Let Them Grow: Why Character Development Is Worth the Mess

Part of the series “Writing a Book from Start to Finish”

By J.E. Nickerson | Wise Thinkers Help Desk

As writers, we don’t always know who our characters are at the start. We think we do. We give them names, maybe a backstory, a few quirks, and some desires. But real character—the kind that resonates with readers—emerges through experience, pressure, and change. Just like people.

Four coming-of-age films—Taps, The Outsiders, School Ties, and A River Runs Through It—quietly but powerfully model this process. They show us not only what it looks like when a character finds themselves, but also how important it is that we, as writers, allow room for that discovery.

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Characters Grow by Living, Not by Being Controlled

In Taps, we watch young cadets—boys in uniform—faced with an adult decision far beyond their years. At first, they act on loyalty, principle, and what they think is right. But as the situation spirals, we see their illusions crack. Characters like George C. Thomas (Timothy Hutton) don’t start out as heroes or villains—they’re just kids trying to make sense of honor and leadership. And in that fumbling, we find truth.

Other characters spiral into fear and disillusionment, unable to reconcile their boyhood fantasies with the harsh reality of war. David Shawn (Tom Cruise) becomes mentally unhinged as military control collapses around them. His unchecked zeal for battle ultimately causes his death.

Writers often want to know everything about their characters before they start writing. They may think it makes development easier or gives them a ready-made toolkit. But just like people grow over time, a character’s full shape is revealed only as they’re tested. The stress, the fallout, the unplanned decisions—that’s where growth lives.

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Let Them Break a Little

In The Outsiders, Ponyboy and his gang aren’t just “greasers.” They’re brothers, survivors, and—most importantly—teenagers trying to navigate loss, violence, and identity. The story doesn’t clean them up. They fight. They run. They break down. But those moments are exactly what make them relatable.

What makes this story emotionally powerful is that the characters don’t just grow through personal struggle—they grow through self-sacrifice. After Johnny and Ponyboy rescue children from a burning church, Johnny is severely injured and dies. This deeply affects everyone, especially Dally, who later robs a store and dies by suicide-by-cop.

Ponyboy learns that life isn’t neat—it’s messy, painful, and sacred. The gravity of loss and sacrifice shapes his view of the world. He develops empathy instead of resentment. When he writes about his life, he begins to see that it has meaning, that his voice matters.

As writers, we have to be brave enough to let our characters make mistakes—sometimes even terrible ones. It’s in the aftermath, in the regret or the recovery, that maturity begins. Characters don’t have to be perfect. In fact, they shouldn’t be. Readers connect with growth, not polish.

Growth brings reflection. Not just inner awareness, but outer recognition of life’s complexity. As the apostle Paul once wrote, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child… but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” That line applies to our characters, too. They must evolve beyond youthful ideas and illusions as they mature through the story.

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The Slow Unfolding of Integrity

School Ties gives us a quieter, more internal transformation. Brendan Fraser’s character, David, is dropped into a world that looks ideal—until it isn’t. His Jewish identity becomes something he’s pressured to hide, and when it’s exposed, the fallout is brutal. He has to decide if his integrity is worth more than the opinions of his peers.

This reminds us: a character’s development doesn’t always look like action. Sometimes, it’s a slow internal shift—realizing who they are, what they believe, and what they won’t compromise, even if it costs them everything. Writing that kind of arc takes patience. You won’t always see the turning point until you’re in it. But if you stay present and let the truth emerge naturally, it will feel earned.

Giving a character the choice to hide who they are—or face the cost of being fully seen—can resonate deeply with readers. Many people feel pressure to hide parts of themselves. Writing characters who wrestle with identity creates space for empathy, courage, and the belief that who you are is enough.

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Beauty in the Broken Places

And then there’s A River Runs Through It. More poetic than plot-driven, it’s a story about two brothers, a father, and the quiet ache of watching someone you love drift into darkness. Brad Pitt’s character, Paul, doesn’t get a classic redemption arc. But he feels real because the story doesn’t force him to change. It simply allows us to see him—fully—for better or worse.

Sometimes a story doesn’t change a character. It simply reveals them.

Films like this—and Legends of the Fall—don’t leave their characters alone. They expose the quiet, painful ways life carves into a soul. The most effective stories often don’t let characters stay who they were. They force them to confront who they are.

As writers, we sometimes grow with our characters. We begin thinking we’re writing one thing, and by the end, we’re learning something we didn’t expect. That’s what happens to the narrator in A River Runs Through It. That’s what happens to us, too, if we keep showing up honestly. Even if we start with characters based on real people—or ourselves—when we allow them to grow, they often teach us things we never saw coming.

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Final Thoughts: Keep Practicing

Good character development isn’t about formulas or checklists. It’s about being willing to listen to your characters—to let their arc form through conflict and consequence.

Being open to change in your story can feel disorienting. You may fear you’re losing the structure or direction. I used to feel that way, too. Early on, I often stunted my characters’ growth to protect the plot. But as I developed as a writer, I learned to lean into discovery. I became excited to see what my characters would show me—about themselves, about life, about me.

If you keep writing, keep testing your characters, and keep putting them in situations that stretch their hearts—you’ll discover layers you didn’t plan for. And so will your readers.

So give your characters room to grow. Let them falter, evolve, and surprise you. Because the most unforgettable characters—the ones who stay with us long after the story ends—are the ones who are still figuring it out. Just like us.

—Find out what how to write characters who experience loss they can’t come back from. When Good Characters Cross the Line: The Moral Cost of Doing What Feels Necessary

—What happens when your character has a moral dilemma? How do you give them the power of choice when it could cost them everything? Learn about this kind of gripping plot: Writing the Moral Dilemma: How to Build Tension Between What a Character Can Do and What They Should Do 

—Some heroes don’t save the day like Superman, they bleed and struggle along the way. Learn about how to write these characters in the article: 💔 The Wounded Hero: Writing Characters Who Bleed and Still Stand 

Ready to write characters that do more than act — but wrestle with why?

Download Questions to Ask Your Characters About Power, Morality, and Choice and start building stories that challenge, inspire, and stick with your readers long after the final page.

Questions to ask your characters about power, morality and choice

Resources

✍️ Want to Go Deeper with Your Characters?

Download the Character Profile Checklist to build emotionally rich, layered characters your readers will never forget.

This free resource helps you explore your character’s backstory, motivation, wounds, and inner contradictions—so you can write with depth and confidence.

👉 Get the Character Profile Checklist now »

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📚 And if you’re new here, I’m J.E. Nickerson — faith based author and inspirational storyteller. You can check out my books here or follow me on YouTube for more inspiration and encouragement on this writing life.

See the benefits of character growth in the short reel below.