How to Create Characters Worth Reading
There’s no shortage of blog posts about what makes characters likable to readers. I’ve written about the issue myself. Theories abound with different approaches we can take as writers to create likable characters.
But with every one of those posts, some will rightly bring up the fact that not all protagonists are likable. Depending on the genre or story, the protagonist might be anywhere from prickly to a full-on antihero.
Yet readers still read and enjoy those stories. Why?
It’s because likability is not the end-all-be-all for creating compelling characters that readers want to find out more about. Yes, likability is important for many stories and genres, but we can also create compelling stories and characters without that trait.
So let’s instead take a look at what options we have for creating characters that compel readers to keep turning pages…
Elements that Make a Character Compelling
Characters are a mixture of elements, and several elements other than likability can make a reader compelled to keep reading. What elements make readers want to follow these characters on the story journey? What makes them readable?
Compelling characters might be:
Likable:
Yeah, yeah, let’s get the obvious out of the way first. *smile* As I mentioned in a previous post, likable characters:
- have “good,” unselfish goals,
- aren’t annoying,
- treat others well, and
- have “good” motivations.
In addition, the subtext behind their reactions isn’t undermining their “goodness.” A likable character might be someone we’d choose to be friends with in real life. They might “save a cat” or do some other good deed. We might see them being a good friend or taking care of others. It’s easy for readers to root for these characters.
Interesting:
Many antiheroes are compelling to read about because they’re strong in this category. Interesting characters might have:
- a compelling voice,
- an interesting job,
- an admirable skill or knowledge (including being funny),
- a strong character growth arc, or
- an interesting situation or premise, etc.
Think of those characters with very little development that we read about in plot-heavy thrillers just because their situation or the premise catches our attention. But also think about characters with loads of development who pass through a strong character arc.
It can be interesting to read about a spy trying to stop a terrorist. Just as it can be interesting to read about a normal character who experiences an inspirational amount of growth.
Relatable:
Some characters are so relatable to readers they become compelling. They might:
- experience the same situations we do,
- struggle with the same setbacks we do,
- share our same flaws,
- make us laugh, or
- have similar goals or needs, etc.
Regardless, we understand where these characters are coming from. We might turn the pages to be inspired in a “if they can succeed, maybe I can too” way. Or maybe we root for them because we think we deserve success, so they must deserve success too, and we want to be there when it happens to get a vicarious thrill.
Sympathetic:
Sympathetic characters are often victims of undeserved misfortune. They’ve suffered from being:
- mistreated by someone more powerful,
- unable to get a break,
- in the wrong place at the wrong time,
- humiliated, abandoned, or betrayed,
- in danger of losing relationships, jobs, home, or life, or
- powerless to stop something.
These characters deserve better than their situation. Whatever bad thing happened to them was not their fault. It’s an injustice in their life, and readers long to see the wrongs put right.
Note: Sometimes these characters don’t think they deserve better. They might suffer from low self-esteem or guilt and and self-blame. This technique can make a character even more sympathetic—as we see the damage for how they’ve been wronged—but if overdone, it could also make a character seem pathetic. Use with caution.
Mix and Match Elements
The best characters will often have a mix of multiple elements. They suffer from a backstory wound that makes them sympathetic, but they also have flaws that make them relatable and character traits that make them interesting and/or likable.
For example, an antihero might have a unique skill or knowledge that we admire despite ourselves (interesting). They might make us laugh (relatable). And they might have a tortured backstory to explain those antihero traits (sympathetic).
Or a thin character in a plot-heavy story might be essentially “good” (likable), have a special skill and be in an unusual job and/or situation (interesting), and want to fight an injustice (sympathy).
So if we get feedback that readers don’t like our character, rather than file down their prickly edges until we don’t recognize them anymore, we might instead be able to increase the mix for these other elements.
Disclaimer #1: Know Our Genre’s Expectations for Characters
Some genres allow for less of one element as long as another element is really strong. Some genres are more flexible about which elements are important or required. We need to read widely to know the expectations of our genre (and subgenre).
For example, many assume that a genre like romance requires likable characters, and some romance subgenres do have that requirement. After all, romance is all about rooting for these characters to get together, and we wouldn’t care about an unlikable character’s success and happiness in love.
However, in some romance subgenres, the likability of the hero is less of an issue. Hundreds of billionaire or gritty romances include heroes who are jerks—but they make up for it with the other elements. They’re usually super-competent in interesting ways and are often tortured by sympathetic backstory wounds, and most importantly, many of them become likable (at least to the heroine) as part of their character arc.
