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We’ve all watched or read stories about good vs. evil, hero vs. villain, good cop vs. bad cop, and we usually tend to empathize with the most compelling character. Note that I didn’t say the good guy, I said compelling. Today I was asked to describe what a compelling character meant to me. My answer was brief, yet to the point:
The most compelling characters are those who appear internally consistent and yet are capable of surprise. They have to be well-developed and reliable. They learn, and sometimes, change from experiences they have encountered and endured throughout the story. In order to create gripping characters, a good writer explores and finds what motivates these characters to do or say certain things. My mentor always told me that a believable character must have a driving need, desire, ambition or goal; a secret; a contradiction; and vulnerability. This will avoid crafting a flat or two-dimensional character. Whether these characters are the heroes or the villains, the reader will empathize with them. When reading, the characters seem to be in front of us. We get to know them so well that we feel a sense of loss by the time we finish reading the book. In other words, when we read, we are supposed to live vicariously through these characters.
What about you? Who do you usually empathize with? What’s your idea of a compelling character?
I think your description of a compelling character says it all. Whether good or bad, if characters have the power to evoke strong emotions in me and propel the story forward, then they are compelling.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I have a new blog out that reflects me as an author and is turning out to be my inspiration for my next novel. You can find it here: http://essentiallyitalian.blogspot.com
Hi Laura,
DeleteThank you for sharing your new blog. I'll hop over to check it out. Glad to hear you're working on your new novel.
Wishing you success on all your projects!
Claudia,
ReplyDeleteI love your post!
The more I read from your blog, the more I realize that actors and writers have so much in common. They only express it through different means.
When I'm working on a character, I always think about his contradictions and vulnerabilities before anything else. His ghosts. If in the script he doesn't have any, I make them up.
Might be a coincidence, but I'm usually cast as the bad guy!!
Here are some of my compelling characters: Dracula, Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights, Iago from Othello, William of Baskerville from The Name of the Rose, and anyone who has inner contradictions is to me real, because we all have them.
Great post, Claudia!
I wish I had written it! Can I be a cop-ycat?
A good one though ;)
Hi Jay,
DeleteOh you mentioned some great characters, starting with Heathcliff and William. These are great examples of compelling characters.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
I find fleshing out my characters gut wrenching. I guess it's because I have to care for them first and find little bits of me (or bits I;d like to be but can't in real life) in them too. I hope whoever reads my stories will like them too at some level!
ReplyDeleteI always empathize with a hero/heroine who battles his or her inner demons - you know one who may easily have gone over the dark side if it hadn't been for some innate sense of humanity. I also like a villain who has a sense of wicked/witty and very naughty humour too! I tend to empathize with them more!
Take care
x
Hi Jennifer,
DeleteYes, characters have to be real (or at least feel they are). So a character who's battling his/her inner demons is more real than one who's too perfect and problem-free. This type of character is unreliable, therefore, a disappointment for the reader. Fleshing out characters is not an easy task, however, you have to let them speak to you. Don't force characteristics and traits that may not be real.
My idea of a compelling character is one who's not perfect but still strives to do right in the end.
ReplyDeleteHi Alex,
DeleteYou have a good point there ;)
And I imagine this applies to either the protagonist or antagonist.
you have the good point.
ReplyDeleteHi Jeremy,
DeleteThank you for dropping by and leaving a message ;)
I think I'd like to see a character with excessive insecurities and quirks that gets involved in an adventure, or thrust into circumstances that provide much more than he anticipated being able to handle and a continual evolution of him or herself that they never dreamed obtainable WITHOUT fantastic coincidences and last minute rescues, that's not a comedy, but still enjoyable to read. It sounds trite but how many times does something happen like a pet dragon come swooping in at the last minute or some incredible coincidence in the plot to bail out the main character and the plot does not turn into a comedy?
ReplyDeleteMaybe a not so astute Columbo type person? Jeeze I'm writing the book here, and I don't even write this type of literature.
Hi Dan,
DeleteI know you write humorous pieces but yes, some comedy can also be injected into drama or viceversa. I wish I could think of a book that contains those elements you mention here. If I remember, I'll write you an email ;)
A perfectly timed post. When I begin a new WIP I usually have a rough idea of the characters, but then they change themselves as the story runs its course. Having just finished the present WIP 'Ghost Dance' I've started editing, and its fascinating to see these changes in character. At present I'm developing and smoothing out characters because I'm now in the postion to see exactly 'who' they are. Which is why I found your post perfectly timed : )
ReplyDeleteHi Mike,
DeleteCongratulations on finishing your WIP! :)
Editing could help your story get a new twist or give you the opportunity to develop your characters into someone completely different. I've had stories where my characters go through a huge change without affecting too much of the story. I am happy to hear this was a timely post :)
Great character insights! Awesome blog:)
ReplyDeleteHi Mark,
DeleteThank you! Welcome to my blog. Hope to see you around.
This is an awesome post, Claudia. I agree with everything as far as what makes a compelling character. Your mentor is wise! I fall in love with characters who challenge their roles in the narrative-- a protagonist with some unattractive habits, or a villian who shows compassion. In my current project, I tried very hard to make the protagonist flawed, and the antagonists' motives somewhat relate-able, and then put them at odds with one another. I hope that it somehow makes them-- and the outcome of the plot-- more compelling.
ReplyDeleteHi Raquel,
DeleteThank you! You have a point, if we have compelling characters, we have a compelling story as well. They take us by the hand throughout the narrative and make us their friend. They're the driving force of the plot.
Great post! I guess in reading what attracts me to a character depends on the genre I'm reading. I typically like characters with struggles either physical or emotional ones. I love watching characters grow or overcome a challenge. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Sharon,
DeleteDitto! Have you ever read "Middlesex"? The main character is full complexities and that's what makes her so compelling. I mostly read literary fiction so it's easy for me to empathize with the hero/heroine ;) (very rarely with a villain)
I personally feel an edge of unpredictability can lend a character that feeling of dread or excitement for the reader; be it the character's overreaction to certain situations, or a deep-rooted experience they regard as so traumatic that only they are privy to it, or even a secret addiction that takes them over from time-to-time with the occasional unforeseen consequences.
ReplyDeleteThis kind of character has you either tearing yourself apart hoping they won't succumb, or eagerly awaiting the moment they do. I think a great character has, in part, elements that will draw you to them, or repulse you - either way, you still want to keep following them through the story.
Hi Mark,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts. Aha! Good word: "unpredictability", it can go a long way in a character's personality. Just be careful your character doesn't become unreliable as a consequence of being "too" unpredictable. ;)
Cheers!