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A Deep Dive Into Characters

By CAPT George Galdorisi, USN (Ret.)

Writing these columns has been a blast, primarily because I have been getting a good amount of feedback from you as readers. That has been super-helpful in deciding what to put in future columns. One area that has generated the most feedback – and questions – has involved character development.

That is quite natural. When someone approaches me about writing a novel, they almost always talk about plot: this happens, then that happens, then this other thing happens, etc. When I ask about characters, well, they are not quite there yet. To scratch that itch, I wanted to take a bit of a deep-dive into how to develop characters and most importantly, how to come up with believable motivations for why they do what they do!

I want to take more of a deep-dive into building your characters, as well as focus more intently on character motivations, bolded for emphasis here: ‘What do these guys want, why do they want it, and what’s keeping them from getting it?”

Many of you have likely heard of Simon Sinek, one of the stars of the TED circuit. Sinek rose to instant fame when his 2009 book, Start with Why, became a runaway bestseller. While Sinek didn’t target writers with his advice, for all writers, what he prescribes is spot-on for our craft, and especially for creating believable character motivations. Why do your characters do what they do?

Many of you with experience in industry, academic, military and other avocations have been exposed to various ways to bin people’s traits as a method of trying to understand why people do the things they do and why they are a certain “way.” From the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the DISC Behavioral Assessment, to the Situational Awareness Judgment, and too many others far too numerous to mention here, these all have value in answering the "why" question.

That said, most of these analytical tools are focused on interactions in the workplace and on, frankly, getting people to work together harmoniously and think of each other as part of “we” and not as “them.” They have vastly less use in determining the motivations of your protagonist, antagonist, and others in your novel. If those don’t work, then what will?

Our intent is not to make this a science or history lesson, but understanding why people are the way they are and do what they do can be traced as far back as twenty-three hundred years ago when the Greek Philosopher Aristotle first discussed ethos, logos and pathos.

To be fair, Aristotle’s concept didn’t apply to writing – few people in that day were literate enough to read the limited things that were available to be read. His trilogy referred to the three components needed for persuasive speaking. And since speaking in the forum was the primary means that thoughtful people shared ideas, these elements had staying power.

Simply put, ethos is about establishing your authority to speak on the subject, logos is your logical argument for your point and pathos is your attempt to sway an audience. This is how speakers “in the day” became convincing orators and how writers today begin the process of marshaling the why behind their characters’ motivations.

Fast forward to today, and a deep-dive into character motivations moves us inevitably into the area of neuroscience. No, this isn’t intended to be a scientific tome, but rather as a way to explain how to leverage neuroscience to flesh out your characters and their motivations. It is the primary means of understanding the human brain, and since it is the brain that governs our every activity, understanding this subject is key to understanding – and presenting – logical and believable character motivations.

Let’s start with perhaps the simplest – and possibly most well-known – example of people’s brains motivating them to do things in a certain way. For this, we can turn to one of the most popular movies and television series of all time, Star Trek.

While different fans have their own favorite characters, it is hard to argue the fact that Admiral James Kirk (played by William Shatner,) Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy) and Scotty (played by James Dohan) in the original series were the three most well-remembered characters in the original Star Trek series.

You would be hard pressed to find three characters who brought their why from such dramatically different places. Admiral James Kirk possessed the “Instinctual Brain” and went with his gut to deal with his risks and fears. Spock had the “Logical Brain” and dealt with facts and figures in making recommendations. Scotty was the character with the “Emotional Brain” and went with his heart when dealing with his feelings and friends.

Viewed from the vantage point of our sophisticated selves in the third decade of the 21st Century, the characterizations in the Star Trek television series (first aired in 1966) and subsequent movies seem simplistic, and almost quaint. That should not obscure the fact that using this basic example of three widely known fictional characters can add to our understanding of how to present the why behind our characters’ actions. This leads to the ability to describe immensely believable character motivations (whether instinctual, logical, or emotional) for our novels.

