There is a weird kind of alchemy which makes characters come alive on a page. It has to do with what I think of as the “five dimensions of character.”

In geometry, the four dimensions are . . .

• breadth,
• depth,
• height and
• time.

In writing, this translates into the following:

• Physical setting–does the story take place in one location, all over the globe, in some alternate universe or “in a galaxy far, far away?” The breadth of a story is determined by the breadth of the setting.
• Personal history–Is the character old or young, part of a large family or an only child, well loved and parented or an orphan? No matter what happens in the story, if questions of personal history aren’t answered, the character has no depth and becomes a mere chess piece moving around a board.
• Relationships–Who are friends and who are foee? Why? Will these relationships stay the same or change over the course of the story? How does this impact the character? This can only be seen by gaining some height and distance from our characters. No matter what voice we choose to tell the story in, our view as the author needs to be overarching.
• Timelessness–To have a character who is both true to  her era and universal enough to be interesting to readers over time requires attention to detail and a delicate touch.  The best stories are grounded in their particular time without being too dated to appeal to an ever-evolving audience.

If you have done these four things thoroughly, you have laid a good foundation for well-rounded characters. However, it’s not enough.

WHy?  Because there is a fifth dimension that is the final key to creating a memorable character. I call it the “human dimension” which must be present, even–or maybe especially–in characters who are not, in fact, human; for example, Wilbur of Charlotte’s Web.

The most memorable characters are aware of the gains in their losses and the losses in their gains and make peace with both.  Wilbur comes to terms with Charlotte’s death by caring for her eggs.  Frodo in The Lord of the Rings saves Middle Earth but is so changed that he chooses to depart with the elves. Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden lets go of her delicious secret and the walls–both inner and outer–that keep her safe when she shares her garden with Dickon and Collin.

It is this fifth dimension–this balancing act of light and dark, advance and retreat, joy and sorrow–that gives characters soul, that elusive quality without out which they never comes fully alive for the reader.

Make sure your characters have all five dimensions–but especially the fifth–and they will be utterly unforgettable.  I promise.

Good writing!