{"id":317,"date":"2017-03-31T14:09:02","date_gmt":"2017-03-31T13:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/shortspark.com\/?p=317"},"modified":"2017-03-31T20:46:08","modified_gmt":"2017-03-31T19:46:08","slug":"secret-writing-compelling-characters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/shortspark.com\/secret-writing-compelling-characters\/","title":{"rendered":"The secret to writing compelling characters."},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"toc_container\" class=\"no_bullets\"><p class=\"toc_title\">Contents<\/p><ul class=\"toc_list\"><li><a href=\"#Give_your_characters_motive\">Give your characters motive:<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Make_sure_your_readers_can_identify_with_a_character\">Make sure your readers can identify with a character:<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Make_your_characters_do_human_better_than_you_do\">Make your characters do human better than you do:<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Make_your_readers_remember\">Make your readers remember:<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Give_them_something_to_hide\">Give them something to hide:<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Give_your_characters_a_bigger_baggage_allowance\">Give your characters a bigger baggage allowance:<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Write_your_characters_into_the_story8217s_theme\">Write your characters into the story&#8217;s theme:<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Describe_with_restraint\">Describe with restraint:<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Stay_consistent\">Stay consistent:<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Watch_more_TV\">Watch more TV:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\">The secret to writing compelling characters is both incredibly complex and stupidly simple. It\u2019s complex because real people are complex, and it\u2019s simple, because real people are\u00a0when it comes down to it\u2026simple.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">I believe that the reason we find some characters in novels interesting and compelling\u00a0is the same reason we find people in our own lives magnetic or charismatic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Have you ever wondered why that is?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">And have you heard how people refer to others as \u201ccharacters\u201d? As in, \u201cThat guy is such a character!\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">We don\u2019t necessarily have to be drawn to them in a good way, it\u2019s just that they are memorable in some way or another.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">It may be that the secret to writing compelling characters lies in understanding the way we perceive those around us in real life.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">That being said, here are some key factors to include in your writing:<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class='bctt-click-to-tweet'><span class='bctt-ctt-text'><a href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=http%3A%2F%2Fshortspark.com%2F%3Fp%3D317&#038;text=It%20may%20be%20that%20the%20secret%20to%20writing%20compelling%20characters%20lies%20in%20understanding%20the%20way%20we%20perceive%20those%20around%20us%20in%20real%20life.&#038;via=theshortspark&#038;related=theshortspark' target=\"_blank\"rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"external\">It may be that the secret to writing compelling characters lies in understanding the way we perceive those around us in real life. <\/a><\/span><a href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=http%3A%2F%2Fshortspark.com%2F%3Fp%3D317&#038;text=It%20may%20be%20that%20the%20secret%20to%20writing%20compelling%20characters%20lies%20in%20understanding%20the%20way%20we%20perceive%20those%20around%20us%20in%20real%20life.&#038;via=theshortspark&#038;related=theshortspark' target=\"_blank\" class=\"bctt-ctt-btn external\"rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span id=\"Give_your_characters_motive\">Give your characters motive:<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\">Your characters, and especially your protagonist, need to be motivated by something, just like you are.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">This could be the quest for love, fame, acceptance, affirmation or validation, the Holy Grail\u2026whatever.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The point is that a character with no drive is as flat as a pancake and your readers simply won\u2019t care. Remember how no press is bad press? Make your readers love or hate your characters but don\u2019t leave them somewhere in the middle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Middle equals bad.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span id=\"Make_sure_your_readers_can_identify_with_a_character\">Make sure your readers can identify with a character:<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\">The point of all this is that, at least on some level, we need to care.<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-330 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/shortspark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/titanic_freeze_510-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Kate and Leo writing compelling characters\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"http:\/\/shortspark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/titanic_freeze_510-300x169.jpg 300w, http:\/\/shortspark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/titanic_freeze_510.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>\u00a0Writing compelling characters asks the reader to see themselves in the book, to become the protagonist, or at least wish they could hook up with his love-interest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">It\u2019s the reason we root for Frodo when he has that damn ring under control, or cry into our couch cushions when Kate lets Leo sink in the Titanic. (Personally, I think there was plenty space on that drifting door.)<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><\/h2>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span id=\"Make_your_characters_do_human_better_than_you_do\">Make your characters do human better than you do:<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\">Make sure your characters have something they\u2019re really good at, so we can admire them. Anything from superhuman eyesight to exceptional fortitude, or cooking 2-minute noodles in one minute.