A character who undergoes significant internal change over the course of a story, ending up fundamentally different from who they were at the start.
A dynamic character experiences meaningful transformation in their beliefs, values, personality, or understanding of the world. The change has to be internal and significant - getting a haircut or moving to a new city doesn't count unless it reflects a genuine shift in who the character is on the inside. Most protagonists in literary fiction are dynamic because watching someone change is one of the most compelling experiences storytelling can offer.
Dynamic characters are the engine of most satisfying stories. When readers watch someone struggle, learn, and emerge as a different person, they feel like they've gone on a journey too. Mastering dynamic characters means mastering the emotional core of your fiction - the part that makes people close your book and sit quietly for a minute, thinking about their own life.
Ebenezer Scrooge is perhaps the most iconic dynamic character in English literature - his transformation from miser to generous soul is the entire point of the story.
Amir's journey from a guilt-ridden coward to someone who finally stands up and does what's right is a masterclass in dynamic character writing.
Fleabag's transformation from someone hiding behind humor and self-destruction to someone capable of genuine vulnerability happens so gradually you almost miss it - until the ending hits you.
Jane grows from a powerless, angry orphan into a woman who chooses love on her own terms, and every stage of that change feels earned through experience.
Layer the change across multiple scenes and turning points. Real transformation is gradual - show the resistance, the setbacks, and the slow dawning of new understanding.
Don't just announce "she was different now." Show the specific moments, choices, and realizations that build toward transformation. Let readers feel the change happening.
Focus on shifts in belief, values, or self-understanding. External changes only matter if they reflect or catalyze internal ones.
Write two versions of the same scene - your character receiving unexpected bad news. In version one, write them as they are at the beginning of your story. In version two, write them as they are at the end. The dialogue, setting, and news can be identical. Let the difference live entirely in how they react. If both versions feel the same, your character isn't dynamic yet.