Another good indicator of undeveloped characters is when melodrama creeps into your writing. This is particularly noticeable in intense situations where the characters react as one might expect in a theatrical performance – with exaggerated gestures, speech, and emotions. This exaggeration is a pretty good sign that the author doesn’t know how the character would really react in that situation (unless being melodramatic is part of said character’s personality, in which case, development is still important).
Lack of emotion is one of the biggest indicators that the character(s) in your novel are less than three-dimensional. Human beings are emotional creatures. Everyone feels emotion in some sense or another, regardless of how much shows externally. When reading about a character who feels nothing, or even very little on the inside, I often get the feeling that he/she should have been more developed. As authors, it’s important to have an understanding of your character’s emotional makeup. It’s how they’ll react to things in your story. It’s what will color that dazzling plot-twist you’re planning to write in the next chapter.
Flat dialogue
Melodrama
Lack of emotion
Passive voice (especially in First Person prose)
Long monologues of thought
A feeling of omniscience
Repetitive or redundant description (especially in First Person)
Lack of relatable, human characteristics
Staccato scene changes
Lack of desire and/or fear
Leave a Reply