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There are times when a character just leaps off the pages of a book and makes a home in your heart.There are times when a character simply draws you into the pages and keeps you swimming in the book, unaware of the real world around you.And then, there are also times when a character makes you want to punch them in the face, only to root for them as the story unfurls. In this article, we’re going to figure out how your hero can be one such compelling character.We’ll go through the definition of hero, types of heroes, and how you can make your own character evolve into the hero you want them to be. What Is A Hero? A hero is the sole protagonist of a story; they are the main character.They often have admirable qualities, even if they are flawed. But they could be nearly villainous characters too, who, by way of the story, develop some of these admirable qualities.  There can be multiple things that make a hero out of a character– apart from the fact that you, the writer, chose this character to be the hero, of course.However, undergoing testing circumstances is one thing that\'s sure to make a character a hero.Heroes have Herculean – yet human – struggles. It’s the extraordinary human spirit that they show that makes them heroes.No matter the kind of personality your hero has, if they’re not metaphorically thrown under a bus, they don’t feel human enough for your readers.  Heroes\' character arcs pretty much dictate the narrative of the story. The journey of the hero is a process and framework in itself.You\'ll likely have heard of the various stages of a hero’s journey. If not, well, Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey is the quintessential writer’s guide to all things character.No matter their journey, though, heroes largely fall into seven categories.  Types Of Heroes Here are the seven different types of heroes: Epic Hero Noble birth, seemingly divine powers, and God-like perfection are the hallmarks of an epic hero.Epic heroes are nearly invincible, with superhuman abilities, making them willing soldiers who fight for their people.Epic heroes can be found in mythology (Hercules) and superhero comics alike (Superman).  Hercules Hercules is arguably the best example of an epic hero. He’s the embodiment of what the ancient Greeks considered ideal.Be it battling monsters, performing feats of strength, or rescuing those in need, Hercules is the ultimate fulfilment of Grecian perfectionism. Even when, in some accounts, he kills his own wife and children, he seeks out redemption from his sins, making this trait a kind of perfection in itself! Superman He might have been raised as an ordinary human being by his adoptive parents, but Clark Kent is anything but ordinary. If anything, his otherworldly powers make him a near-Messiah sent to planet Earth!Even when his powers deteriorate in the presence of Kryptonite, Superman’s bravery and sense of duty never fail.  Classical Hero Often depicted as brave, strong, and selfless, classic heroes are willing to put their own lives on the line to protect others and fight for justice.They are characters who have abilities, skills, or powers that set them apart from their peers and contemporaries.They might seem ordinary at first, but as the story progresses, they reveal themselves to be extraordinary. Harry Potter, Spiderman, and Luke Skywalker are such classic heroes.  Harry Potter Harry Potter is a classical hero in more ways than one. Of course, the fact that he comes across as a scrawny preteen, but is actually a wizard, makes him a top qualifier for this hero type.He’s brave enough to willingly confront the Dark Lord Voldemort. Even better, when he wins the elder wand, the most powerful wand known to the wizarding world, he chooses to bury it so that its power doesn’t make him, or others, evil. Come to think of it, his immensely strong sense of right and wrong makes Harry an archetypal character to look up to.  Spiderman Peter Parker is an average and rather dorky guy until he gains special abilities. As Spiderman, he has superhuman strength, speed, and agility.Despite having such powers, he’s unable to save his uncle from a fatal gunshot. Losing his uncle comes as a great personal loss for Peter. And yet, when it comes down to seeking revenge, Spiderman is a very willing hero, who chooses forgiveness over brute force, time and time again.  