Recently I’ve been thinking about characters and what they
are like. What makes for an interesting character that people would like to
read about isn’t as easy as one might think.
When asked where they get ideas for characters, authors
often state dreams, real life, a photo that gave them an idea for a character,
or a current event.
However, characters who make you think of them long after
you finish the book are remembered for what they did and how they felt about
it. They make you think about your own lives and they make you feel. Emotion
drive actions, no matter how logical one may feel they’re being. A need to be
perceived as good or even professional are all based on personal beliefs and
stem from a response to internal, emotional stimuli. Whether or not a character
openly acknowledges it, the reader wants to see the character struggle and fail
and try again and overcome chaos and disasters, and pick themselves up from
disappointments, and have wants and needs and strive to achieve them. Simple right?
I’ve heard people say that most genre fiction is plot driven
and most romance is character driven. Makes sense, but some of the best romance
has complicated plots and fascinating supporting characters. Plenty of wonderful
genre fiction has fascinating characters who have healthy sex lives and
interesting love entanglements. In all fiction I think it’s vital that the main
characters are interesting and complex. They don’t have to be rock stars or
fashion models, and can even have emotional or physical disabilities. Marked
for Greatness and the Tell-Tale Heart come to mind. Imperfections help create
character. More books with characters who have mental illness are certain to
come in this nation of anxiety-ridden millennials. Prozac Nation, The Bell Jar, and Fan Girl come to
mind.
Whatever else they may be, the main characters in fantastic novels are complex, interesting, and outside the box when it comes to ordinary or mundane.
So what do you look for in a great character when you read
or write?
2 comments:
Even my paranormal/fantasy characters have to be 'real' in that they stay consistent to their character, don't act 'too stupid to live' and have some depth to them. Great post!
Interesting post, Elizabeth. Since I'm a reader first, I want to read about characters who appear ordinary (think they're ordinary) then are surprised by their strength, characters who grow during the course of the story. That's true of the stories I write, too. Characters that have (forgivable) faults make them seem real.
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