Nuances Are Hard

Continuing from the previous post, extreme characters are much easier to make. The one downside to them is that, because they are simple, you can only make simple stories with them.

A more realistic person is very nuanced. They can be completely conflicted, hold contradictory beliefs, be involved in completely unrelated activities and groups. It makes things significantly more difficult to create and really get your head around, but generally, you get a much more powerful and gripping story out of it.

Although I do try to go along for the ride when reading a story, I cannot help but make predictions on what happens next. Simple characters have significantly fewer options in a given situation that would be justifiable. Nuanced characters have more. As such, they are much harder to predict, and thus provide a bigger punch when they reach that critical point.

When you are ready, work on characters like these. You can borrow ideas from real people, but I recommend avoiding building a character on an existing person. They tend to feel like hollow facsimiles.

You're creative. Create your own nuanced person.