What Makes A Character Interesting?

[J.]

Mike wrote: "I need to care about what happens to the characters; they don't have to be perfect, but there must be something about them that makes me get behind them. I'm reading [book:The Beautiful and Damned|...but finding it hard to get involved with Anthony and Gloria - they just don't matter somehow. ..."

Well, yes, that's exactly the crux of the topic, what makes you "get behind them." Or, in the case of Anthony and Gloria, what makes them "not matter." Please try to clarify a little.

[J.]

Sara wrote: "for females:

1) Having a working mind with alive brain cells
2) being brave but not stupidly brave
3)Having a specific goal in her life, not just living for the hell of it
4) Not being dump and DE..."

Good comment, very specific, on topic.

[Joanna]

J. wrote: "Joanna wrote: "In one of my novels the main character is a female serial killer age 30 when the novel begins. I hated her, but had to give reasons why she turned to murdering anyone who rejected or..."

Yes, I did. How did you guess?

[J.]

J. wrote: "Did you have a "save the cat" moment?..."

Joanna wrote: "Yes, I did. How did you guess?"

I just played a hunch. It was just a hunch. I played my luck; sometimes a hunch pays off, sometimes it doesn't, I was just lucky, I just played a hunch, Frank.

[Francina]

What makes an interesting character? Well, in the end, it's all very subjective. However, I'd have to toss my coins at Honesty. The more Honest the character the more interesting.

I don't mean "how often the tell a lie" rather, if the writer is writing them honestly, good/bad. Do all the motivations hold true to the character?

[Harold]

Characters that interest me display empathy, a regard for the welfare of others in a society or culture that does not.

[J.]

Harold wrote: "Characters that interest me display empathy, a regard for the welfare of others in a society or culture that does not."

In other words, characters who save the cat.

[Martyn]

J. wrote: "I just played a hunch. It was just a hunch. I played my luck; sometimes a hunch pays off, sometimes it doesn't, I was just lucky, I just played a hunch, Frank."

Frank: What you're trying to say, J, is you just played a hunch. A lucky guess. Sometimes a hunch pays off, sometimes it doesn't. You just played a hunch. Is that what you're trying to tell me, J?

[Scott]

Exactly the same traits that make people interesting.

[E.J.]

I think one of the things which makes a character interesting is that they are flawed in some way.

[Desmerelda]

Nenia wrote: "No Mary Sues. No self-insertion fics."



I was just wonder how to notice when we are doing that, and squash it?

[Ross]

A different type of name could make someone stand out.
Plus everyone has some sort of fear or phobia,so highlight this problem to make your character more human.
Why not have them talk their own language.eg.I have noticed in some songs that the artist pronounces there as therr.
Have their wardrobe stand out from the crowd.

[J.]

Ross wrote: "A different type of name could make someone stand out.

Names are good, but choose carefully. Naming your villain "Snidely Blackhart" is not a great idea. Naming your hero "Ashurbanipal Dinwiddie," ditto.

Plus everyone has some sort of fear or phobia,so highlight this problem to make your character more human.

This could work well for one character, but it's potentially a cliche--e.g., Indiana Jones and the snakes.

Why not have them talk their own language.

Because readers will tire of the funny spelling. You can give them a frequent dialogue tag, like "...not that I'm complaining," but even that can get tiresome. Again, use caution.

Have their wardrobe stand out from the crowd."

That works the first time, but constant references to Ashurbanipal's nehru jacket will soon get obtrusive. Not that I'm complaining...

[Martyn]

Ross wrote: "A different type of name could make someone stand out."
Seeing how many readers have problems with the Dutch names in my book, I don't think you should go too exotic, although Lovecraft's readers didn't complain about Shub Niggurath or Nyarlathotep.

Ross wrote: "Plus everyone has some sort of fear or phobia,so highlight this problem to make your character more human."
Not everyone has a fear or phobia, but most people have quirks. Like incessant nail-biting or counting to ten before they deck someone.

Ross wrote: "Why not have them talk their own language.eg.I have noticed in some songs that the artist pronounces there as therr."
While my Rastafarian character has some speech idiosyncrasies, most characters in my books set themselves apart through speech patterns or calling people 'pal', etcetera. Writing phonetically could jar readers from their suspension of disbelief. We can't all be Anthony Burgess.

Ross wrote: "Have their wardrobe stand out from the crowd."
You can have people look Gothic or Preppy, but if you mention that too often, readers will get irritated.

[Joanna]

Names are mentioned here, and they are important. Being Australian I had no idea till I moved to the UK how social class affects names, and I found it strange at first. In Australia Tracy and Sharon are just names - not a working class label. So I had to be careful when setting my books in the UK to give characters the right sort of name.

[Barbara]

There needs to be something special about them to make them likable. But they cannot be perfect. They need internal and external conflict They need a quirk, it can be something simple like a certain food they are addicted to, or a type of clothes they wear. My favorites have a sense of humor, even if it is a strange one. They have the ability to dust themselves off and get back up---always.