A writer’s corner: Characters

An author in the Reddit writers group I belong to posed the question: “How do you develop characters?”
They had a method to develop characters concentrating on four things: The character’s function, personality, physical attributes, and family background.

Many writers responded, some revealing that they concentrate on backstory first, others stating that they jump right into the scenes and let the character develop organically, a kind of character role-playing.

One author had a very different approach. They decided on a ‘theme’, which they likened to a ‘mission statement’ for the book. And then, they determined the types of characters that would support the theme. I love this approach and will definitely try it sometime.

Right now, my approach is very close to the OP’s, except that I don’t care what the characters look like unless they have a feature that’s important to the story. Function and personality are key, and I spend a lot of time figuring out what kind of childhood or life experiences the character had in order to become who they are. I do this for minor characters also, even though their backstory may just be hinted at in a sentence or two. The backstory of every character informs their dialogue and actions. With this approach, I make sure they are never acting out of character.
It was very interesting to read about different approaches and what works well for other writers.