The biggest fiction titles haven’t become a global success or stuck with readers because of the plot or quality of writing. It’s the characters and their complex (and very real) relationships that have drawn in, hooked and divided readers. However, creating character depth and breaking down platonic, romantic or family relationships can be an artform in itself.
Someone that does this well and teaches writers on this very topic? Award-winning author Maame Blue, who has brought us Bad Love, The Rest of You and several short stories across the UK and Australia.
We spoke to Maame about creating complex relationships, navigating emotional arcs and relationship dynamics for multi-layered characters, and what to expect in her upcoming course Writing Complicated Relationships in Fiction.
It can be easy to fall back on stereotypical character arcs that have been tried tested and loved. How do you approach character creation in relationship-driven narratives to ensure that the characters’ interactions feel both realistic and impactful?
This often goes back to motivation and intention. I always ask, what do both characters want? What do both intend to do? And how might these things be conflicting between them in order to build narrative tension?
No relationship is perfect, and especially on the page, the relationship should be heading somewhere, good or bad.
No relationship is perfect, and especially on the page, the relationship should be heading somewhere, good or bad. – Maame Blue
For writers looking to create truly complex characters, what are the essential elements you feel every writer needs to consider for their protagonist (or antagonist)?
I tend to get closer to my characters by asking the following questions:
- What makes this character complex and not like the other characters in the story?
- What is their point of view and how does it frustrate others?
- How self-aware are they?
These are starting point questions that hopefully lead to multilayered answers or make the writer aware that more character development is needed.
We often see the backstory as a key part of character development. In your workshop Writing Complicated Relationships in Fiction, you explore the role of setting and story context and how this can shape this. Why are these elements so important?
Our characters, like real people, are often a product of their environment. Even if your setting isn’t a huge part of the story, it needs to be factored in because it will impact how your character moves through a scene. Are they comfortable in a setting because it reflects their history, or do they feel like a fish out of water because it’s so unfamiliar? These are things that will inevitably shape your character’s journey through the narrative.
Our characters, like real people, are often a product of their environment. – Maame Blue
What’s your go-to method for getting to know your characters before writing a scene? Do you have any exercises or tools that help you dive deep into their motivations?
Most often for me when getting to know characters, I tend to write them into different scenarios and scenes. Some of these scenes might end up in the final story, but ultimately I like putting them into difficult, highly emotional situations and seeing how they react and what they’re willing to do to get out of it. And if they do nothing, I probably need to spend more time thinking through the character.
What do you see as the most common struggle writers face when it comes to character development, and how do you help them work through it?
One of the most common struggles is how much to actually include on the page about a character’s background, which involves knowing what to reveal and when, and what needs to be left out so the reader can fill in the gaps.
Often, a writer can fix this by being very clear about their character’s arc, specifically their emotional journey from the beginning of the story to the end. Once the writer knows this, they’ll be able to focus on which details serve their narrative, and which ones are nice-to-know but don’t add anything to the story.
Turn your complicated relationships in dynamic characters and engaging narratives. Join Maame for her upcoming workshop Writing Complicated Relationships in Fiction.