That said, if I left you with just this one example – and one that has often become overused to the point of being a cliché – I would be doing you an injustice and leaving you with an example that some would describe as far too basic and one that does not mirror the “real” world we live in today.

To go deeper and to fully leverage neuroscience to help you develop memorable and convincing characters, let’s turn to a more-nuanced look. Based on recent findings in neuroscience, the overwhelming number of humans fall into one of nine character types.

Yes, nine does sound like a big number, but perhaps not so much if you have a substantial number of characters in your novel and you don’t want any of them to be carbon copies of each other. I believe that these nine character types cover the gamut of the personalities that will inhabit your novels. My guess is that if you test-drive these types on just the primary protagonist and antagonist of the last novel you’ve read, you’ll find that one of the characterizations works for each of your characters.

Sure, there are other taxonomies that you can use, but I have found that this one suits most needs, so I offer it to you as a way to produce more well-nuanced characters in your novels. As I present these, I’ll offer book and/or movie characters to give you a concrete example of what I am talking about.

An Adventurer is a person who is often cast as the primary protagonist in novels, especially thrillers. This person is optimistic, versatile, and driven to seek fun and excitement. Character traits revolve around enthusiasm, adaptability, and the tendency not to dwell on one thing for too long. They may even be thrill-seekers and tend to take risks that others would never think of taking. Indiana Jones, the title character of the wildly successful movie franchise, is a classic example of an Adventurer.

A Controller is another type sometimes cast as a primary protagonist – or even an antagonist – in novels. As an antagonist, the Controller seeks to maintain the status quo that he or she created. This person is self-confident, assertive, focused and takes charge. He or she is self-reliant, and rarely – if ever – is willing to compromise. The Controller respects those who speak their mind. Norman Reedus from The Walking Dead is a great example of a Controller.

The Advocator is a person who feels that he or she is reasonable, objective and correct all of the time. This character works hard, follows the rules and strives for perfection. The Advocator views things in black and white, right or wrong, good or bad, and rarely gray. An Advocator is often cast as a primary protagonist. The character Jack Reacher, in the movie of the same name, is a classic example of an Advocator.

A Helper is caring, loving, helpful, and values relationships with others This person prefers to give rather than receive, and strives to be what others want or need. The Helper craves closeness and love more than anything and is sad or hurt when that isn’t forthcoming. The character of Elizabeth Bennet in the period romance Pride & Prejudice is a classic example of a Helper.

A Motivator is a person who is confident, driven, likeable but goal and success oriented. This person is optimistic, hardworking and competitive. A Motivator needs recognition for his or her achievements. The character of Sarah Connor in the film Terminator Genisys is a classic example of a Motivator. A Motivator can be a primary protagonist, but if this is the case, he or she likely has some of the qualities of an Adventurer or a Controller.

A Dreamer is romantic, sensitive, self-aware and creative. This person marches to a different beat than others and is artistic, influential, persuasive and inspiring. A Dreamer imagines future scenarios and is searching for the meaning of life. Julia Houston, the lead female character in Smash, is a classic example of a Dreamer.

An Inventor is a person who is insightful, innovative and curious about how things work. This person is intelligent, analytical, and gains knowledge from observation. The Inventor derives happiness through knowledge rather than through material possessions. The Sherlock Holmes character is the best example of an Inventor. Yes, an Inventor can also be a primary protagonist, but must go through a significant character arc to be ultimately successful.

A Cautioner is one who is committed, hard-working, responsible, and is frequently motivated by fear. Like the Inventor, this person is intelligent, analytical, and gains knowledge from observation or reading. The Cautioner is organized, always vigilant, and stays hyper-ready to respond to any emergency. Bilbo, the primary protagonist in The Hobbit, is a good example of a Cautioner.

A Peacekeeper is trusting, stable, diplomatic and understanding. This person is patient, pleasant, receptive, open-minded and empathetic. The Peacekeeper shies away from disagreements and abhors confrontations. Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, in the series Downton Abby is a classic Peacekeeper.

