Jump to content

What Makes a Strong Character?


Snatch Steal

Recommended Posts

It's simple enough to say "give them flaws!" or the ever-ambiguous "make them relatable!"

 

What aspects of a character make them likeable? Below everything, why do you like certain characters? It's too easy to say "my character eats toast (relatable) and is failing chemistry. BOOM PERFECT CHARACTER."

 

Why do we like characters? What kinds of characters are there (Mary sues, protagonists, antagonists, jungian archetypes)? What are some good ways to strengthen characters within a story? What are some good ways to gradually develop a character?

 

I mainly ask because one of my friends said "Your character is bland and uninteresting" while my dad and one of my other friends liked my characters a lot. I'm not sure what I'm doing right or wrong.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like a character who doesn't play by the rules of good and evil. Somebody you may not sympathize with, but can empathize with.

 

Like a protagonist who, in a less civilized environment, doesn't think twice about murdering others and stealing their things to provide for their families. Who's vicious, but honest.

 

Stuff like that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like a character if I can understand why it is they are doing something. It doesn't have to make perfect sense, but it has to at least follow its own internal logic.

I'm not a meth making school teacher, but I can definitely see why a character like Walter White did what he did. They portrayed what his life was like, how he was kind of a bland schlub. He was a brilliant chemist (I believe it showed he had a Noble Prize in the first episode) and yet... he's teaching high school and he has to take a second job at a carwash just to make ends meet. Then he gets overwhelmingly hopeless news that he has inoperable cancer, and that's when he decides "funk it", and goes into the meth making business to leave his family some kind of nest egg before he goes.

Then we go the opposite route, to a guy like the Joker. We don't know his name, his backstory, or really anything about the guy other than that (depending on who's writing for him) he's just a crazy person who wants to defeat Batman. But if we stand by the rules that he wants to psychologically break Batman, then his character does follow the rules we originally set out with and I think the character makes sense.

In my opinion, the best types of characters are ones whose actions we understand. If they're just a bunch of bastards doing random sheet that makes no sense to what was previously established for them, why would anyone care?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like a character if I can understand why it is they are doing something. It doesn't have to make perfect sense, but it has to at least follow its own internal logic.

I'm not a meth making school teacher, but I can definitely see why a character like Walter White did what he did. They portrayed what his life was like, how he was kind of a bland schlub. He was a brilliant chemist (I believe it showed he had a Noble Prize in the first episode) and yet... he's teaching high school and he has to take a second job at a carwash just to make ends meet. Then he gets overwhelmingly hopeless news that he has inoperable cancer, and that's when he decides "funk it", and goes into the meth making business to leave his family some kind of nest egg before he goes.

Then we go the opposite route, to a guy like the Joker. We don't know his name, his backstory, or really anything about the guy other than that (depending on who's writing for him) he's just a crazy person who wants to defeat Batman. But if we stand by the rules that he wants to psychologically break Batman, then his character does follow the rules we originally set out with and I think the character makes sense.

In my opinion, the best types of characters are ones whose actions we understand. If they're just a bunch of bastards doing random sheet that makes no sense to what was previously established for them, why would anyone care?

I can't believe how out of the loop I am that I didn't get it was a breaking bad reference just from Walter White.

 

So that's cool, but in the case of the joker, what is a good way to create his role? It's easy when it's a good guy bad guy relationship, but what are some ways to make people connect the dots for characters and their roles?

For example, I have a character Butch that lives in a cave and is extremely lonely. His role is basically to provide wisdom to the main character. How can I amplify a role that isn't as explicitly defined?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't believe how out of the loop I am that I didn't get it was a breaking bad reference just from Walter White.

 

So that's cool, but in the case of the joker, what is a good way to create his role? It's easy when it's a good guy bad guy relationship, but what are some ways to make people connect the dots for characters and their roles?

For example, I have a character Butch that lives in a cave and is extremely lonely. His role is basically to provide wisdom to the main character. How can I amplify a role that isn't as explicitly defined?