Disclaimer #2: The Most Compelling Character Doesn’t Have to Be the Protagonist
We can probably all point to examples like The Great Gatsby for stories where readers have debates over which character is the true protagonist: Nick Carraway, the narrator, or Jay Gatsby, the compelling core of the story. My friend Serena Yung shared another example last week when she told me about a book she was reading that was heavy on plot and light on character development—all except for the villain.
The villain was more fleshed out than any of the “good guys,” so she actually ended up enjoying that character the most. Despite that whole “villain” thing. And despite the fact that the character was actually a computer.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this computer character was why the author had wanted to write the premise to begin with. Or maybe the computer character was the “story seed” that had first given them the idea for the story.
The #1 Tip: Ensure the Compelling Elements in Our Head Make It to the Page
We often have to be careful about how we portray our characters. We may love one of our characters, but we might struggle with how to show on the page what makes them awesome in our mind.
That strong character might come across as too arrogant or unrelatable. That sarcastic character might seem bitter or mean. Or that emotionally hurt character might sound whiny or pathetic.
So no matter how we want our characters to come across, we need feedback from critique partners, beta readers, and/or editors to ensure that the character on the page matches the character in our mind. If readers don’t get the right impression, chances are good we’ve missed showing a critical element that makes us understand them. Without, showing that element, readers will be in the dark about what makes the character cool.
We can review the list of elements above to see which apply to the character in our mind and then ensure that we’ve shown that element on the page. Or check to make sure a word or phrase doesn’t undermine the impression we want. We can tell readers all we want that a character is a good guy, but if the subtext shows the reader something else, the impression isn’t going to match what we intended.
It’s easy to use a word or phrase that leaves an unintended impression on readers. Or to forget to show the aspects that make them or their thoughts or actions sympathetic. Honestly, sometimes it’s a wonder we manage to make our ideas translate into others’ heads at all. But with a mix of the right elements, we might get close enough so readers are compelled to keep reading. *smile*
Have you struggled to write likable characters? Did you change the character, or did you try to make the character compelling in other ways? Do you think strengthening these other elements might help? Can you think of other elements that might make a character compelling or readable?
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I think you are right about the main four elements. It made me think of Star Wars and how I found both Vader and Boba Fett (from the original trilogy) much more interesting than Luke or the others. They each had at least one of the elements you’ve mentioned.
My current WIP is a romance where one of the MCs is a sarcastic, violent little sh*t but he’s proven to be a favorite among my betas. Reading your post I realized I somehow managed to make him have all four elements. He’s likable in that he is motivated by his love for and loyalty to the Queen. He is interesting in that he’s lead a very unusual life and always has some sarcastic remark. He’s relatable in that he failed his last mission, nearly died and has since lost his job. He is sympathetic because he also has to deal with racism and harassment from those above him.
Now I just need to figure out how to balance that with the other MC so that he’s not totally overshadowed.
I can’t think of any other ways aside from those mentioned to make a character compelling. You’ve done a great job outlining the primary methods.
Hi Davonne,
That’s a really good point! I think all the focus on likability can make us feel limited in creating characters that feel real and three-dimensional. If we focus too much on likability–to the exclusion of these other elements–we’re likely to end up with a Mary Sue/Gary Stu type of character. Too perfect.
Instead, we do want them to have flaws and prickly edges. And these other elements can ensure those flaws create a sense of a whole person. We don’t expect real people to be perfect, so that 3D aspect makes it so that we can understand and forgive those flaws.
Thanks for sharing your example and insights! 🙂 And thanks for the comment!
Hey Jami! I’ll make a few short comments for now: YAY I got mentioned! 😀 LOL yeah he’s a computer. XD And I think it is indeed very likely that the computer was the story seed. Oh I find that at least for me, usually if I find a character likable and relatable, they are interesting to me; and if they are interesting and relatable to me, they are also likable to me. 😀 Though of course there are examples that break these rules where someone could be likable but not that interesting, or interesting but not very likable. And in general, if they are similar to me, I am likely to find them interesting and likable, lol!! But the cool thing about being relatable and interesting in terms of being similar to you, is that this can be subjective! I would probably find someone who’s also a bit obsessed with robots and the Transformers more relatable and interesting, but someone else might think, “yee what a geek! I hate robots and machines!” LOL they might find them too geeky and robo-philic to like as well, lol. Oh on likability, a lot of people dislike saintly characters because they are TOO noble and moral. Yet I personally really like such noble and moral characters, moral exemplars. 😀 There are also idiosyncratic things people are automatically uninterested in. Like for me, FOR SOME REASON when I learn that a character is a lawyer, I have an automatic ho-hum reaction. Lol! I… — Read More »
Hi Serena,
Great point! Often, if we like someone, we’ll search for ways to relate to them or find them interesting, or vice versa. Same with the other elements. So these elements definitely work together and build off one another.
