Call me colorblind, but I believe the world isn’t just black and white—it’s colored in shades of gray.
Recently, someone asked me a question that made my brain fall out of my head faster than quitting time on a Friday: “What do you mean by coloring your characters in shades of gray?”
They were trying to make their characters more dynamic and wanted my take on it.
So… here’s my take.
The Wizard of Oz Effect
When I talk about shading your characters in gray, (aka showing a range of depth) I’m coming from the observation that nobody is just one thing. Nobody is just one trait. We’re all the traits that shape up our human experience.
Every person you meet is inherently flawed, and even seriously flawed, borderline evil people try to do good every now and then. This reminds me of the Wizard in The Wizard of Oz. From the outside, he seems all-powerful and mysterious, so much so that getting a meeting with him is next to impossible. But pull back the curtain, and you find out he’s just a regular guy hiding behind a facade. We’re all a bit like that, aren’t we?
The person you portray at work isn’t always the person you are with your best friends. The person you are at church definitely isn’t the same person you are at a bar. Sure, there’s some overlap, but we all act the part to some extent, depending on the situation. While some people might keep it consistent, life suggests that’s more the exception than the rule. Your characters should be the same way. They’re both the Wizard of Oz and the man behind the curtain.
What “Shades of Gray” Really Means
Coloring your characters in shades of gray means showing them in all their emotional, contradictory, and messy glory. Your protagonists shouldn’t be perfect, and your antagonists shouldn’t be pure evil. Nobody wakes up and skips off to give their wallet away to the first person they see. And nobody spends a whole day setting ant hills on fire and kicking puppies. We all exist somewhere on the spectrum. So do your characters.
Even the good doctor swears when someone cuts him off in traffic, and even a villain has someone or something they care about. Shades of gray mean your characters aren’t one-dimensional—they’re human, and humans are complicated.
In life, this plays out all the time. Think of the first time you saw your big boss for who they really were. For me, I had a boss I really respected. She was professional, funny, and damn good at her job. But when she let out an f-bomb in front of me, it took me aback. It showed me the chink in her armor and made me like her more. Naively, I thought someone so perfect couldn’t possibly curse. But of course she can—she’s human. She probably curses all the time.
Additionally, watch the news for 10 minutes, and you’ll be overloaded with negative stories. The news wants you to think everyone who commits a crime is pure evil. But what they don’t say is that maybe the person who robbed the store was trying to get food for their family. Maybe the person who killed their spouse did it out of heartbreak. They were blinded by love, and it turned to hate. It’s not that I condone any of that—let me be clear, I don’t—but I say that to emphasize that adding the backstory makes the people more interesting. And if we’re being honest, more human.
The 80/20 Rule
So, how do you actually add shades of gray to your characters? There aren’t any hard rules in writing, except one: Don’t bore your readers. But here’s a mindset you can use—the 80/20 rule.
For your protagonists, make them do “good” things 80% of the time but mix in some questionable behavior 20% of the time. It’ll make them feel more human.
For your antagonists, make them do “bad” things 80% of the time, but sprinkle in a little decency 20% of the time. It’ll make them more likable.
For example, in my book Letters From Jasper, the protagonists—a father and son trying to repair their relationship—are hard not to root for. But they also get into fights, break the law in small ways, and act like smartasses. It makes them more relatable. Certainly more interesting.
My antagonist, a cop obsessed with solving the case, occasionally lets people off the hook or just acts like a normal person. This makes him more likable.
If I had stuck to just one trait for each of them, the characters would be harder to appreciate because you’d be able to predict everything they do. Coloring them with other traits rounds them out and makes them a more 3D character.
The Superman Problem
Think about Superman for a second. Ever wonder why he’s such a boring superhero? He’s so damn good at everything that nothing can stop him—except for some rare piece of kryptonite, which, again… isn’t exactly common. He’s so perfect, he’s predictable. And predictability is the enemy of good storytelling.
Now, take a look at Batman. He’s just a guy. He can be tempted, he can be hurt, and he struggles with moral choices. That’s why he’s more relatable, more likable, and more interesting. He’s flawed, gritty, and incomplete—everything humans are and Superman isn’t.
Bottom Line
Shading your characters in gray means making them more human. Pay attention to the people around you—they’re not just one thing; they’re a mix of everything with a few traits that stand out. Let those traits stand out, but don’t forget the other colors. A generally positive person can be negative sometimes, and a generally negative person can have moments of positivity. That’s what makes people interesting.
Please, like, comment, share, and tell me what you think. What does shades of gray mean to you?
Such a relatable post. I know you were focusing on writing, but trust me, there’s so much value in this piece. So validating, the most honest and realistic description of a human, even parts that most struggle to embrace.
Thank you so much! I feel like paying attention to people is the best way to improve our writing – glad you enjoyed
So true. In both my reading and my writing I’m all about the people who make up the story. Nothing makes me put a book down faster than cardboard characters. Who wants to suffer through 500 pages with boring, predictable people lol.
Certainly not you and me! Thank you so much for reading! And the characters are everything so give them character
You are wise beyond your name, Mr. Bologna! All joking aside, you are.
Thank you so much! I still have my usual Bologna though – thank you for reading
That’s probably why I liked the series Smallville more than any of the Superman movies. He’s still a kid and struggling through teen angst weird powers he knows nothing about. It makes him more relatable. I’ve always liked Batman more though, even though every movie just makes me want a butler 😜
Me too, I’m here for Alfred’ im currently watching the 90’s animated series, it’s so good
Can’t find the “Like” button.