Everyman Hero The everyman hero is the type of hero who represents the ordinary person, rather than the larger-than-life figures typically associated with epic heroes.They may not have superhuman powers or incredible abilities, but they\'re able to overcome obstacles through their determination, resourcefulness, and ordinary human strengths.They may not be as flashy or impressive as more traditional heroes, but they are no less admirable or heroic for it. Katniss Everdeen from Hunger Games andFrodo Baggins from Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings are pretty much the epitome of the everyman hero archetype.Frodo Baggins Frodo is a comfort-loving hobbit and not particularly special – and certainly not powerful – on his own. Though, with some help, he takes on the monumental task of destroying the One Ring and defeating the dark lord Sauron. Frodo persists in his quest, through bravery, resilience, and a deep sense of responsibility.He might be ordinary, but Frodo’s inner strength is extraordinary. Ultimately, Frodo represents the idea that anyone, no matter how seemingly insignificant or unremarkable, can rise to greatness and do something truly heroic. Katniss Everdeen Katniss is all of sixteen years old when she has to represent her district in the Hunger Games. It’s a brutal annual competition in which young people are forced to fight to the death, and yet, Katniss emerges as the victor, using her survival skills and resourcefulness.Throughout the series, she becomes a symbol of hope and rebellion for her fellow citizens. Despite being a hero, Katniss is very realistic as a character. She can’t forgive her mother who abandoned her; she has a first-born complex, if you will, trying to protect anyone younger than herself, just as she does her sister Prim; and she also suffers from PTSD.Anti-Hero The traits of an anti-hero are more villainous than heroic.They are selfish, greedy, dishonest and immoral in various ways.Often, they have a troubled past that chisels their layered personalities. However, in the end, they do the morally right thing, because they know deep down, that they want to do good.“Felonious” Gru from the animated movie Despicable Me and Han Solo from the Star Wars series are great examples of anti-heroes.  Gru Gru starts out as a supervillain who is bent on stealing the moon, and even goes so far as to adopt three girls as daughters, just to trick his enemy.But as the story progresses, he begins to develop a sense of morality and even becomes a caring father figure to the orphaned girls under his care.In the film, we get a glimpse of Gru’s mother who’s cold and distant towards him. It is possible that her emotional unavailability shaped Gru’s villainy to some extent, as he often does villainous things for attention – something his mother wouldn’t give him. But in raising the orphaned girls, he finds himself nurtured too. It’s how he starts using his skills and resources for heroic deeds, instead of villainous ones.  Han Solo Han Solo starts out as a cynical smuggler, driven purely by self-interest. However, as the story progresses, he becomes more selfless and heroic, eventually joining the Rebel Alliance and becoming a key player in the fight against the Galactic Empire.Han Solo ultimately becomes a heroic figure as he learns to put aside his own interests and fight for a greater cause.He is a classic example of an antihero, capable of both good and evil, but ultimately choosing to do good. The Tragic Hero This type of hero is a classic figure in literature and drama, particularly in the tragedy genre. Tragic heroes are usually noble and have a tragic flaw that ultimately leads to their downfall.Think Romeo from Romeo and Juliet and Oedipus from Oedipus the King. Popular fiction has them too; Jay Gatsby is also a typical tragic hero. Jay Gatsby Jay Gatsby, the protagonist of F. Scott Fitzgerald\'s novel The Great Gatsby, is a self-made man who goes from rags to riches, but through questionable means.He\'s manipulative, selfish, and greedy. His inability to let go of the past and his obsession with reclaiming his lost love Daisy Buchanan, leads to his downfall, making him a typical tragic hero. As a result, Gatsby serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of greed, excess, and obsession. Oedipus Oedipus’ ego and pride blind him to the truth of his own identity, leading to a series of horrifying events, ultimately ending in his downfall.Oedipus is determined to solve the mystery of the plague that is afflicting his city and to find the murderer of the previous king, Laius. In his pursuit of the truth, he discovers his own responsibility in the death of the former king, who was his father, and how he has ended up marrying his own mother! Byronic Hero A Byronic hero is a type of character that embodies the qualities of the romantic hero, but is troubled by their own brooding nature and rejection of societal norms.They are depicted as being intelligent, charismatic, and emotionally intense. But they are also prone to mood swings, self-destructive behaviour, and a sense of alienation from society.Lord Byron\'s own literary alter ego (Childe Harold), Heathcliff from Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, and Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice are great examples of the Byronic hero type. Heathcliff Heathcliff fits this mould perfectly. He’s a complex and troubled character driven by his passions and desires. He is fiercely independent and rebellious; he refuses to conform to the expectations of those around him.Despite his all-consuming rage, Heathcliff is also deeply vulnerable. His actions are often motivated by his intense love for Catherine, the woman he is unable to have.  