Allison Symes's Blog - Posts Tagged "character-id"
Character IDs
In every good book or story, there is at least one standout character. Something about that character grips you so you have to keep reading until the end of the story.
So it pays, as a writer, to work out what exactly it is about that character which gives them their unique standout identity. How has the writer treated their character's faults and virtues?
It pays writers then to read widely and across genres, including non-fiction. The more you read, the more you take in what other writers have done with their characters and that can inspire you with your own.
We all have favourite books and most of the time the reason they're our favourites is because of the characters. (They don't have to be the heroes either).
Characters have to be special to make a story work. For me, some of my favourite characters include:-
1. Frodo Baggins/Sam Gamgee
2. Severus Snape
3. Robin Hood
4. Jeeves and Wooster
5. Sam Vimes
6. The Patrician (Ankh-Morpork)
7. Hercule Poirot
8. Sherlock Holmes
9. Jane Marple
10. Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy
All of these have traits that make them unforgettable (even if some of these, as with Sherlock, would make them questionable even now).
So what qualities do you look for in stories you read that really identify the character as the standout one for you?
So it pays, as a writer, to work out what exactly it is about that character which gives them their unique standout identity. How has the writer treated their character's faults and virtues?
It pays writers then to read widely and across genres, including non-fiction. The more you read, the more you take in what other writers have done with their characters and that can inspire you with your own.
We all have favourite books and most of the time the reason they're our favourites is because of the characters. (They don't have to be the heroes either).
Characters have to be special to make a story work. For me, some of my favourite characters include:-
1. Frodo Baggins/Sam Gamgee
2. Severus Snape
3. Robin Hood
4. Jeeves and Wooster
5. Sam Vimes
6. The Patrician (Ankh-Morpork)
7. Hercule Poirot
8. Sherlock Holmes
9. Jane Marple
10. Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy
All of these have traits that make them unforgettable (even if some of these, as with Sherlock, would make them questionable even now).
So what qualities do you look for in stories you read that really identify the character as the standout one for you?
