If you’ve spent more than five minutes on this blog, you’ve seen me say that compelling characters are the foundation of an engaging story. But no story element — including character development — stands alone. In The Inkwell, we focus on one craft component per month, but one thing I try to emphasize is that they all work together and influence one another. And there’s no better illustration of this, in my humble opinion, than the connection between character development and world-building.
If you’re brave enough to reflect on your own perspectives and personality traits, warts and all, you’ll quickly realize that a lot of them are shaped by (and/or in spite of) your environment.
And the same goes for fictional characters. The environment you create for your characters and readers is more than a backdrop for your narrative; it actively influences your characters' identities, motivations, and growth. You, the author, are in charge of playing psychologist and figuring out how those things all work together in your novel.
This blog post will get you started.
Understanding the Connection
All over New Mexico, blue doors were originally thought to keep out evil spirits and to draw a connection to Our Lady of Guadalupe, who offers warmth and comfort. Today, the traditional blue is simply meant to be welcoming, indicating that those who enter will find peace and relaxation inside. How might that tradition impact the values and perspectives of the people who embrace it?
Here are just a few ways the physical, social, and cultural aspects of the world you create may impact your characters, influencing their beliefs, behaviors, and relationships.
Cultural Influence: The culture your characters are immersed in shapes their values, traditions, and social norms — as does the culture they grew up in, if that was different. Whether they live, visit, or grew up in a strict theocracy, a tech-savvy metropolis, or a tribal society built on ancient customs, these cultural elements shape their worldview and actions in powerful ways.
Historical Context: Major events such as wars, revolutions, and natural disasters leave lasting impressions on the societies they affect, shaping peoples’ motivations and fears in subtle and not-so-subtle ways for decades to come.
Geographical Impact: The physical landscape influences a character lives in influences their lifestyle, their opportunities, and the challenges they face. For instance, living in a harsh desert environment versus a lush, resource-rich valley requires different survival skills, attitudes, and ways of life.
Economic and Technological Factors: The economic conditions and technological advancements of your world affect your characters’ occupations, social status, and daily lives. A character from a wealthy, industrialized city will have different opportunities and challenges than one from a struggling small town.
Magical and Supernatural Elements: If your world includes magic or supernatural phenomena, these elements — both their advantages and their costs — can profoundly impact the way your characters think, make decisions, and relate to both friends and enemies.
Tips for Integrating World-Building and Character Development
Let Cultural Norms Drive Behavior: As you consider your characters’ behavior and decisions, allow cultural norms to sway them — whether they’re trying to fit in or to rebel. For example, a character from a society that values obedience may struggle to follow her own path — or she may feign obedience to cover a rebellion.
Use History to Shape Motivations: We joked darkly during COVID that our grandkids would someday wonder why we habitually Lysol’d our groceries. That’s a perfect example of how history can shape character. Which historical events in your fictional world would have lingering echoes in your characters’ psyches? Let those drive their actions throughout the story — or let your characters actively fight those ingrained tendencies in order to grow.
Reflect Geography in Skills and Interests: Geography shapes us in more ways than we realize, presenting us with opportunities to develop skills and affinities related to our natural surroundings. For example, someone raised in a coastal town might be an expert sailor with a love for the sea, while someone from the mountains could be an experienced climber with a deep respect for nature’s dangers.
Explore Economic Privilege: Economic conditions at the societal level and the individual level will impact your characters’ lives. Characters from wealthy cities may have more opportunities than those from impoverished locations. Those who were born into wealth may default toward entitlement, while those who’ve earned their own livings might lean into ambition. One characters’ upbringing may lead her to treat money as a scarcity; another’s may have taught her to spend it whether she has it or not. How do your characters’ economic conditions impact their lives?
Incorporate Magic Thoughtfully: If your world includes magic, consider how it affects your characters’ identities and interactions. The structure of your magic system — its form, source, rules, and limitations — will impact the way your character thinks, solve problems, and relates to others and their environment.
Writing Prompts to Explore the Connection
Cultural Clash: Write a scene in which two characters from different cultural backgrounds clash over a misunderstanding. How do their cultural norms influence their perspectives and actions?
Historical Trauma: Develop a backstory for a character whose life has been profoundly affected by a historical event in your world. How does this event shape their present-day beliefs, values, motivations, and behaviors?
Geographical Challenge: Write a scene in which your character’s physical environment proves to be an obstacle. How does their place-specific knowledge and skillset prepare them for this moment?
Economic Struggles: Write a scene in which a character experiencing financial hardship has to make a life-changing decision. Then write the same scene again, but from the perspective of a character who is financially secure.
Magical Conflict: Write a scene in which a character is acutely aware of the rules and limitations around her magical abilities. How does this impact the way she approaches a challenge?
Want more insights on immersive world-building? The Inkwell’s latest craft guide, World-Building Basics is a comprehensive overview of how to create a fictional world — no matter how realistic or fantastical — that grounds your readers and guides your characters.