I think you can see how these nine character types cover a wide spectrum that you can use to populate your novel. Additionally, as I teed up on some of the descriptors, Adventurers and Controllers tend to dominate the ranks of protagonists and antagonists. Helpers tend to be the sidekicks of many protagonists. A Motivator can fall in either of these two camps, or can be a helper of sorts as well. Dreamers, Inventors and Cautioners are often people your protagonist is trying to save or assist.

None of these types are rigid, of course, but are merely suggestions for you to check your bundle of attributes for these nine character types to ensure that what you suggest motivates this character or that squares with what that person’s brain – based on solid neuroscience – is telling them to do.

Full disclosure, this science, while not brand new, has only recently gained purchase. I did not leverage it in writing my early novels, but now that I do, I look back on our early work, pick a character, and go: “Yep, that’s who he/she is.” I suggest that you try this out with the last novel you have read. The results may surprise you.

Now that you have this basic taxonomy down, I wanted to take you to another important character pairing beyond that of the protagonist and antagonist. That is the protagonist and his or her helper or sidekick. This is, in many ways, the most important relationship in your novel.

There is an old saying that, in love and marriage, opposites attract. That is true for this pairing in your novels. Your protagonist and his or her helper must bring different talents and attributes to the table or, frankly, one of them is unnecessary. Think of it this way: Would you ever pair General Douglas McArthur with General George Patton in a fictionalized story?

Sometimes, the writer has the fates throw these two together as we see Regan MacNeil and Father Karas team up in The Exorcist, or Marko Ramius and Jack Ryan in The Hunt for Red October, or Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu in The Da Vinci Code. These are opposites, and it works, but it is also serendipitous in each case.

More often, we create two characters where the protagonist seeks out the other purposefully because he or she knows that the person selected complements him or her and brings talents to the table that the protagonist does not possess.

To explain this in concrete terms, I turn to my own novels and how I constructed this pairing. In Tom Clancy’s OpCenter: Out of the Ashes, the primary protagonist is Admiral Chase Williams. Williams recently retired as a four-star flag officer after serving in the U.S. Navy for thirty-six years. For Williams, going to sea and leading sailors on a Navy destroyer was the purest form of naval service, and he had managed to stay at sea for the overwhelming majority of his career, only coming to Washington for two brief tours.

As the incoming Op-Center Director, Williams knew that he brought little to the table as far as dealing with the bureaucratic infighting that was so ingrained in the Nation’s capital. Williams didn’t like it, but he understood that unless he had a way to find and pull those levers, his tenure in this post would be brief and unsuccessful. He recruited Anne Sullivan to be his Op-Center Deputy. Here is her dossier:

Anne Sullivan was a retired General Services Administration super grade who had made a career in Washington. She knew all about the government, including government contracting, hiring, firing, and funding, and how to sidestep the issues. These were things Williams never had to deal with, even during his tours in Washington.

Unlike Williams, Sullivan came from money. Her father had fashioned a successful and lucrative career in finance with Bain Capital Ventures. Between that family money and her GSA retirement, she was looking forward to a comfortable life. She enjoyed the D.C. social and cultural scene and traveled often, primarily to Europe and especially to Ireland. That plan was interrupted when Williams recruited her—charmed her, really, she readily admitted—to be his deputy.

I think that you can see how this works, and yes, just to emphasize the “oppositeness” I picked a woman as the helper here because it works, to say nothing of the fact that as opposed to the Clancy franchise tendency to go with primarily male characters, I wanted to create characters who might appeal to a wider audience.

I think that you can see how this deep-dive into characterization can make your characters – and especially their motivations – much more believable.

So, lots to chew on here. If your curiosity has kicked in and you don’t want to wait for the next issue of Rotor Review, try this link to my website: https://www.georgegaldorisi. com/. Other than writing thrillers, I like nothing more than connecting with readers. You can follow me on Facebook and Twitter, and learn more about my books, blogs and other writing on my website. For those of you trying to up your game regarding any kind of writing, check out my “Writing Tips,” which offer useful advice for all writers, from established authors to future best-selling writers.