Every Character Follows a Set of Rules
Writing consistent characters can be a challenge. One of the best tips that I have for overcoming that challenge is to accept the fact that every character is going to follow a set of rules. They may not necessarily be logical rules, but they’re there. The trick to being a good writer is establishing those rules and then following them OR putting in a ton of work to justify breaking them.
Let’s look at some examples from popular media starting with a simple character: Samwise Gamgee from Lord of the Rings.
Sam arguably has a single rule that guides him and that rule is this: Sam is loyal to Frodo above all others and will put his own life at risk to protect Frodo and assist him in the completion of his mission.
This is the thing that guides Sam’s every action in LotR. If you’re writing a scene where Sam has to make a choice, just ask “what’s the best thing for Frodo” and that’s what you have Sam do. He’s basic, but notably still well loved, which is why I picked him. Complexity does not a good character make, but good characters can be complex, which brings us to example two: Tony Stark from the MCU.
Tony is a complex, messed up character, but you can still sum him up with a handful of rules:
Tony is a suspicious person who assumes that everyone wants something from him. It takes a lot for a person to earn his trust, but once they have it, he’s incredibly loyal to them.
Tony shows that he cares through material things like weapons upgrades and extravagant gifts. He will not show physical affection easily and often downplays just how much effort he’s put into something to avoid being hurt if the giftee don’t like what he’s made.
Tony’s greatest asset is his mind. He is always coming up with plans. and he will always take the path that he feels is best, even if that means great personal sacrifice
Tony is naturally curious and loves learning and inventing. He can’t help but want to solve any puzzle you give him, often sacrificing his health to do it.
Tony hates to show weakness, hiding his hurt behind a snarky attitude or self-destructive behavior. He’s never going to tell people that something is wrong unless he absolutely has to. You usually have to force it out of him.
Tony values those he loves and humanity/large populations more than he values himself. He doesn’t want die, but he will take that risk if that’s the best option.
This is how you write Tony Stark. Follow these rules, add in some sarcastic quips, and you’re mostly golden. However, there are a few scenes throughout the series where Tony breaks rule six and does something to put himself above a person who earned his loyalty. The big example is in Captain America: Civil War, which ends with Tony doing something that’s pretty out of character. However, that scene still works because the entire movie is centered around putting Tony in a position where he’s pushed to his limit. The writers actually talk about this openly, saying that they knew that they’d need to put Tony under a ton of stress for the ending to work because, under normal circumstances, Tony wouldn’t do that.
This is how good writers think. They don’t say “A needs to happen no matter what character Y would do” they ask “okay, would character Y normally do A?” and, if the answer is no, then they figure out what they need to do to make that choice believable. You can get a character to do almost anything if you play your cards right. For example, you can have a sweet kind character who would never hurt a fly do something as extreme as murder if you put someone they love in danger.
If you feel like you struggle with keeping characters consistent, start thinking about them from this rules perspective. A good exercise is to pick a character that you love and see if you can figure out their rules. To do this, focus on how they act under normal conditions and then think about what the author does if/when the character does something that breaks their rules. What stressors did they have to put them under?
I don’t actively write down my characters rules most of the time, but this is how I think of them and how I’m able to write people who are very different from me. It’s also worth noting that you can list out as many rules as you need to help yourself stay consistent. They don’t have to be these big idea rules that I’ve focused on here. They can be more simple stuff like “Amy will always stop to pet a dog.” Once you have your rules, just make sure you always follow them or that you always justify breaking them. Do that you shouldn’t have any problem writing someone who’s believable.
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