Tips on How to Develop Characters in Mystery Fiction

Why is character development important? It is because this factor will affect how your characters make bonds with your readers. Developing your character will make them be memorable, and your readers will be able to relate to them. You may have to put your feet inside your character’s shoes. Sometimes, a good story is all about who a character becomes as the story progresses. Readers will be more fascinated by your characters, making them want to know more about them.

With mystery fiction, the characters are mostly used as the driving force of the whole story. That is why if you are planning to write a novel for the genre, you should consider learning the musts of character development. This way, you will be able to craft compelling content that can attract your target readers. The best way you can learn is to read a book from the genre and observe how the readers pulled of character development. One book that you should check out is Patricia Sims’ book on a second chance at love called A Major Hurdle. This unique story does not only focus on mystery but also romance. The book will not only equip you with character development techniques but will also entertain and capture your heart.

Below are the effective ways on how you can develop your characters for your future book:

Choose the Ideal Point of View

One of the important aspects of your pre-writing decisions is finding the best voice for your mystery book. It is because novels must be consistent with using it all throughout. The point of view of the narrator has a dramatic effect on helping readers understand how the characters feel, aside from the dialogues. You can either pick the point of view of a first person or a third person. You interact with the readers better if you use the first person point of view. You may write from a wider viewpoint when it comes to the third person. In mystery fiction, both voices could be applied. You get to choose any. The second-person point of view, on the other hand, engages the reader effectively; this is used best in non-fiction.

Create Background Story for the Secondary Characters

Somehow, readers get a special bond with support characters. You do want to satisfy the reader’s needs, of course. You, then, give them what they want. A secondary character can always be developed. It could be either the protagonist’s or the antagonists’ sidekick. You have to make sure to charmingly characterize him. He can be witty, funny, and nice. They would be helpful in learning him more in this way. You may have one or two chapters dedicated to him. Much as you do with the main characters, send him a background story.

Provide Shocking Conflicts

Another approach to get your readers interested in reading the entire book is to create interesting tensions between the aspirations of the protagonist. It’s the challenges that add fuel to the tale, especially with the crime or thriller genre. You want the readers to feel for the main character. These kinds of readers crave tension. They are the kind of readers that want the feeling of the constant raising of the heartbeat. What other way to give them just that is to create shocking conflicts.

Ensure to Describe How the Character Looks

You would want to be very good at descriptive writing in order to boost the imagination of your readers. You have to explain the setting in the most precise way, as well as the characters. You can describe their looks with the way they dress, their hair color, and their mannerisms. You can also describe the setting by using sensory settings and incorporating figurative language. This way, they will have ideas on what the world looks like.

Establish Strong Personalities

You need to craft unforgettable characters to create a memorable story. Characters can catch your readers’ imagination. Although antagonists should always incite anger, the principal character should always have to win their hearts. You can do this by guaranteeing that from the very beginning, you have already developed strong personalities among them. Those characters that your readers will meet twice are should also create an impact. It would be best if you can make all of the other characters memorable. It would be beneficial to your narrative. To make this possible, you should make use of dialogues. Dialogues are perfect for expressing the thoughts and actions of a character, how they communicate with one another.

Overall, character development is not that easy to incorporate in your story but it will have a significant impact on it. This is one of the best tips on writing a unique mystery story.

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