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-324 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/shortspark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/superman-300x251.jpg\" alt=\"superman and kryptonite writing compelling characters\" width=\"300\" height=\"251\" srcset=\"http:\/\/shortspark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/superman-300x251.jpg 300w, http:\/\/shortspark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/superman-768x643.jpg 768w, http:\/\/shortspark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/superman-1024x857.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/shortspark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/superman-1080x904.jpg 1080w, http:\/\/shortspark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/superman.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Make your readers wish they were just as cool. There is not a person in this world that does not wish to be really good at something.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Equally, they\u2019ll have a weakness, something in their past that causes them to go all Superman-Kryptonite on us at the worst moment in the book.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">We\u2019ll tear our hair out in frustration, crying, \u201dnooooo!\u201d while at the same understanding, because we have weaknesses too. (Who knew?)<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><\/h2>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span id=\"Make_your_readers_remember\">Make your readers remember:<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\">One way to ensure your readers are not ambivalent about a character, is to make sure that character is memorable in some way or another.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">This can, and probably should, be in their tone of voice, the character that surfaces in the language they use and the things they do.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">I don\u2019t just mean, one guy swears a lot, and another doesn\u2019t. Use their background, their culture, their created personality to infuse the use of language in such a way that speech tags would become almost redundant. The reader will always recognise who\u2019s doing the talking,<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">It can be a good idea to give your characters a quirk or two that sticks in the mind, whether this be an exaggerated limp or a propensity for lemon-coffee.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span id=\"Give_them_something_to_hide\">Give them something to hide:<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-322 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/shortspark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/we-all-have-secrets-300x143.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"143\" srcset=\"http:\/\/shortspark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/we-all-have-secrets-300x143.jpg 300w, http:\/\/shortspark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/we-all-have-secrets.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\">Have I mentioned how compelling characters mirror the way we are drawn to people in real life? Yes? I\u2019ll mention this again just to make sure:<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cWriting compelling characters is all to do with understanding why it is we find certain people interesting and others not so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Fine, I said it a bit differently that time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">One thing we find super interesting are\u2026SECRETS.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Give your protagonist a secret, heck,\u00a0give\u00a0secrets to all your characters. Do you have something you\u2019ve kept secret all these years? Or at least something you don\u2019t generally blurt out after the first drink at the office party?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Does that secret shape and influence your view on certain things?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Make your reader turn the page so they can find out why Kate let Leo sink even though there was blatantly room on the drifting door. (HINT: she had\u00a0a secret!)<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span id=\"Give_your_characters_a_bigger_baggage_allowance\">Give your characters a bigger baggage allowance:<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-329 alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/shortspark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/bags-300x186.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"186\" srcset=\"http:\/\/shortspark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/bags-300x186.jpg 300w, http:\/\/shortspark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/bags.jpg 660w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">It\u2019s important to understand that no character arrives in your story as a newborn.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">(Unless your story contains the arrival of a newborn child, in which case this may not apply\u2026.or unless you believe in reincarnation, in which case it WILL apply.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Every character, your compelling protagonist included, begins the story having lived a life. That means they join this story full of preconceived loves, hates and interesting thoughts on Obamacare.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">It also means they arrive in this tale with BAGGAGE.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Again. Just like real people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">So, in order for your story to have a point, it would be a\u00a0good idea for your main character to go through some form of change as the story unfolds. This is called the character arc, and is the only high-brow writer\u2019s word I will allow in today\u2019s article.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Yes, writers and those who teach writing, have used extravagant language in the past to describe this arc. Everything from The NEXUS, to the inner journey, but it is really a simple case of the protagonist starting in one place, emotionally and physically, then ending in another.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">This progression isn\u2019t always for the good either. <i>Cough.<\/i>.Anakin Skywalker.<i>.Cough<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class='bctt-click-to-tweet'><span class='bctt-ctt-text'><a href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=http%3A%2F%2Fshortspark.com%2F%3Fp%3D317&#038;text=Give%20your%20characters%20a%20bigger%20baggage%20allowance.