And as you pointed out, this is one way writing is very subjective. Two readers can find a character likable or interesting or whatever, but they might have different reasons behind their impressions. One reader might relate to their flaws, and another reader might relate to their situation.
That doesn’t even touch the great examples of subjectivity you shared for where the same job, sense of humor, or beliefs might make some readers like a character and other readers dislike a character. On the positive side, everywhere we look, we can find reasons not to take someone’s dislike of our story or characters personally. 🙂
That’s why we have to look at feedback and see if their suggestions would make the story we want to tell any better–or if they’d just change the story to something else. I’ve received feedback before that would erase all of one of my heroine’s flaws and rough edges. Sure, her goals were a little questionable. 😉 But luckily I knew better than to follow the advice to flat-out change her. Instead, I worked on emphasizing her needs and motivations–which were “good”–and that in turn emphasized how she deserves sympathy. Thanks for sharing those great insights!
Ooh good example on how to make your character more sympathetic without actually changing her. 😀 I like this idea of emphasizing needs and motivations–or emphasizing something about the character that LOOKS good, haha.
I also habitually omit mentions of less pleasant stuff about my hero, haha. And sometimes there’s a way to find word choices that would convey more positive or sympathetic impressions of characters. If I use this word choice, he would look like a spineless weakling. But if I use that word choice, he would simply look unfortunate and sympathetic, not pathetic and weak. Similarly, if I describe her action in X way, she would sound very mean and selfish. But if I describe this same action in Y way, she wouldn’t sound THAT bad, i.e. her action would look more forgivable, haha.
So yeah, different word choices can make people look better or worse, lol, and the same goes for describing our characters!
Hi Serena,
I gave a couple more examples in my reply to Sharon too. 🙂 And yes! Word choice for the same action can make all the difference sometimes. LOL! Thanks for the comment!
Jami-
In the book I tried to market to agents last year, I had changed the MC too much because my betas all found her unsympathetic. In the end, I didn’t like her anymore and the story became quite blah.
I’m hoping that the beta readers for my most recent book (you might remember it) will see the same characters I tried to write. They are much clearer to understand since I followed your advice. But, did my picture make it to the page?
I find that what I read as subtext often goes unnoticed by my readers. How do I get what I’m thinking onto the page?
Thanks for another helpful post. I hope I won’t have to change Akolo and Zi Yan too much after the betas finish reading, but this article has given me a place to start if I do.
Hi Sharon, From what I can tell, that’s the hardest step to do, and unfortunately, I don’t have a magic answer for any of us. :/ (Believe me, I struggle with that same issue! 🙂 ) The best advice I can offer is: be clear about motivations–we can forgive a lot if we understand where someone is coming from and why they’re doing what they’re doing use beta readers, critique partners, and editors for feedback ask those we use for feedback specific questions about their impressions of our character–were they ever too unlikable, unsympathetic, etc. (and to mark or point out those places if possible) However, once we receive that feedback–as I mentioned in the post–we shouldn’t necessarily file off those rough edges. Instead, we can look at the underlying issue and see about addressing that. For example, if feedback says that a character’s X behavior is unsympathetic, that doesn’t mean we need to cut that behavior. Sure, if we didn’t intend for that behavior/impression to be important or exist at all, etc., we can cut it. But if we want that behavior to stay there (like if it’s important to their character and/or their arc), we can instead look at how to make that same behavior more sympathetic. Like, if a character seemingly lashes out for no reason, we can dig deeper to show the reason. Did something trigger them? Did something hit a nerve? Is it related to a backstory wound? Do they have motivation to think the… — Read More »
Lovely examples!
