All stories are character-driven. I challenge you to find a
single story that doesn't have a subject. There can be no game without players,
no war without soldiers, and no Bible without Jesus, and in every story
containing characters, somebody's gotta talk.
The trick to writing successful, not-flat characters is to
make sure they're real to you, their creator. If you can't imagine a
flesh-and-blood representation of your character, your readers won't be able to
either. Find your muse and let them guide your hand. When writing a character,
even if you can't foresee your text being performed in Hollywood, you have to
envision a person who is actually speaking to you. Reject "writing what
you know"; base your protagonist on Tom Cruise if that's what your muse
tells you to do.
Write all dialogue as if it was a part of a script. Even if
you don't intend on publishing your piece, it doesn't hurt to have a dream cast
planned. Many scenes and songs for the
character of Glinda from the musical Wicked were written with
her actress Kristin Chenoweth in mind. Such was also the case with the
character Mo from Inkheart; Brendan Fraser was who the author
pictured for the part long before the book was adapted to film, and he even
ended up recording the audiobook version of the novel. Allow yourself to have dreams for your own work. Thinking in terms of "that'll never happen, who are we kidding," suppresses your creative flow and keeps your piece from discovering its full potential.
Most authors will be tempted to only write characters who
are parts of themselves, so be very careful when writing dialogue for a
character you cannot completely relate to. The only times it is acceptable for
a seven-year-old to speak with a seventy-year-old's vocabulary would be for
horrific or comedic effect. Listen to how real people talk to one another. Look
up the script to your favourite movie and read along the next time you watch
it. Most importantly, pay attention to how you yourself interact with the
people around you. How would the reader of your life interpret you as a
character?
