Category Archives: Creating Characters

Tell Me a Story That Makes Me Tired the Next Morning

By Rhonda Strehlow

I read nearly every night before I go to sleep. It relaxes me, well, sometimes it does. Other times, it gets me riled up, excited, scared. Any time I find my emotions carrying me away, I write that author’s name down and track his/her other books. When an author stirs emotions in me, I become a fan.

Which leads me to the thesis of this blog:

Anais Nin said, “We don’t see things as they are. We see things as WE are.

Said differently, when we are writing we need to be aware of our biases, our strengths and our flaws. We cannot simply create characters that reflect us. That would be boring. We need to get into the heads of each of our characters and make them unique. We need to give them their own biases, strengths and flaws.

When we create characters, we need to make them multi-dimensional. If I’m reading a book and the protagonist is perfect, I quit reading. Why? I’m skeptical because I’ve never met a perfect person. Perfect people are boring and don’t deserve a book.

I want to root for my protagonist, but I also need to relate to him/her. I want to see her make mistakes and, I want understand why she makes them. Did she have indifferent parents? Was she bullied in school? Did she have to care for her siblings? Was she abandoned? Smothered?

What I’m saying is I want you to let me into her head. What motivates her? What scares her? Where do her quirks come from?

But, don’t dump it all on me at once. Tease me. Lead me on. Make me curious. Most of all, I want to care.

Make me want to read one more chapter at midnight because I won’t be able to sleep until I find out what happens next.

Creating In-Depth Characters

By Rhonda Strehlow

Author Rhonda Strehlow

I recently discovered a folder from my life as an adult educator. It included a tool created by psychologists Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham, the JoHari Window.  It’s a feedback model used to gather information in such areas as feelings, experiences, fears, knowledge, drivers, skills, hidden agendas, vulnerabilities, motivation, attitude, etc.

As a writer, I see it as a tool to develop our characters.

The concept is that all of us live in four arenas. The arenas are different sizes for each person. Some people have a large Public arena. Others have a large Mask arena. By completing each arena for our characters, we make them more real.


The Public Arena. What is consciously shared with others. Things that are acknowledged and others see i.e. attitudes, behaviors, values. 		The Blind Spot Unknown to the character but seen by others i.e. nervous habits, avoiding eye contact, keeping a ‘safe’ distance.
The Mask Secrets. Things deliberately kept
hidden or concealed from others i.e. things that
are embarrassing, irrational fears, things that scarred our character. 		Potential What ‘could be’ if the time is right. Dreams, feelings, inklings that open up our character to possibilities.

Using my protagonist as an example, these are the traits/characteristics I will continue to explore and develop:

Public Arena: auctioneer, college educated, owns her own home, outwardly successful…

Blind Spot: shy, seen as arrogant, doesn’t allow others to get close, always protecting herself, sees herself through the eyes of abusive parents…

Mask: poor, went to college on a scholarship, father is in prison, mother abandoned her, she feels unworthy of her lawyer partner…

Potential: Will she marry her long-time partner and change her arc, or will she leave? Will she buy the auction barn? Will she lose her business? Will she change careers? Will she return to college?

Try putting a few of your characters through the four quadrants. Do you see ways to integrate their strengths and weaknesses into your story to develop robust, three-dimensional characters?