And I so agree that knowing someone’s motivations for why they did something makes them so much more sympathetic. There have been countless instances where I at first wholeheartedly hated my character X. But unfortunately, as soon as I went into their backstory or explained things from their perspective, i.e. showed WHY they felt they had to do this, WHY they believe it’s right to do this, etc., I started sympathizing with them and even liking them. 🙁
It’s very sad that I often am determined to completely hate my villain, yet I so automatically go into backstory-ing and/or motivation explaining, that I lose the ability to hate them that completely.
SO, if I truly want everyone to hate villain X to death, I should provide NO motivational reasons or backstory for X’s cruel actions! Muahaha! Lol
Hi Serena,
Yes, I sympathize to some extent with all of my villains too (some more than others!). To be honest, I think that’s actually a good sign that we haven’t created a cardboard, mustache-twirling villain, so I’d call that a good thing. 🙂 Thanks for the comment!
That last tip is the hardest to do, making sure the concept actually makes it to the page. Thanks for all the help here. Compelling characters are hard to translate to the reader.
Hi Dolorah,
Believe me, I understand. 🙂 I just gave some additional tips in my reply to Sharon above. Maybe something there would help. Good luck and thanks for stopping by!
Great post and some good points made—good suggestions also. 🙂 After reading your post the first thing that came to my mind was that I hate traditionally likable characters for a multitude of reasons. I say that because most traditionally likable characters read as Mary Sues and there is nothing I despise more in writing than those lame ladies (and their pals, Gary Stus). Once I come across a character that is “sooo sweeeet” she makes babies laugh and birds sing then I am pretty much done because she becomes Useless Female Character toot-sweet. You find a similar foil in gay fiction where one half of the power couple is simply UFC with male hormones (so we are told; he usually reads like a woman who happens to be named Fletcher or some other porn star name). The second thing I wonder about is why we should adhere to genre expectations. I write character-driven stories—but I also write horror and suspense thrillers. People actually don’t seem to mind so long as I keep the external plot involved (everything from the mafia to the Big Bad Wolf being real… yeah… I’m uh… varied…). I also do critiques and edits for a mystery writer who got so sucked into the “write to audience expectations” that she slaughtered her characterizations in the name of plot because she thought that’s what people wanted to read—all plot, characters there only as machines to push along the action. No, no, no! As a reader I am… — Read More »
Hi Justine,
I know what you mean about Mary Sues/Gary Stus, and that’s why I think the focus on likability might be doing a disservice to many stories and characters. As for your second question…
Ah, that’s why I didn’t say to adhere to genre expectations but to be aware of them. 😉 Believe me, I don’t write the alphahole heroes found in many romances lately. LOL!
(Yeah, I’m right there with you in your dislike of that trope. And like you, I think they are too-often borderline (or past the line) abusive. But that’s a different post. 😀 )
Instead, I just want us to be aware of the expectations so we know how to market our books, or what hurdles we might have to cross in finding an audience. Romance is such a large genre that it breaks down into subgenres like paranormal romance, but even within that subgenre, some are light and funny and others are dark and gritty. There’s no wrong answer.
Other genres–even if they don’t have the subgenres that romance does–still have those variations. And when it comes time to think of similar authors for queries, requesting cover blurbs, advertising, etc., or when we’re trying to find our audience, it’s good to know where our story falls in the spectrum.
But no, I’d never suggest that a character had to be made to conform to a narrow expectation. *shudders* Thanks for bringing up that issue so I could dig deeper into what we can watch out for! 🙂
Great tips and wonderful examples, Jami. I guess I did something right in my heroine in Risk Factors because my reviews have an even amount of readers wanting to slap/shake her for being a doormat and not standing up to the hero, who is borderline beta (to me). But she seems to redeem herself in her actions in the end and readers are all happy again. Which, of course, makes me very happy. LOL
The thing is, she IS something of a doormat due to overbearing, horribly critical parents. Her character growth is when she finally stands up to her parents and then the hero, whom she desperately loves even though he refuses to trust her with his child, and tells him ‘there is no us’ until he can change. Even though it breaks her heart, she has to protect herself.
Love this conversation!
Hi Calisa,
Interesting! That’s great that your readers stick with your story until they get the happy ending. I think that says something about your story and characters. 😀 Thanks for sharing your example!
Excellent advice, Jami. I tell ya, transferring all that data from our head to the page–in an engaging way–is tough. It’s something I’m constantly working on.
Hi Julie,
Agreed! I don’t know that we’ll ever get really good at that. :/ Thanks for stopping by!
