The creation of characters for a story is usually a very complex process, in which even veteran authors find it difficult. Making it not always possible to develop a character that may be worthy of the title of “Perfect Character”. Now… How do you define a perfect character? The way in which this title is achieved is knowing how to differentiate between a flat character and a three-dimensional character.
Surely you have heard many people in reviews or reviews say “That is a three-dimensional character”. Without fully understanding what exactly they mean by that, if that is your case, you have come to the correct entry. Well, throughout this article, we will not only explain that he is a three-dimensional character, but also how he is built. In order to finally get rid of the doubts regarding the subject and thus be able to write a complete and deep character for his future stories.
Definition of three-dimensional character.
To put them in context regarding their meaning, a three-dimensional character is nothing more than a human character. And with this we do not mean only the physical appearance, but everything that represents being a real human being. From his way of thinking, his psychology, the way he reacts to different events or situations (and that he does it realistically), his emotions, etc…
In general, it is about the construction of a character, which for the reader is as realistic as possible. To such an extent that, in a certain way, the character manages to “break” the barrier between a fictional character and a real person.
The three-dimensional characters also have their own goals and objectives, they are not characters that wander through their story aimlessly, but are clear about where they are going and what they want to achieve. They also have their own philosophy, which on many occasions is usually the base of the character, because as it happens with a real human being, his philosophy will rarely be betrayed by himself.
While it may seem easy to write a realistic character, that’s not really the case when you sit down to try. Many times the author tends to make at least a couple of mistakes, which causes his character to fail, and in fact there are more cases of flat characters in the works, than those with each aspect of the character more well defined and respected throughout its development.
Evolution in history.
We previously mentioned some of the traits that a three-dimensional character must possess in order to be called as such. And we have made it clear that these characters are characterized by being as human or realistic as possible.
Now, that’s just the beginning of what it means to create a character like this. Well, for a character to be three-dimensional, he must also present an evolution in her own history. One of the qualities that human beings have is being able to learn over time, especially learning when they have gone through a complicated situation. Obviously, the character in your work must undergo some kind of progress depending on the conflicts that arise.
Although this evolution is generally oriented towards the positive, that is to say… Let him learn. Sometimes the opposite case can occur, and the character will continue to be a three-dimensional one. To give you an example that your character starts the story being a good guy, but at the end he is a psychopath. It is clear that in this situation a clear transition is perceived, and if all his actions are justified, the character will continue to be a three-dimensional one.
That is good in some things, and very bad in others.
Finally we have to make it clear that a three-dimensional character is perfect not because he is good at everything he does. On the contrary, it is in the imperfection of his being that the perfect lies. Well, as it happens in reality, a human being never reaches perfection.
Let’s remember that what makes a character interesting is not so much their gifts or strengths, but their weaknesses. The more conflicts or issues they have to load, the more complete it becomes in a way. And this is a quality that is present in all the three-dimensional characters, none of them is idealized by their authors.
The ideal in these cases is to try to balance the scale, that is not a good for nothing, but not a superman either. The weakness in your character will allow the reader to understand and even sympathize with him depending on his problem situation. What can make him a character loved by the same audience.