Several
things help to create Lovable and Enduring characters. Here are a few of my thoughts:
1.
A Lovable character has to Believable. Such a character must be as realistic as it’s possible. Then there is an
instant connection between the reader and character. He or she
has to belong to a world the readers can
identify. He or she has to have a real set of problems, much like the problems
that haunt us.
2. A Imperfect Character who has several flaws
and shortcomings endears himself to the readers. Perfect
characters or characters with very few flaws have an artificiality about them.
We have an instant dislike for these superior than thou creatures. We love
people who are as flawed as us.
3. A character who is not
afraid of Failure is one every reader will love. This
character will sacrifice everything to win the conflict, a lot like Harry
Potter. This character intensifies the tension with his or her determined
attitude to plough through, inspite of the odds stacking up against him/her.
4. A character not scared to show his or her Emotions. Afterall when a
reader is following you page after page, they need to see you warts and all. They need to see your joys as
well as sorrows, your fears as well as strengths, your worries and concerns.
5. A character who
encounters both Success and Failure is one readers identify with. Isn’t life
all about the highs and lows. The lows
the protagonist undergoes makes us rejoice when he or she experiences a high.
If a character keeps tasting failure without a bite of success, then the
readers label him or her as a loser. And if the character only meets with
success, then he is labeled as an overachiever, and the readers somewhere start
resenting him.
6. A character who has several Inner
Demons to conquer. This is as realistic as it can get and also becomes a mirror
image of all of us. Life is all about conquering fears. We have as
many inner conflicts to overcome as
external conflicts to battle. And our fights with our inner demons is a
constant one.
7. A character who arouses our Sympathy and wriggles his/her way into a
corner of our heart forges a bond :
albeit a bond of sympathy. James (James and the Giant peach), Mathilda,
poor Harry Potter mistreated by his
uncle and aunt, and bullied by his cousin, all wormed their way into our
hearts.
8.
A character who is slightly Mysterious; has several layers to his personality which
have not yet been revealed, wins over anytime. The motives of such characters
are not revealed immediately. The intrigued reader is curious to know more about the character
and sticks on despite the plot slackening in places.
What do you think goes into creating lovable and enduring characters?
Which trait in a character appeals to you the most? How do you go all go about
creating a well rounded character, a character readers will love? We all are
eagerly awaiting your tips to perfect our own characters.
Great post, Rachna. I think these points are all very important to think about when we are developing and writing our characters. Bridging that connection from the character to the reader is critical.
ReplyDeleteGreat points. For me characters that have good qualities as well as bad ones are important. Because those are the ones that are true to life. They endure, because folks can identify with them. We all have good characteristics and not so good ones too. The trick is, making the good shine through. I mean even our antags have something good about them. Readers love to hate a bad guy. But even more, they like a reason to feel sorry for him/her.
ReplyDeleteI like characters who are vulnerable but not wimpy. I want to feel that I can see their inner strength and beauty in spite of the circumstances they may be facing. I love to cheer for the underdog!
ReplyDeleteAwesome list, Rachna! I think #2 and #5 are especially important.
ReplyDeleteGreat list! So very true. I love a real, vulnerable but strong character.
ReplyDeleteI love characters that I can sympathize with, and with a chunky lack of confidence. That always gets me!
ReplyDeleteThis post really got me to thinking. I guess I like layered characters, both heroes and villains, who make discoveries about themselves, and the other characters as they go along. I like being surprised by the characters. But, first of all, if I'm going to care about the protagonist, I need to see endearing faults mixed in with sterling traits he or she might not even be aware of.
ReplyDeleteFantastic, well thought out list. I like characters whom I can relate to the most...especially the ones who are open about their flaws.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! It has made me realise my MC needs a little bit of failure. I think it's all going too well for him. Poor guy, he's in for it now.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitly my weak area. I am hoping my current MC is someone a reader will relate to and fall in love with. I find I have to tone my characters down so that they don't come across too ambivalent.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great list, and I need to remember every single point. As I read through my first drafts, I can definitely see where I've gone wrong. Sometimes they're too snarky, sometimes too perfect. Revision, revision, revision!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on all these points! It's so important to make your characters seem as realistic as possible.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great list and so helpful! I agree that sympathetic characters seem to really stick with readers. I also love characters with slight contradictions in them. This is such a great reference for all of us!
ReplyDeleteInteresting list. I like imperfect characters the best, and I do believe all characters ought to be slightly imperfect, besides being other things, because as a race, none of us are perfect :)
ReplyDeleteLove this list! I'm taking notes. I think sometimes that's the problem with my characters, that they're bot that lovable. It could be the flawed writer's fault. ;)
ReplyDeleteFor instant intrigue, I go for showing heroism, humor and/or intelligence. Any of those will win my respect and admiration in a heartbeat. Of course, then the character has to grow in the ways you've outlined here AND keep those traits I fell in love with. No small feat. Great post!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I guess it all depends on the story... I think for most stories, people want to relate to the characters and like them. But I know some authors have very flawed characters they are not intending to be loveable.
ReplyDeleteI personally like characters that seem real, but that are not necessarily majorly flawed. Sometimes when characters do something really foolish, I don't relate to them more, I just disconnect because it doesn't seem realistic to me. It's a fine balance.
Love this post! I also loved Debra Dixon's book Goal, Motivation and Conflict - completely CHANGED my MS.
ReplyDeleteGreat reminders, Rachna.I think the key to creating three-dimensional, likable characters is to really get to know them. Walk in their shoes so that you, as author, are feeling, breathing, and living their lives. LIke you mentioned, it's important for readers to see the flaws, experience in the emotion. If you've done your homework and really worked on character profiles, the authenticity of the characters will shine through.
ReplyDelete