Character Development with ChatGPT: Breathing Life into Your Stories

It begins with an idea, perhaps as simple as "a young mage struggling with their powers in a world where magic is forbidden." With ChatGPT, you can explore this seed of a character, asking questions like, "What are the mage's greatest fears?" or "What is their reason for fighting against the societal norms?" The AI's responses can help you delve deeper into the character's psyche, encouraging you to consider aspects you might not have initially thought of.

Getting Started

We're going to work on character development for the {CHARACTER TYPE ie: Protagonist} in our {GENRE}. The character's name is {CHARACTER NAME} and is a {CHARACTER GENDER & AGE} who works {JOB}. They are primarily known in the novel for { CHARACTER TRAIT or ACTION}

Pick and choose from the following Prompts

Create a backstory for this character and describe a significant events from her past that shaped who they are today. How did this event influence their values and motivations?

What quirks or habits does our character have?

What are the character’s primary motivations and goals? Are they driven by personal ambition, the desire for justice, or something else entirely

Identify a fatal flaw in the character’s personality or decision-making. How does this flaw contribute to the challenges they face?

Outline a potential character arc for this character. How do they evolve and grow throughout the story? What challenges contribute to their development?

Describe a major life decision your character has to make. How does this decision reflect their values and priorities

Explore an internal conflict your character grapples with. This could be a moral dilemma, unresolved trauma, or conflicting desires that create tension within them.

Explore the character’s cultural background. How does their cultural upbringing influence their beliefs, customs, and worldview?

Output for NovelCrafter

Distill the character information we've created for Lara down to a character bio that is 4 paragraphs long. Be sure to include the ways in which she interacts in dialog in ways that will help us write the novel.

Headshot

Draw a black and white pencil sketch of this character

You're at the helm

Remeber that as powerful as this tool is, you are the brains behind the novel. Use ChatGPT as a springboard for your imagination, a way to explore new dimensions of your characters, but always infuse your creations with the richness of your own human experience. The depth and nuance of human emotions, experiences, and subtleties are what make characters truly resonate with readers.