Mr Darcy A proud and haughty man, Mr Darcy looks down on those around him, particularly the Bennett family. He’s also slow to form friendships or connections with others, even though he develops a passion for Elizabeth Bennet.However, as the novel progresses, he begins to reveal his true nature, which is marked by a deep sense of honour.  Reluctant Hero A reluctant, or unwilling, hero is a type of character who is thrust into a position of heroism, often against their will or initial desires. These characters may be reluctant to take on the mantle of a hero because they feel unprepared, unsure of their abilities, or simply because they don’t want the responsibility that comes with it.They may initially resist their role as a hero, but they ultimately embrace it and use their unique skills and talents to make a positive difference in the world.Ove from Frederick Backman’s A Man Called Ove and Ned Stark from George R R Martin’s A Game Of Thrones are great examples of this hero type. Ove  Initially, Ove is a grumpy old man who resists the changes brought about by his new neighbours, and is unwilling to get involved in their lives or help them in any way.Despite his initial reluctance, Ove softens and goes out of his way to help others.In fact, he becomes a mentor and a friend to the whole neighbourhood.In the end, Ove\'s transformation from a grumpy and solitary man to a selfless and caring hero is a central theme of the novel. Ned Stark Ned is a man of honour and integrity who values duty and loyalty above all else. When King Robert wants to recruit him as his Hand, Ned is reluctant to take up the role. He’s much more comfortable as a follower, than he is as a leader.However, when it comes to doing the right thing – like saving the Targaryen girl’s life – he makes use of his position wisely, but at great personal risk. His strong sense of duty and morality make him a good hero, even if he’s reluctant to accept that status. Frequently Asked Questions How Do You Classify A Hero? A hero can be classified based on their personalities, archetypes, and functions. A hero’s personality is essentially the kind of individual they are, archetype is the role they play in relation to other characters in the story, and function is the value they bring to the society in the story and to readers. The seven types of heroes mentioned in this article are classified largely based on the hero’s innate personalities.   What Are The 7 Types Of Heroes? Here are the 7 types of heroes based on their personalities: Epic hero Classical hero Everyman hero Anti-hero Tragic hero Byronic hero Reluctant hero How Can You Create A Compelling Hero?Decide what type of a hero your character is most likely to be.  Make sure you have clarity on your hero’s journey and its stages.  Ensure the tasks ahead of them seem insurmountable. And don’t forget: your hero needs to be as relatable as possible, flaws and all. Hero ArchetypesAs an author, it’s highly beneficial for you to see what type of a hero you’d like your character to be.And it’s okay if it feels like there are overlaps between different types of heroes in the case of your own protagonist.For instance, Byronic heroes and everyman heroes are often also reluctant heroes. But that’s just the complexity of characters.As long as you know primarily how you want to represent your hero, you’re sure to have a strong narrative arc to your story. 

When it comes to the stories that stay with us, it’s often not a compelling plot, or even a book’s premise, that we remember: it’s how the characters made us feel, particularly when they achieved their hard-won goals.  Because character goals are less visible than gorgeous prose and slick metaphors, they get less attention than they should, despite how they shape our experience.Today, that’s what we’re here to remedy.  In this article, we’ll cover:  What are character goals? Why are character goals important? Internal vs. external character goals Character goal story examples How to create goals for your characters A definitive list of character goals Frequently asked questions So, what exactly are character goals, and how do you choose the aims of characters in your stories?   What Are Character Goals? Character goals are the objects of a character’s wants or needs, and what their actions aim to achieve.When we talk about character goals, this usually refers to a story’s main character (a.k.a. the protagonist), though other characters can and do have their own agendas and goals, too.A character\'s goals can be externally and internally driven — preferably, both.  In her book on writing craft, Story Genius, Lisa Cron defines these difficult goals — because if they were easy, there would be no story, right? — as the ‘story problem’. This problem isn’t just the “single, escalating problem” a main character can’t avoid, it’s one that “causes the protagonist to struggle with a specific internal conflict”, with that character’s development changing their worldview by the end.  