Creating Perfect[ly flawed] Characters that steal your heart

Said to be the perfect man, but can you create a better one?

 @harleymaywrites Tweeted yesterday that she had a crush on one of her characters. I thought this was normal. In fact, I thought anything less than a crush on your characters set one up for failure in portraying them in the way you want them to be: perfectly flawed. Especially if you write tales of the heart like I do.

I myself have been infatuated with one of my characters for approximately two years now. He's Simon Avery, the main love interest for my main character, Ellen, in the up-coming An Altered Ending. Simon has issues: like his fear of aging, his stubbornness, his cockiness (especially when it comes to his writing), and a few others. But he's also incredibly supportive, loyal, empathetic, and, of course, hot. I loved him, and the way he is, so much that I ended up writing another piece with him a little more in the light (a ways away from completion, though).

I have enjoyed a particular dark haired villainous man from Heart Pulled to Pieces, as well as his arch rival. Yet, still, as much as I enjoyed these characters, they don't hold the same amount of space in my creative heart that this guy does. There are similarities among all three (though two are more alike than the other), but no matter how I dice it, and no matter what I do to try and change it, Simon is still numero uno.

It makes me wonder what exactly makes a writer love one character more than another? Personality? Looks? Emotions tied to the piece that they're involved in?

Even if it's not the same level of admiration as the kind that makes you swoon, I think we all have "favorite children" amongst our pieces. You never really want to admit it, because you're supposed to be proud of all of them, but there's always one that sticks out more than the rest. It probably doesn't hurt that they're easy on the minds eye, and say witty and charming things while they run around in there.

So tell me, what are your favorite creations, and what makes you love them so much?

A special thanks to the Harley May on Twitter for inspiring the blogpost

Also, Gingie (the gingerbread man) was created by and is owned by Dreamworks