What Makes a Good Character
How struggle shapes us, and how we can reflect that in our writing.
We all have those books that we can not put down—the ones where we are so invested in a character and their plight that we must see what happens next. We worry for them, we feel for them, and we can see the emotion in the characters as they push through their darkest moments.
I have often wondered why these stories are so compelling as I seek to draw out similar emotions in my writing. We bond to characters, and I ask: What makes the good ones stick out?
I believe it has to do with one simple thing: they struggle.
We have all read those books with the perfect character – the one with no flaws, the one who excels at absolutely everything they do without us ever seeing any work they put in to get to where they are. While there are a select few times this can work, these characters are exceptionally dull.
After all, that perfect character doesn't feel real. We all have our own struggles in life; none of us is without fault. We are all faced with tough decisions, and sometimes, we make the wrong ones. No human is flawless, so how are we supposed to relate to someone with absolutely no shortcomings?
When a character is unstoppable, there are never any stakes in their story. Every time the character is backed into a corner, instead of seeing how they can cleverly escape, instead of having them make that tough call, we see there never was any danger at all. For the character has every skill imaginable, never mind the fact that we never see any buildup to them acquiring these skills.
Now, it makes sense why writing one of these perfect characters is tempting. A part of us wants to be that person, and it does seem cool to write this awesome, powerful character who no one can stand against.
It is tempting to do so, but it is not satisfying. Hardship and struggle lead to the best payoffs—both in books and in life.
So, how do we craft this relatable, imperfect character? Now, I am no expert at giving writing advice, and I have not yet published my own books. I am still learning, experimenting, and doing my work in character development. What I can do is share what I have learned thus far and my own opinions on what makes a good character.
Putting Characters in Undesirable Positions
We all love to root for the underdog, and perhaps that is because we often see ourselves as such. So, one of the quickest (and perhaps most popular) ways to a reader's heart (at least this holds true for me) is to put your character in a really bad position.
This could mean having a rough childhood or being a minority in a place where it puts them at a significant disadvantage. Make them a prisoner or slave of some ancient battle, something they already struggle with when the book starts.
Now, this can quickly be overdone. You still want it to be believable and not show your hand in the story. You want the reader to empathize with your character, not flat-out see the pity party you are throwing for them.
When this believable disadvantage is created for your character, you have something for them to crawl out of. You have room for them to become the person they need to be by the end of the book, and you have a background that will shape their personality.
There are many examples of books that do this well (and many more that do it poorly). One good example in my recent memory is The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. One character in this novel spends significant time as a slave in an army, and I loved it.
Though this character was in a terribly unfair position, he preserved, inspiring others, and his plight connected with me. But the thing was, it wasn’t just the position he was in but how he responded to his situation.
Characters should have their own struggles and doubts.
It is not enough to simply throw your characters into a physical struggle. They need to respond accordingly.
More than likely (especially in a fantasy novel), whatever your character goes through during the novel will be the hardest, most significant challenge they have ever faced in their lives. So it needs to seem that way.
People have doubts. They are insecure; they are afraid of the unknown. Make your character human and experience these emotions as well. Make them doubt they are worthly of their mission. Make them struggle and fail, and make that failure affect them.
Hope is a powerful tool in all our lives—it inspires us to chase dreams and push through dark times—but sometimes hope is weak, sometimes it is hard to see, and sometimes we lose hope altogether.
I love it when I can see not just the physical, but also the mental struggles of a character. I love seeing them grow into their role.
Make your characters have physical shortcomings
Once your character realizes their path and begins to walk it, we need to see their learning process—the payoff is so much greater later on when we see the steps a character had to take to get to where they are.
If you have a character who is already pre-established as a great fighter, and we know that going in, there should still be something they have to work at, something they need to improve. Perhaps the specific way they learned to fight is not as useful as they’d hoped for their particular circumstance. Or, maybe they have to learn a new skill in addition to those they already possess to get where they need to go.
Whatever it is, do not make your character invincible; make them have to struggle.
In life, every new skill requires tremendous effort and patience. Reflect process in your characters. You can give them a previous experience that may enhance their learning of a skill, but do not make them perfect at everything they have to do. Even after they have trained through the book, they still should not be perfect. No one is, after all, and the experts in every field still make mistakes.
Create a character that is challenged in their own beliefs
Your character will see the world differently based on their life experiences, and that will come with certain biases.
No matter how hard any of us try, we are all still prone to prejudice and bias. It is part of our nature—humans tend to group together in communities, which helped us survive long before modern civilization. However, this also makes it easy to look down on those who are different from us. People with different backgrounds and views tend to be judged simply because they think differently than we do.
Your character will have a certain way they view the world, and this view could eventually be challenged. Perhaps they see they misjudged a group of people, or maybe they realize those they serve are not the saints they were believed to be.
This questioning of identity is always interesting because it is something that we can face in life. Once more, we are never perfect, so when it dawns on us that we may have been misjudging a person or situation, it calls into question much of our lives. This is a great opportunity for growth and a way to examine our human nature.
Struggle and discomfort are a part of life. They make us grow; they make the good in life worth it. The same should be said for the stories we read. I love books that show us how darkness can lead to the brightest moments. There is no good without bad, and there is no better place to showcase this idea in our characters.
This is so true 😊