Ideally, we want both external and internal goals because they carry more weight. Cron states that “story is about … what the protagonist has to learn, to overcome, to deal with internally in order to solve the problem that the external plot poses.” This is true of the stories that stay with us; they resonate, not because of the compelling plot, or even how unique the concept is, but because we identify with the main character and the meaning they make from what happens to them.  But just why are character goals important? To answer this, let’s look at what happens when we take them away.  Why Are Character Goals Important? Picture this, in any category or genre: you’re reading a book with a main character that you like enough, with a plot that’s interesting enough, and the writing’s fine. But for some reason, you’re just not loving this book. It’s not gripping you. Why? You decide to give it one last chapter. Finally, at the end of that chapter, it hits you: the main character is coasting. The book’s plot is action-packed, but this character is just being propelled from scene to scene and doesn’t really seem to mind, or care. In fact, you don’t actually know what the main character cares about at all.  Cool… Except that you’re experiencing the story through this main character’s eyes. If they don’t care, you don’t care. You’re not invested. And now, you’re about to toss that book right out the window.  Now imagine that it’s your story, and someone else is reading it. See the problem?  According to Lisa Cron from earlier, “this is where writers inadvertently fail … they write and rewrite and polish an impressive stack of pages in which a bunch of things happen, but none of it really matters”.  The reason why is this: without internal and external character goals, it’s not a story.  This is why character goals are so important, because they connect the stuff that happens in your story to why we should care ie. because your main character cares. Personal goals give characters agency, a reason to slog forward against all odds. Sometimes the story might start by giving your character a good shove first, but eventually, they’ll need to take the wheel. When they do, it’s generally because a key obstacle has arisen in the story’s central conflict.When your character\'s goal and obstacle are equally strong and opposed, this is where the magic happens, as it ratchets up tension, suspense, and in turn, the conflict. No one will be tossing your story out the window, now!  So, we know why character goals are so crucial to great storytelling, and we’ve talked about internal and external goals. Now let’s dig a little deeper into them. Internal Vs. External Character Goals Internal Goals Internal goals come from inside main characters, and are motivated by their wants and needs — which can be different. For example, in a dystopian story, your character’s ‘need’ may be survival, but their ‘want’ may revolve around never having found love before the apocalypse (sob).  The simplest yet broadest breakdown of personal goals that I’ve seen is psychiatrist Dr. William Glasser’s \'Choice Theory\', which lists 5 basic needs: Survival Love and belonging Power Freedom Fun If you’re looking to pin down a character’s goal, thinking big picture like this can be a good place to start (more on this later).  Circling back to Lisa Cron again, one of the ideas she proposes in her book is that not only does each main character have a goal, but they also have what she refers to as an “impossible goal: to achieve [their] desire and remain true to the fear that’s keeping [them] from it”. What Cron is saying is that, deep down, there’s an internal obstacle that’s self-sabotaging your protagonist, and it’s your job as a writer to develop their character arc so that they can grow by the story’s end. Which is brilliant!Yes, it’s another conflict to manage, but it also ups the stakes in a way that adds layers and breeds authentic characterisation, so your character is deeply three-dimensional. This can prove to be exciting if your main character is an unreliable narrator — think the protagonist Tyler Durden in Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, and that finale.  External Goals External goals originate from outside main characters, often in the form of some other character (eg. the antagonist) or organisation’s visible goals.  These external character goals are where the surface events of the plot come in, with the goal being a one-sentence summary of what the main character is trying so hard to do, like save the world from the big bad villain.  External goals can also include less personified objectives like finding an item, winning a war, or reaching a destination.  Character Goal Examples The Fellowship Of The Ring By J. R. R. Tolkien Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings series is a good one to start with, as most people have either read the books, watched the films, or at the very least, seen the memes — and know that “one does not simply walk into Mordor”. Yet, this is exactly what main character Frodo Baggins’ external goal is: to journey to Mordor’s Mount Doom and toss the One Ring into its fiery pit.  