My fans generally tell me—either on their own or if asked—that they love my characters. That they love how even the side characters have more to them than what’s necessarily on the page.
I’ve even been asked how I do it. I think the two main things that help me are:
1. everyone makes sense to themselves, on some level
2. everyone—side characters included—has their own goals and lives that continue even when they’re off the page.
That latter one’s really where the narrator for book 2 in one series came from. Well, there and my subconscious. She has some notable personality shifts within book 1, because of the crap going on in her own life that leads to…well, she kinda develops a world-specific form of multiple personality disorder. But book 1’s narrator doesn’t realize that, though she sees side effects and gets confused. The character herself doesn’t even really understand what’s going on. Book 4’s narrator understands more than she does.
I admittedly end up with some REALLY twisted up characters and plots. I suspect—but am not entirely sure—that the tangled plots are at least partially caused by the characters.
Hi Carradee,
Great advice! Yes, everyone is the hero in their own mind, right? So their lives, goals, choices, etc. need to be what’s best for them and not just what we, as authors, need them to do. Thanks for sharing!
[…] comments on my last post about how to create compelling characters asked similar questions: How can we make sure the cool character in our head makes it onto the […]
This is exactly the problem I’m having with my main character at the moment. I don’t think there’ll be any problem with creating sympathy for her past, it’s giving people a reason to care about what ‘s happening to her now I’m finding difficult. I’m having no trouble coming up with flaws and hang ups but I can’t think of anything that makes her likable. I’m doing that rookie thing of basing a character on myself so it’s possible I’m projecting :p
Fortunately there’s one character I’m finding much easier to write. She’s one of those extroverts that you always feel on edge around, the type with an addictive personality and who’s slightly unhinged. I think most people will have come across someone like that so she’ll be the easiest character for readers to recognise.
I’m only on the second draft so I’m not stressing about it too much just yet. I’ll leave that for later drafts!
Hi Lara,
Great point! Just because something awful happens in a character’s past doesn’t automatically make everything in the here-and-now okay. (I’ve seen some writers of tortured heroes forget that. 😉 )
I like the advice in the post I link to here: Give them an admirable trait too. Once you’ve finished your draft, maybe you could ask a beta reader what they like about her and then emphasize that aspect. 🙂
And as you noticed, with more experience (writing more characters), we’re likely to learn techniques to deepen our writing. In other words, don’t resist if your muse leads you to make this avatar character to do things differently from you. I’d bet that by the time you’re done, she’ll be her own person. 🙂 Good luck and thanks for the comment!
I like writing stories that are driven by the characters. Yet the one I’m working on now is plot driven. As I type away, I wonder if I’m telling enough about the characters. Because I’m a pantser, my worksheet for each character is sketchy at best. This is my 1st draft, so I’m thinking I can embellish the characters more in the 2nd draft. Have you heard of anyone writing this way?
Hi Glynis,
There’s no wrong way or right way to write. It’s only about what works for you, here, now, on this story. 🙂
In other words, there’s nothing wrong with your approach. I’m also a pantser, so I tend to layer in a lot more about my characters on the second and later drafts. After you finish the story, you’ll probably have a much better idea about their arc and theme and what makes them unique, etc. I think you’ll be fine. 🙂 Good luck and thanks for the comment!
I’m just gonna say that I disagree on the back story bit. I think it’s far more important for the back story to be believable than to be the reason you are sympathetic towards a character. It’s become a cliche in Urban Fantasy for the characters to have lost a parent, been robbed blind then lost a parent, had the apartment building explode by mutant cheese.
I think we, as writers, need to figure out how to make a character sympathetic but maybe not necessarily by back story.
Hi Luka-Micheala,
I don’t disagree! 🙂 I was giving “use backstory for sympathy” as one example to use in a mix-and-match style for all those elements–not that backstory was the only way to get sympathy (as all those bullets up above in the Sympathy section point out) or even that sympathy was required. I was just sharing an example of how the elements can work together.
As you said, many backstory wounds have become cliches, especially in certain genres. (I’m not sure I’ve too much mutant cheese though–LOL! 😉 ) So yes, if a cliche backstory is our only way of making a character sympathetic, that probably indicates a problem. Thanks for sharing that insight!
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What do you think about male characters in many romantic korean dramas? I think that I hate some of them because the thing of super hot jerks become the lover of the main protagonist is too bad. Because they can be a total douchebag while other hot male character was nice to the main character. But eventually the girl chose the jerk instead because of the director
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