What makes for an interesting character?

Question

Cinematic Lily · Accepted Answer

For me, an interesting character feels real but a bit larger than life 😌. They have clear desires, flaws that actually cause problems, and they change over time. Contradictions help a lot, like a brave person who’s terrified of intimacy. Unique voice, consistent behavior, and tough choices that reveal who they truly are make them unforgettable ❤️📽️📚

OneViewpoint · Answer

The internal struggle between strength and weakness. Good and evil. A flawed protagonist requires a flawed antagonist to provide contrast between good and evil. Tragic flaws. Tragic events. Uncertainty. Unanswered questions that the reader desperately wants answered. The woulda could've shoulda effect. Ambiguity. What if? What if the bad guy isn't all bad. What if the good guy isn't so good?

Look at...

Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoevsky)
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck)
You Can't Go Home Again (Thomas Wolfe)
To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
Les Misérables (Victor Hugo)
David Copperfield (Charles Dickens)
Surface Detail (Ian M. Banks)... this one is brutal moral ambiguity
The Heart Of Darkness (Joseph Conrad)
Cry The beloved Country (Alan Paton)
Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)... more moral ambiguity

BCRanger10 · Answer

An interesting character...

Has internal conflict
Has flaws and weaknesses
Tries, fails, learns, and grows
Has a personality
Has understandable and relatable motivations
Are timeless and not tailored for "mOdrN aUdiEnceZ!"

Their identity, though a factor, is not and should not be THE reason for why an audience becomes invested.

Billlewis · Answer

When I read a book, one thing that tends to make the characters more interesting and appealing is if the author doesn't spend too much time developing them. I've read too many books in which far too much time and energy is expended developing the characters.

MrChinaski · Answer

Vivid backstory, deep consideration of choices but still surprising at times, perspectives on the world that are thought provoking rather than obvious, underlying challenges that reveal themselves consistently but with subtlety.

And my unsolicited recommendation is Stoner by John Edward Williams.

Anonymous · Answer

I guess I would say a character who has a bold and eccentric personality but at the same time is relatively realistic and not just a caricature as well as perhaps having some depth and backstory as to why they are who they are today.

I would also say a sort of slow burn very gradual character development where there's no specific episode where the character suddenly changes but it's a very gradual build up where you can see the pieces of the puzzle lining up along the way.

I guess I'd say overall anti-heroes are the best at showcasing this off but it could work with heroes and villains... as well as anti-villains I guess though I very rarely see those brought up.

Iron_Man · Answer

Me I make an interesting character.

exitseven · Answer

A lot of internal conflict. Or a fascinating back story.

FreyaRed · Answer

Facet rich personality and personal codex. People generally despise others who change their opinion too often or just because it fits to current situation.

loveslongnails · Answer

Identification with their situation OR something so completely incomprehensible to you that you're fascinated by them. Also, out of the box thinking.

thegreenyogi · Answer

A ton of mystery, good humour and inner confidence.

browsingthroughthe · Answer

True and wholesome and real and based on real qualities

lilBigPotato · Answer

A personality with some depth.

Nikki1989 · Answer

Substance and depth.

DonaldDarko · Answer

Intelligent and rational.

AngryCarl3 · Answer

Strong motivation and consistent habits.

WhitneySnow · Answer

Depth

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