The Character House, Pt. 13: 3 Ways to Build a Character House

In the final post of this series, we’re going to explore three ways you can integrate all the parts of the Character House into a single cohesive character. No matter what genre you write, these tips will help you build characters whom your audience will follow until the very last page!

Method #1: Start with the Backstory Basement

Suppose you know that your character, Opal, once made a bad decision that cost the life of her best friend (Backstory Basement). As a result, she might believe the Lie, “I can’t make good decisions because I’ll only mess them up” (Basement Walls and Beliefs). She might develop a fear of failure (First Floor Fears), an internal goal of safety (First Floor Goals), and an external goal of protecting her family from a time-traveling supervillain (First Floor Goals). 

Opal’s beliefs, fears, and goals will influence her speech and behavior (Walls of Dialogue and Action). Likewise, her narration and emotions should reveal her doubts about her decisions (Voice and Emotions). Opal’s consistent behaviors produce the personality traits of hesitant, cautious, and protective (Roof and Personality Traits). Over the course of her character arc, Opal will overcome her fear of making the wrong decision.

Although your characters’ lives shouldn’t be defined by a single struggle (in this case, making decisions), this simplified example illustrates that you can start with a backstory and use it to develop many of the character’s other traits. Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi have compiled a variety of backstory-related worksheets at One Stop for Writers. 

Method #2: Start with the Roof of Personality Traits

If you tend to brainstorm personality traits first, you can use these traits to develop associated actions, goals, fears, beliefs, and backstory events. 

Suppose you know that your character, Aiden, is hardworking but also perfectionistic (Roof of Personality Traits). What actions does he take that lead to these traits? Maybe Aiden routinely stays late at work to finish projects, but he never allows anyone else to lead (Walls of Action).

What beliefs, fears, and goals motivate these actions? Maybe Aiden believes, “The quality of my work determines my personal value” (Basement Walls and Beliefs). This attitude suggests a fear of worthlessness and a goal of proving his value to the world (First Floor Fears and Goals). 

Finally, what backstory event(s) caused Aiden to develop these fears, goals, and beliefs? Perhaps Aiden previously failed at a major project, causing him to lose his previous job (Backstory Basement). Now he works late and refuses others’ help because he’s trying to avoid repeating his previous painful experience. 

Aiden’s backstory and Lie will influence his character arc. His perfectionism might cause him to lose friends, opportunities, and respect, which eventually motivates him to change his ways. 

Method #3: Mix and Match

Unlike real houses, Character Houses can be built in any order. If you know that your character will make a certain decision (Walls of Action), you can brainstorm the internal and external goals that drive these actions (First Floor Goals). Alternatively, if you know your character’s goal (First Floor Goals), you can figure out the backstory explanation behind that goal (Backstory Basement).

You might start with an external trait, such as a hobby or interest, and brainstorm how that trait reflects the character’s personality. Relationship dynamics, emotional tendencies, and narrative voice can point to priorities, values, and past experiences. You can mix and match the parts of the Character House to your heart’s content! 

House Keys

The key to the Character House is that you always know something about a character; you never start with a complete lack of information. Even if you only know that Ben is the ally or Raelynn is the mentor, you can still deduce information from these basic facts. Why does Ben join the protagonist’s mission? What does Raelynn teach the hero, and why? 

Whenever you use the Character House, start with what you know, and ask questions to keep brainstorming. Soon enough, a fully formed character will come to life on the page.

Welcome Home

When using the Character House, you have at least three options. First, you can start with the Backstory Basement by brainstorming how past experiences influence the other aspects of your character. Conversely, you can start with the Roof of Personality Traits and work backward to actions, goals, beliefs, and backstory. Finally, you can develop the components of the Character House in any order that suits your needs. This flexible model can work for any genre you choose.

As you reason from the known to the unknown, ask questions to gather more details about your character. When your Backstory Basement, First Floor Fears and Goals, Walls of Dialogue and Actions, and other components fit together logically, your characters will leap off the page and into readers’ hearts.

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This post concludes our Character House series. Thank you so much for following along! 

Do you prefer to build characters starting with the backstory, the personality, or another method? 

You May Also Like

• The Character House, Pt. 13: 3 Ways to Build a Character House
• The Character House, Pt. 12: The 5 Stages of a Moving Character Arc
• The Character House, Pt. 11: Roof and Personality Traits
• The Character House, Pt. 10: Emotions and Home Utilities
• The Character House, Pt. 9: The Windows of Voice and Vulnerability