Please consider this reply a “like.”
I appreciate you my friend!
I agree with you. Characters should be real, and no real person is totally good/bad or anything else, for that matter. Many people try to show their good side to the world, and it’s the hidden dark side that’s tantalising. Others – because they’re filthy rich/in a position of power/whatever don’t give a damn what others think of them (and don’t give a damn about others, for that matter) – show their bad side. It’s great in writing to show these contrasts of character, black and white mixed to make grey. Excellent subject. 🙂
Thank you so much – totally agree with everything you said
People are definitely interesting, colorful beings. We’re multifaceted and it’s so beautiful. I just wish more of us felt free to express ourselves (as long as others aren’t harmed in the process) without the fear of being judged.
Your comparison of Superman and Batman was spot on! Superman was so boring until the 3rd or 4th movie. Batman, on the other hand, was always cool. Maybe it was because several actors played that role and were allowed to merge their styles of acting with the character.🤷🏽♀️
Totally agree free to express ourselves without harming others is the way, and I agree – I’m on a Batman kick right now -the 90s animated series is on prime
I hope you are enjoying it.
I need to get on with watching a few Clone Wars (animated) episodes. It’s not like I cannot just pull it up in a window on my PC.
Sounds good. Enjoy!😊
There’s just so much nuance to all of us as humans isn’t there?
So much nuance! Mainly nuance -thank you for reading my friend!
Thank you so much for making this post! It’s tough to write nuanced, human characters, and this post is a great compilation. We might all speak about being nuanced, but how much of us allow ourselves to accept those imperfections?
Can’t agree more with you. Even a bad person has his/her good days.
This is such a well written post. I love how you compared between Superman and Batman- I could never pin point why I always found the story about Superman kind of boring when compared to Batman. I can finally put that to rest.
The 80/20 rule is such a Golden advice. I shall implement it into my future writings and see how they turn out.
So happy you enjoyed! And it’s a shame, Superman was created in the city I’m from and I can’t stand him lol
I understand your sentiment 😂
Hahah thank you
Hey, nice suggestions, will select appropriate Greys in my writing henceforth.👍
I understand your sentiment 😂
I’m still stuck on the fact that you called Superman a boring superhero, then compared him to Batman.
😆😂🤣
I get what you’re doing, but I swear, I’ll take Superman any day.
Fiction is one of my favorite genres, and I love creating characters that are relatable to and for my readers. I agree with your breakdown; it’s best for characters to have layers versus being one-dimensional.
It truly makes them more interesting.
Thanks for sharing this post!
Hahah I love that – yeah I don’t know for me, Superman didn’t do it for me and it’s a shame because he was created in Cleveland but – I don’t know – he’s too good.
Now if I was betting on someone to win a fight, I’d bet on Superman all day and twice on Sunday – as always, thank you for reading!!
😆😂🤣 You’re most welcome!
I couldn’t help cackling at ‘sprinkle a little decency…’
Hahah glad you liked it, life is all about the sprinkles
Your post was very thought-provoking. Despite my comments, I hope that you know that you write very good characters.
For me, I prefer a fantastical edge to the characters I read and write. I agree that humans connect to humanity in characters, but this is where the dichotomy in my writing exists. I don’t want my characters to mirror life so much that my stories lose their make-believeship.
For me, it’s creating or reading characters that have too many real-world qualities that pull me out of a story.
Nevertheless, I enjoy your writing.
Kudos.
Please forgive any typos. I’m up to my eyeballs in editing. 🤣
Oh I’m the last person who will care about grammar, and no problem at all. I also love a good fantasy character and story. One day I want to write one, I actually just started rereading Harry Pottef
Thanks. Finishing the HP series is a distant goal of mine. Once I discovered JK Rowling’s alter ego (Robert Galbraith), I kinda left HP high and dry. Hopefully, I’ll mosey back into that world soon enough.
Oh I didn’t know she had one
Yep. I’d suggest you finish HP first, or you may be distracted like I was. 😆
Reading this got me thinking. Nice piece 👍
Such a detailed and relatable post here thank you buddy for sharing
Thank you for reading!
Your post was a fun and insightful read! The Superman/Batman distinction really drives the point home for me—though I would rather have boring, predictable Superman come to my rescue when needed 😉. Thanks for sharing your insight!
So happy you enjoyed thank you for reading
Wow. Brilliant post Tony and I like the way you explained the answers to this question “HOW TO WRITE SHADES OF GRAY CHARACTERS?”
Also, I believe that as a Writer, you need to use the whole kitchen set, that is, try different traits and styles of writing. For example, you said “A negative person can be positive at times and vice versa” , that is key because that shows how life is, it is both good and bad, it has positive things and negative things, that is what makes life and the people interesting.
In terms of writing, especially the novels, using both the positive and negative factors helps to make the novel readable and not boring. The characters have different traits and personalities, making us Readers eager to read more and what will happen next. I mean, we cannot all be in the black, we will be in the gray.
Have a great day sir💯🙏
Thank you sir! And you’re right it makes people interring
Great post! I think sometimes, the bad guy only shows up when he is being bad, which of course makes him rather flat. But to build those characters we love to love (or hate) we have to believe in them–which requires quirks and flaws. Thank you for sharing – now off to do some 80/20 writing 🙂