 

Honestly not quite sure what you mean, and not that good of a writer myself, but one thing that helps me in situations like these is to constantly ask myself "Why" and make the "dots" this way.

 

[spoiler=Cliche Example]

> "Butch lives in a cave and is lonely" For example, let's put this in a fantasy setting.

> Why is he in a cave? Because Butch is ugly, Horribly disfigured, Is he half-monster, or Does he just not like human society?

> Either way, we'll say society treated him poorly because he was different and thought life would be better in solitude; a cave.

> There should also be a specific trigger event to make him this way. Maybe he fell in love with the most beautiful woman in town who was unfortunately married. Her husband finds out, and burn down his house; an event to which no one helped or spoken up as to who did it.

> If he has knowledge or wisdom, his past, behavior, and speech must reflect so. Maybe he used to be a scholar. Making him older and usually poised could imply wisdom. Maybe he has an extensive book collection as well. 

> Well if he prefers solitude and hates people, why does he help the protagonist? Give them something in common. Let's say they love the outdoors, and both appear less than desirable. Maybe the protag also loves a beautiful woman.

> Protag should also have a good, personal reason to listen to Butch. Maybe he's impressionable and has no parents (or at least no father) and sees a father figure in Butch.

 

> This could create an interesting dynamic in which Butch wishes to sway the protag and make him become more like himself. Maybe by teaching outdoor survival skills, hunting, and maybe even showing him the ugliest sides of love to dissuade him from women. Thus creating a mirror of himself, maybe even the son/family he wanted but never got to have, ensuring he will never be lonely again. But also create internal conflict, seeing someone so similar but younger, still trying to fight for what he desires; a normal, if not amazingly, happy life despite the views of others.

 

Again just an example, and how you do this is up to you. However you do it, these events should be spread out and revealed throughout the story by key events.

 

>If the protag talks about the girl he likes, give Butch a change of character, however subtle, from his usual encouraging self.

 

Obviously some of these can only be implied and not shown, and that's how it should be. As long as it's presented in a way the reader understands their choices.

 

 

 

Kinda gave a whole narrative here, but I hope it somewhat helped?

 

EDIT: Stuff bolded for tl;dr.

 

But in order words, if his purpose is just to give wisdom, you can build on a student-mentor (or pseudo father-son) relationship, just like a hero-villain relationship. The Protag should be able to take something important, and of-value from Butch, even if it's just a loyal friend or a contrast to the Protagonist. Otherwise you'd just a weird Navi character or half-assed Gandolf.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The characters are a reflection of the author. For example, Captain Underpants is rapid paced and goofy because Dav Pilkey had ADHD and not a lot of friends but some close companions, and some mean teachers. It is not how the author made up characters. They took elements from their reality and incorporate it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What makes a character "good" is kind of a paradox.

 

On the one hand, there's the storytelling function they serve. They have to be relateable on some level so that the reader can get invested in them. As well, the character should serve as a major proponent to whatever main theme or message the story is gunning for. If you've ever watched Gurren Lagann, Simon's a great example of this: his coming-of-age arc aligns perfectly with the series' message of pushing yourself beyond your limits.

 

On the other hand, the character has to feel like a real person, rather than an entity created for the sole purpose of driving the story. This means that their life has to feel, well, lived-in. They should have a well-grounded background, from which their main motivation arises naturally. And they need to have a certain sense of depth and variety in their personality, since no one in real-life is entirely one-note.

Going back to the Gurren Lagann example, Kamina's one character who has this "depth": his mundane life of living underground, combined with that glimpse of the surface he saw as a kid, drives him to explore life outside of his tiny village. In terms of personality, he might seem one-dimensional at first, but careful reading of his character shows that his extreme bravado is just a cover-up for someone who's actually very vulnerable and afraid. And then there's the bits and pieces of wisdom that he gives Simon throughout the series, which also make Kamina to be more than just the "strong guy" archetype.

 

TL;DR: A strong character is both a storytelling boon and a believeable person. Striking the balance between these two is what makes characterization a tough art to master.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...