Why Values Matter: Writing Characters Whose Morals Shape the Plot

Have you ever written a scene that looked good on paper, but there was just something about it that didn’t have…something? Maybe it felt hollow. Perhaps the characters said all the right things, yet…Maybe the setting was vivid, and you described it perfectly, but…Possibly, the needed tension was there, but something about it didn’t feel right. It all sounds great. All boxes have been checked. But there still seems to be something missing that you can’t put your finger on.

The reader drifted.

Maybe you drifted.

Somewhere in the execution, the perfect execution, still the scene, even the story, seemed to lose its heart or heat.

Here’s the truth many writers miss.

Scenes stall, not because of a lack of action and all the literary ornamentation and conflicts we throw in, but because of a lack of conviction. 

The problem? Characters are being perfect actors. They are walking through the parts as you have coordinated.

But they don’t believe it; it is not who they are or where they come from.

How do we fix that?

Anchor every central character’s decision, even minor ones, to a culturally informed moral compass.

We are all fixed in society, in the family, in the milieu where we were born and raised, in the context of the settings and events that have transpired to shape our worldview of life. We think and judge with the reference that our normal is everyone’s normality, and we judge, just as our characters judge, all other people by this norm.

When your characters act from a place of deeply held belief, especially when those beliefs are shaped by the communities from which they come, every scene, every moment, every action, and every decision gains traction.

When this is gained, characters are not just reacting to the plot. They are living their intrinsic values.

This is powerful.

Yes, characters, each and every one of them, have values.

Values are too often overlooked.

We know from real life that values play a significant role in conflicts we may have with others. It is no different for your characters. When a character’s values conflict with those of other characters, that is a turning point in the relationship. That’s when drama suddenly has deep, ingrained, and sometimes unexplored (from the characters’ perspective) motivations, either consciously or unconsciously.

Your Success Point for today is to go to your work in progress and find one decision that your character makes.

It can be any decision.

Find a choice. Look deeply at that choice, maybe as an anthropologist might, looking at the cultural background from which the foundation of that choice might have come.

Look for that underlying culture.

We’re all products of our culture, even characters. Ask yourself what value system this choice is rooted in because of this choice. Think about who taught them that value and how it was learned.

Think about the guilt, anger, frustration, and depression that occur if the character betrays their culture.

We are human societal animals. Our culture rules us more than we like to believe or even take the time to understand. The same is true of your characters. Have your characters stand firm to these learned values and then conflict with other characters because of it, or have them betray those values, maybe against someone who shares them. Either way, this is powerful: values clashing. As a writer, use it to your advantage.

This is not enough if you look at a character’s decision in conflict, and it is vague, surface-level, or what you’ve plotted the character to do. Dig deeper. Clarify. Name, deliberately name, the cultural belief behind the conflicts that plague us all. All characters come from a social, economic, educational, political, religious, and philosophical background that constitutes their norm. They can’t escape it without deep conscious effort. Use it as either a form of character conflict or character transformation. Push the consequences of continuing to adhere to this cultural belief or the consequences of shedding it. This one adjustment, looking deep into someone’s backstory, will change how you write.

Most people think of backstory as a character doing this or having this experience. That’s the wrong way to look at backstory. It is important but incomplete. The better question is why and who taught them how they think and feel. This is deep.

By examining past values and looking at what a character views as the norm, characters stop being pawns of the plot and start being people, just like you and me. That resonates with readers. Make your characters complex, flawed, convicted, relatable, and even confused. This brings this into conflict with other characters’ values.

Writing is not about filling pages or plotting one twist after another.

It is about building meaning.

Meaning, for the character, you, and the reader, comes from the belief that each character carries with them, the belief that guides their life choices and decisions, like a compass.

Start here. Dig deep. As you build each character’s backstory, examine their culture and norms. This technique is underused but incredibly powerful.

You’ll never write a flat scene again.

Visit https://claystafford.com and sign up for my weekly Success Points newsletter—packed with actionable insights on writing, productivity, and creative living. While you're there, check out the daily Success Points edition for inspiration you can use every morning to start your writing day.

Let’s write something great together.