Writing Tips

Characters, Dynamics, and Relationships

Dynamics are a tough thing to write, especially if you're writing a story for the very first time, and there are endless kinds of relationships your characters can have. For example, siblings can have a very close relationship, a distant relationship, an abusive relationship, a frenemy-type relationship, and so on. Portraying any one of these is difficult.

You'll need characters with different personalities. They can be slightly similar, or polar opposites if you want. Make sure they are at least a little different, though. Having a diversity in the way your characters act and think is a very important part of creating your world. The different ways of thinking is meant to help your characters grow and change throughout the story, for better or worse. Besides, don't you think making everyone with one specific personality and set of traits would be boring?

But how do you use those different personalities to create a relationship? Well, ust like how in real life someone with a different viewpoint can change your own, you can use a character with a different viewpoint can change another's. Or, you can use the differences in their points of view to make them clash. You can create tension between your characters that slowly gets resolved, or gradually builds until one of those characters hits a breaking point. There are endless ways you can use their personalities to clash or come together.

Having good character dynamics and relationships means making your characters grow and change throughout the course of the story. Your characters should influence each other in the way they think and act, whether the impact from one character onto another is big or small. Every character should be susceptible to the influence of others' ways of thinking, because that's just human nature.

It's helpful to people-watch and analyse the way people around you interact with each other so it's easier to write those interactions between your own characters. Also remember to put yourself in your characters' shoes. Think about how you would feel if you went through everything your characters went through, and how you would react in their place.

I hope this helps!