A Quick Overview of Character Applications for the Aspiring Writer

Writing a good book requires a lot of character interaction. But if you want to create memorable characters and make them irresistible to your audience so that readers can't help but to become effortlessly invested in them, you need to make sure you remember to include these few character fundamentals when designing and executing your story:

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1) Character Development – Detail your characters so the reader not only learns to care about them, but understands why they should. People want to read books in which they get to feel as though they are living the adventure alongside your characters, and being able to discern in their mind's eye what these heroes, heroines, or anti-heroes look like brings them along seamlessly. A great book causes emotions to swell within the reader, and a great way to influence those emotions is to create an attachment between the reader and your characters, and most definitely, your protagonist.

Character development is a necessary component when it comes to reader sentimentality.

2) Character Conflict – Your protagonist, and even ancillary characters, ought to have an inner struggle. It makes them interesting in the reader’s eyes, and gives readers a sense of their humanity. This actually touches on Character Flaws (number 5), FYI, where I mention that a good character may do something beneath them because they feel it's their only option, while a bad character may surprise you with good in their heart and prove a redeeming quality.

3) Character Goals – As a story progresses, the main characters, whether protagonist or antagonist, ought to have goals set that they must reach, whether it’s something they need to attain or defeat. It helps promote tension and conflict, and also adds to the plot of their story.

4) Character Arc – This is the evolution of your characters. Have they learned anything over the course of the story? How have they evolved, for better or for worse?

5) Character Flaws – Character flaws not only make the character more interesting, but they make the character much more relatable to the reader as a human being, even if the character only exists on paper. Character flaws should not only be given to the protagonist, but to the antagonist as well, i.e., good guys do bad things, bad guys do good things. Life is complicated that way, and it also lends more credibility to the characters, drawing the reader in and garnering sympathy or disdain. Will the “good” guy shock the reader by doing something the reader disapproves of and criticizes? Will the bad guy suddenly redeem themselves?

Never make your characters one-dimensional. If you do, your story may lack excitement and fail to inspire the reader.

**Hint: As an idea, if you're an aspiring writer, you can try a simple exercise in learning to recognize these character rules. Try reading children’s books to help you see these rules applied at their most basic level. The stories are short, making these points easier to spot.