How to Write a Character

Characters aren't written with a list of traits; they're written with a want. An audience follows a person not because they're likeable but because they want something and pay a price to get it. When you build a character, separate three things: what they want, what they actually need, and which of their own flaws keeps them from it.

A character is not a list of traits

Most first drafts open by introducing the character: age, job, hometown, taste in music. None of that keeps anyone in the seat.

An audience starts following a person the moment they see them want something. So the first question isn't "who is this" but "what are they after".

Want and need are not the same thing

The want is the conscious goal; it drives the plot. The need is the gap the character can't see; it carries the meaning.

The two usually collide. A character can lose the need while winning the want, or have to give up the want in order to see the need. The ending is usually that choice.

Want: Kadir, a minibus driver, wants his licence back
Need: to be able to tell his son why he lost the job
The choice: realising he can't get the signature he needs without lying to his son

Flaw and wound: the engine underneath

The flaw is the mistake the character keeps making today. The wound is the past that taught it to them.

The wound doesn't have to be explained on the page — but the writer has to know it. The flaw does have to show in behaviour: the camera records behaviour, and a flaw described on the page isn't on screen.

"Kadir doesn't trust anyone" does no work in a screenplay. Kadir refusing to hand anyone the keys does.

The antagonist doesn't have to be a villain

The only requirement for an antagonist is to stand in front of the protagonist's want. If they do it for their own good reasons, the story gets stronger.

The hardest antagonist is the one who can say "you and I are the same". Not evil — a mirror.

The arc and its proof

A character arc is the distance between where someone starts and where they end. Not every character has to change; in some films the refusal to change is the story.

But an arc needs proof: in the same situation, they behave one way early and another way late. The proof doesn't live in a line of dialogue — it lives in the difference between two scenes.

What are supporting characters for?

A supporting character opens a side of the protagonist they can't show alone: the person they soften around, the person they harden around, the only one who can tell them the truth.

A supporting character who reveals nothing about the protagonist can come out of the scene. The test is simple: delete them — does anything go missing?

Wrong / Right

Telling (weak)

KADIR (45) is an untrusting man. He never opens up, he's been through bad things, and that's why he keeps people at a distance.

Showing (strong)

Kadir takes the keys out of his pocket and holds them out to the driver's mate. The mate reaches. Kadir pulls his hand back. KADIR I'll drive. The mate says nothing. It isn't the first time.

Checklist

Is there something concrete your character wants in this film?
Is what they want different from what they actually need?
Can you show the flaw through behaviour rather than a sentence?
Does your antagonist have their own good reasons?
Do they behave differently in the same situation early and late?
Does every supporting character reveal something about the protagonist?

Frequently asked questions

What should I decide first when writing a character?

The want. If you can't say in one sentence what your character wants in this film, no amount of backstory or detail will let you build a scene. Need, flaw and antagonist come after it, in that order.

How much backstory should I write?

Enough for you to know; not enough for the audience to be told. Backstory earns its place only where it shapes how the character behaves today. Backstory poured onto the page usually stops the scene.

Does my character have to be likeable?

No. An audience follows a character they understand, not one they like. A legible want and a price paid for it build a far stronger bond than likeability.

Does a character have to change?

No. A character who refuses to change can carry a powerful story; what matters is that the audience saw the chance to change. If there is change, it needs proof: different behaviour in the same situation, early and late.

How many characters should there be?

There's no rule about number, only about function. Every character should reveal something about the protagonist or stand in front of their want. Delete one that does neither and the story won't have a hole in it.

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