building up parts of your character, they should be relevant to the story in some way. Maybe you sprinkle in a little extra, here and there, but don't go overboard. Same with the pepper. Don't have your shy guy suddenly turn into a full blown bully and a douchebag without some proper context to let your audience can understand why. Having your characters do something severely OUT of character without any rhyme or reason can be both confusing and disturbing to anyone who suddenly feels blindsided by it. Always remember to keep a certain 'flow' in your writing. Tidal waves don't just appear...they build. There's a back and forth, there's a natural progression that happens first. Keep that in mind...and 'season within reason'. K?

Anyway, I hope that this made some kind of logical sense. If not, feel free to discuss it below, and I'll try to clarify if you have any questions! Either way, I hope this helps out a bit! Spice up your stories whenever you can, don't overdo it, and then find a few other tools at your disposal when you want to add another few kicks in here and there. Cool?

Have fun! And happy writing!