How to Develop Characters in a Novel: Turning Points

How to Develop Characters in a Novel: Invite the Reader In

If readers don’t feel emotionally attached to your main character’s shift in beliefs, or if the change of heart has no bearing on the plot, there will be a disconnect between your audience and the character (and maybe even the story). This will make the protagonist seem indecisive and their views flighty or fickle or, worse, arbitrary. As a writer wondering how to develop characters in a novel, you have to create fictional people with strong convictions and principles. 

A character’s moral foundation informs their choices and how they go through the story, all of which play an essential role in defining who they are in a reader’s eyes. How to develop characters in a novel skillfully requires reader buy-in, and that means giving readers strong emotional logic for how characters make their decisions.

If an event or another character leads a protagonist to question their principles, this is an intriguing element of fiction that can open up layered and complex avenues for character development. This is when both character and reader can experience new things together, and readers become even more engaged.

How to Develop Characters in a Novel: Character Change

We love it when characters have a change of heart in a story, particularly as it adds an unexpected twist or develops their personality beyond the surface level. But, to make a turning point or change of heart effective and/or believable, the writer has to show this shift taking place in action, meaning the change of heart needs to be demonstrated. For example, let’s say the protagonist despises a bully at school.

The reader is used to such a characterization, and can imagine the emotions operating behind everyone’s attitudes. But instead of having the protagonist continue to think that “she is so mean and deserves what she gets”, you can add more layers by having them wondering if “maybe she has something going on that makes her mean.” This hint of empathy provides depth and nuance. The protagonist might then decide to treat the bully with kindness—an action based on and which demonstrates their change of heart. And this then opens up a lot of interesting possibilities.

The Character Arc: How to Develop Characters In a Novel

But a juicy change of heart should not be seen as an endpoint, rather it is the beginning of a trajectory that will shape the relationship between the protagonist and the bully for the rest of the story. Each little twist and turn should be detailed in the text to ensure that the readers can follow along. You can’t learn how to develop characters in a novel without considering the character’s whole arc.

Once the POV character comes to terms with the bully’s vulnerability, they can't think of her in the same way anymore. Instead of, "She is so mean," it can become, "I wonder what's going on with her?" Then, it could progress to, "If she has her own issues, why does she take them out on us?" And maybe, finally, “How can I help her?” By the end, the protagonist should reach some type of understanding and maybe even an apology for not reaching out sooner. (There are specific issues with writing bullies in a MG book, as we discuss in a different article.)

In order for the protagonist's opinions and beliefs to evolve properly, their turning points and changes must be logical, and presented to readers in a way that’s easy to follow. Wondering how to develop characters in a novel? Every time you develop a new change of heart, have the protagonist reflect on their thoughts and feelings, maybe with reaction beats. This will give your protagonist relationships with other characters and plot points that will seem resonant and vital to your book theme. And all of these come together as elements that make novel manuscripts successful!