Frodo’s internal goal is trickier. On the surface, you could say that it’s his struggle not to succumb to the ring’s terrible power; but really, in the book, it feels more about fulfilling Bilbo’s legacy as a way to thank and honour his uncle.  Wuthering Heights By Emily Brontë Apart from being a brooding gothic romance on par with Romeo and Juliet, Brontë’s seminal classic is also a fantastic example of internal goals fuelling external goals, and those goals changing over time.  Enter Heathcliff, a homeless child adopted by the Earnshaws, whose external goal is to survive usurping the family’s son as the new favourite. Heathcliff’s internal goal is love and belonging, which he finds with the Earnshaws’ daughter Catherine. But when Mr. Earnshaw dies and that son relegates Heathcliff to lowly servitude — and Catherine agrees to marry someone else as marrying Heathcliff would degrade her status — Heathcliff’s external goals take a turn. He vanishes, returning years later with unexplained wealth, but Catherine is already married and dies after his return. Heathcliff’s love then morphs into vindictive obsession, as he takes revenge on anyone who got in their way… Or in his way, more generally.  Her Majesty’s Royal Coven By Juno Dawson Times-bestselling author Juno Dawson’s 2022 hit is an urban paranormal tale about a UK government department of witches (cov.uk as their website? Utter genius). This book is another great example of blending an internal and external goal to drive the story.The main character is ex-HMRC witch Niamh, whose external goal is to protect young trans witch Theo from HMRC — whose leader thinks teen Theo is the prophesied ‘sullied child’ who’ll ruin them. Cleverly aligned is Niamh’s internal goal, which is to let people in after losing her husband to war a decade earlier, starting with fostering teenage Theo and ending in letting herself find love again.  The Martian By Andy Weir Weir’s thrilling debut science-fiction novel (and 2015 film directed by Ridley Scott, featuring Matt Damon) tells the story of American astronaut Mark Watney. He’s stranded on Mars, communications with Earth are down, and his crew thinks he’s dead. Not surprisingly, Mark’s external goal is to survive until he can be rescued, with his internal goal equally about survival, just more in terms of mental health and never giving up in the face of adversity.  Hamlet By William Shakespeare Lastly, Hamlet, like Heathcliff, is another example of a main character with complex, richly woven internal and external goals.  Shakespeare’s play starts simply. Hamlet sees a family member’s ghost, his father’s, who tells him to avenge his murder as committed by Hamlet’s uncle (who’s become king and married Hamlet’s mother).Hamlet’s external goal is clear. His internal goal, however, is not wanting to kill his uncle, and he gives a multitude of reasons why throughout the story that essentially boil down to Hamlet being a thinker, not a killer.  Yet this comes undone in the final scene, where Hamlet’s uncle moves to kill him — and, furious after all is revealed, Hamlet finally fulfils his deadly vow.  How To Create Goals For Your Characters 1. Pre-Plan Your Character Goals I say pre-plan as I’ve tackled character goals after drafting a story before, and believe me when I tell you it’s way easier if you start with them!Not only do goals give you a main character’s internal compass, but they also tend to pre-populate that character’s responses to the story’s events. This means you’re less likely to feel as though you’re beating a path to the plot as you write it, and more likely to find your character drives the story — which is infinitely less stressful.Going back to our definition of external goals, these will generally be pretty obvious and dependent on your story’s concept: solving a murder, winning a competition, stopping a war etc.My biggest tip is to put that goal upfront as soon as possible, so readers know what they’re in for. Check out our list of goals in the next section for some ideas. 2. Include Internal Goals As you may have noted, internal character goals are massively important, as they help fully realise your main characters. Internal goals are easiest to pre-plan when you have either just a character, or a character and a good story idea, as leading with this means that you can jump straight into goals and character arcs. But all is not lost if you’ve been focusing on your story idea first.  Here, the trick is to ensure your main character begins with an internal goal that aligns with or is upended by the plot, and therefore the external goal they’re working towards.I’ll give you an example: in my novel, the protagonist must travel to a new city and find an ancient object. However, her internal struggle is that she doesn’t believe that she’s the right person for the job; she’s afraid of what it will mean if she succeeds. This fear adds a layer of complexity, as well as upping the stakes as she’s not just fulfilling the plot — she’s self-actualising to prove herself wrong, and growing by the story’s conclusion as a direct result.  