ELIsa
New member
My early characters were cardboard. They said what I needed them to say, did what the plot required, and had zero personality. Readers didn't care about them. Neither did I, honestly.
Then I learned to build proper character synopses . For each major character, I write a paragraph covering: who they are, what they want, what stands in their way, what internal change they face, and how they influence the story.
For my protagonist, that looked like: "Maya is cautious and routine-driven, but secretly dreams of adventure. She wants stability after her parents' messy divorce. Her fear of uncertainty stands in her way. Through the journey, she learns that real safety comes from trusting herself, not controlling everything."
That paragraph gave me direction. Every scene now had to challenge Maya's caution or tempt her with adventure. Her arc became the spine of the story.
I also learned that characters need both problems and goals . Problems are external (losing the house, a deadline, a threat). Goals are internal (wanting to belong, to prove something, to heal). The best stories weave both together.
Now my characters feel like real people. Readers tell me they miss them when the book ends.
That's the best compliment. If your characters feel flat, try building them from the inside out—what they want, what scares them, what they'd never admit.
Then I learned to build proper character synopses . For each major character, I write a paragraph covering: who they are, what they want, what stands in their way, what internal change they face, and how they influence the story.
For my protagonist, that looked like: "Maya is cautious and routine-driven, but secretly dreams of adventure. She wants stability after her parents' messy divorce. Her fear of uncertainty stands in her way. Through the journey, she learns that real safety comes from trusting herself, not controlling everything."
That paragraph gave me direction. Every scene now had to challenge Maya's caution or tempt her with adventure. Her arc became the spine of the story.
I also learned that characters need both problems and goals . Problems are external (losing the house, a deadline, a threat). Goals are internal (wanting to belong, to prove something, to heal). The best stories weave both together.
Now my characters feel like real people. Readers tell me they miss them when the book ends.
That's the best compliment. If your characters feel flat, try building them from the inside out—what they want, what scares them, what they'd never admit.
Meanwhile, I'm over here discovering that my protagonist is afraid of heights on page 147 because I needed her to refuse to climb a ladder. My process is chaos and I'm okay with it! BUT – I do think your point about internal vs external goals is something even us pantsers can use. I might not plan ahead, but I can at least check in with my characters mid-draft and ask "what do you actually want, buddy?" Usually they don't know either, which is VERY realistic honestly. 
Thanks for the food for thought!