&#038;via=theshortspark&#038;related=theshortspark' target=\"_blank\"rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"external\">Give your characters a bigger baggage allowance. <\/a><\/span><a href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=http%3A%2F%2Fshortspark.com%2F%3Fp%3D317&#038;text=Give%20your%20characters%20a%20bigger%20baggage%20allowance.&#038;via=theshortspark&#038;related=theshortspark' target=\"_blank\" class=\"bctt-ctt-btn external\"rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span id=\"Write_your_characters_into_the_story8217s_theme\">Write your characters into the story&#8217;s theme:<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\">Your story, whether you want to know it or not, will have an overall theme of some kind. This might be clear, or open to interpretation, but what can be a good idea is to make each character an embodiment of that theme in one way or another.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Every character will interact with this theme and represent either a supporting or opposing force.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">E.g. If your theme is about a man\u2019s quest for redemption after a bad past, each character can bring out an element of that past, or can be a force for good in helping him overcome his past and work towards redemption.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span id=\"Describe_with_restraint\">Describe with restraint:<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cShe embodied the qualities of a raving swan.\u201d\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-328 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/shortspark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/crazy-swan-300x239.jpg\" alt=\"crazy swan writing compelling characters\" width=\"300\" height=\"239\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">In describing your character\u2019s physical characteristics, remember that we\u2019re going for memorable rather than a crime watch identikit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Pick one or two defining things about your character and highlight those. Even better is to put in the mind of your reader an image of your character that they themselves have created with your description, an image that clearly differentiates them from another character.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">A jarring metaphor will always win over a bland description of eye-colour, but don\u2019t get too abstract.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class='bctt-click-to-tweet'><span class='bctt-ctt-text'><a href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=http%3A%2F%2Fshortspark.com%2F%3Fp%3D317&#038;text=She%20embodied%20the%20qualities%20of%20a%20raving%20swan.&#038;via=theshortspark&#038;related=theshortspark' target=\"_blank\"rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"external\">She embodied the qualities of a raving swan. <\/a><\/span><a href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=http%3A%2F%2Fshortspark.com%2F%3Fp%3D317&#038;text=She%20embodied%20the%20qualities%20of%20a%20raving%20swan.&#038;via=theshortspark&#038;related=theshortspark' target=\"_blank\" class=\"bctt-ctt-btn external\"rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span id=\"Stay_consistent\">Stay consistent:<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\">Most importantly, stay consistent in the way your character is portrayed. In real life, people may surprise you with the things they do every now and then, but on careful reflection, you\u2019ll often find they were actually acting consistently with their true nature.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">In other words, your characters should surprise you\u2026 but not really. Clear as mud?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Nothing is as confusing to the reader as a character that acts out of character. Hah!<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">If your characters end up doing something that <i>seems <\/i>out of character, let it be because of the transformation brought on by their personal journey.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span id=\"Watch_more_TV\">Watch more TV:<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\">Lastly, if creating compelling characters in your writing is all about understanding the intricacies of charisma and the size of airplane doors, what can you do to improve this understanding?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">You could go and people-watch at a train station like a serial killer, but I dare say that could get you arrested. Striking up random conversations might work if you\u2019re friendly, but will be hit and miss, as well as not give you the depth of relationship you need.<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-331 size-thumbnail alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/shortspark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/netflix-logo-150x150.png\" alt=\"netflix logo writing compelling characters\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"http:\/\/shortspark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/netflix-logo-150x150.png 150w, http:\/\/shortspark.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/netflix-logo.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">No, for inspiration, you will have to look inwards and examine your own interactions with your life-long, as well as newer, friends and enemies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Or watch a lot of Netflix\u2026that could work too.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">PS. If you found this post useful, entertaining, or it tickled your fancy in ways unimaginable, please consider sharing it via the very helpful buttons below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ContentsGive your characters motive:Make sure your readers can identify with a character:Make your characters do human better than you do:Make your readers remember:Give them something to hide:Give your characters a bigger baggage allowance:Write your characters into the story&#8217;s theme:Describe with restraint:Stay consistent:Watch more TV: The secret to writing compelling characters is both incredibly complex and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":319,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v14.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The secret to writing compelling characters. | Shortspark<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The secret to writing compelling characters is closer than you know! 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