Characteristics That Make Your Character Memorable
W
hen you’re building a character, you need to know the characteristics that make him the person your reader will get to know. It’s a lot more than physical–it’s what motivates his/her actions. What inspires him/her? What causes this character to be a good Samaritan or look the other way? That essence is what makes him/her interesting and memorable to your readers.
As I’m getting to know my character, I have a list of traits that I’ve noticed in other fictional characters that raised my emotional interest in that individual. Here are some of them:
Mahmeini’s men–this character hasn’t a name; s/he’s part of a group, like Joe’s Band, or Sarah’s knitting club. Homogenous.
Soul of a rogue
Philistine that he was
Personal courage that is admirable and daunting
Play to his ego. You can’t miss it. It’s a large feature
types with one finger
a debater
a man who manicures his nails
sometimes she heard all the words but nothing made sense
He heard nothing but the hissing sound of his brain overheating.
draped herself in lies like summer scarves
obsessed with Princess DI–clothing, articles, pillows, etc.
a Bill Gates-size checkbook and better hair than Trump
walks ducktoed
watches people while he’s doing something—like he cuts his meat and they’re fingering their earring
Small detail that spelled trouble–never made it out of high school, juvenile record for theft, failed the psychological tests for both the marines and the army. Robbed gas stations but didn’t get caught. Hung out with the Clan.
She was like a chameleon—took on the traits of those around her
Hardness quotient of his heart somewhere in the neighborhood of hot Jell-O
Dropping last three words of a sentence to a grumble
Buffalo area accent
Ss whistle when s/he speaks
sense of a big league baseball manager, ahead on the scoreboard but with the game about to be called on account of rain
LASD body-building champion in 2001
manages to read 2-3 books a week
Leg shook whenever he sat; he fidgeted
A phobia—needles, ladders, etc
larger-than-normal personal space bubble
eats M&Ms or Skittles by color
can’t use a pen without a top
can’t clean his/her house unless it’s dark out
can’t sleep in a messy room
nibbles at his/her fingers when excited
turns every statement into a question–i.e.
Clips his nails in front of people
sees everyone as a color–she’s pink
has to have even numbers for stuff–like a grade or the volume on his/her iPod
can’t stand wood in his/her mouth–like chopsticks, popsicles, etc.
calls males ‘son’, i.e., ‘Good job, son!’
Janice talked so much it was like drowning in a verbal Niagara Falls.
She ate two antacids, slugged down some water and ate two more
suffering of strangers, even family, never touched him. He was family-centered
morally bankrupt
didn’t seem to have any inner resources
whistles out of tune
whistles out of tune or the same three lines over and over
very rosy cheeks–almost rosacea
can’t eat vanilla cake with chocolate icing
eats toothpaste
walks on his/her toes
a phobia to something weird–like cracks on the sidewalk
his/her leg shakes every time they sit
rolls eyes up and to the right as they pontificate (or lecture, or just talk)
cheerleading—lean in, big smile, claps the person on the shoulder
Freethinking Euro-intellectual
Extreme pickiness: peeled back the lid of the yogurt and licked the yogurt from the top. Then placed the lid on a narrow counter, folding it into eighths. Licked both sides of the spoon after taking a bite of yogurt.
holds a golf club behind his neck with both hands
rolls eyes up to the right and makes wide hand movements just as he’s about to pontificate (Bill O’Reilly)
always has to have the office/room door closed
break a sandwich up into little pieces before eating it
loves good grammar
can’t write with a blue pen
has a postcard collection
can’t go anywhere without a bottle of water
Must eat lunch at exactly 11:30 (or noon, or whatever hour works for your novel)
smells the pages of a book, or people, or food before eating
moves her lips when reading
stuck his tongue out while he worked (thought)
wears boxers
yellowed teeth
forgets names for common items, ie, Jacuzzi, bread box
-sh comes out as an –s, like ‘negotiations
Flemy voice
Nibbled at a fingernail
Chiara always sang when she was happy.
Not book smart, but a solid core of morals
Scratches himself as he talks; constantly and intermittently
empties the toaster crumbs every Monday morning;
cleans the cutting wheel on the electric can opener once a week because it’s “the dirtiest quarter inch in your kitchen”;
visits a different card shop each day to read the greeting cards;
names his son Sharon, after the steel mill town in Pennsylvania;
tugs at one sleeve because that arm is slightly longer than the other;
telephones her son to remind him again how difficult his birth was for her;
stands on tiptoes in family photos to appear taller;
vacuums the attic.
Chuck Frye, former 2nd best surfer’
Tips of her ears turn scarlet, sure sign she’s mad
Rubbing his fingers against each other
Over-developed sense of spatial reasoning
Sees patterns
What do you use that paste a warning label across your characters’ foreheads–BEWARE: Will keep you awake at night!
More posts on characters:
113 Ways to Characterize Your Protagonist
Jacqui Murray is the editor of a technology curriculum for K-fifth grade and creator of two technology training books for middle school. She is the author of Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy midshipman. She is webmaster for five blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, IMS tech expert, and a weekly contributor to Write Anything and Technology in Education. Currently, she’s working on a techno-thriller that should be ready this summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
Filed under: characters, descriptors, writers resources Tagged: characters, traits