3. Plan Your Plot Points OK, so you’ve pre-planned both your character’s internal and external goals. Great! Now it’s time to put them into action. Plotters will love this part, but if you’re a pantser, it’s definitely worth your while, too — perhaps just in less granular detail.  Your plot points will depend on what kind of story structure you’re planning to follow (three acts? Five acts? One of Christopher Booker’s seven basic plots?), but the key is to pin down a timeline so that each major step in your main character’s external goal, for example, happens when you need to amp up the story’s suspense. This helps to space out and pace significant events while still meeting each act’s milestones.  4. Consider Including Scene Goals If you’re a pantser, this may be a plot too far, but scene goals work to ensure that your main character’s external goal is on track, and they can also be used as a checklist for their internal goal and its development.And just to clarify — your character’s external goal can and may change (their ally was the baddie all along, what a twist!), so if that’s the case, scene goals will need to align with their internal goal instead.  To do this, use an outline of your plot points to drill down into a list of story scenes. For each scene, then note your main character’s internal and external scene goals; which should be related to their overarching story goals. You can also do this for secondary characters eg. if they have POVs.  5. Write! You’ve done the hard work on character goals. Congratulations! If you’re inspired, by all means, get writing. If you want to give everything a little time to settle before you kick off, that’s OK, too. Just don’t forget to write! List Of Character Goals Internal Character Goals Realise potential (and overcome issues) Find family Find a place to belong  Find love Live happily ever after Have fun Be remembered Find fulfilment External Character Goals Defeat evil Solve a crime Free someone (eg a family member)Get revenge Stop a war Protect the nation’s interests Challenge the status quo Start a revolution Find / steal an object Travel somewhere new / old Get a job Start a business Get rich / famous / powerful Win a competition Finish a project Get married / divorced Have a baby Recover from illness Settle a debt Make amends Survive Self-sacrifice Live forever Break a curse Change / save the past Fulfil a prophecy Change / save lives Save the world Frequently Asked Questions What Are Some Character Goals? Character goals can be internally or externally driven. Internal goals arise from inside a character, and are motivated by what they want or need. External goals come from outside a character, and are what they must undertake and usually succeed in by the end of a story.  Examples of character goals include: overcoming self-doubt, finding love, solving a crime, defeating evil, finishing a project, getting revenge, or saving the world.  How Do I Determine My Character’s Goal? To determine a character’s goal, try starting with psychiatrist Dr. William Glasser’s ‘Choice Theory’, which details 5 basic human needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun. Depending on what your story is about, these should give you a jumping off point for a character goal that’s internal or external.  What\'s The Difference Between A Character’s Goal And Their Motivation? A character’s goal is the object of their desire and what they’re trying to achieve, and can be internal or external in nature. This differs from a character’s motivation, which is the actual reason for their goal in the first place, and what drives them on. A character’s motivation is a result of the character’s life and guided by foundational beliefs, or misbeliefs — like seeking power due to an earlier loss of control.  Choosing Character Goals As we’ve learnt, the stories that shape us do so because characters shape us — connecting us to their wants and needs, and to the authors who guide their hands.If we’re to learn and master such acts of modern magic, it’s up to us to create characters, with internal and external goals, that grow to leave readers spellbound.  

Every person in real life has personality traits — something that makes them unique, interesting, and different to others.Yes, even you!So when you\'re creating memorable characters for your story it\'s really important to ensure that they have traits and characteristics that make them memorable.This doesn\'t mean every character in your books needs to have quirky traits, but — when it comes to character creation — it does give you the opportunity to have a lot of fun!In this article, I\'m going to discuss what character quirks are, how to write them successfully, and what to avoid. I will also be listing 80 quirks for you to consider in your next story.Let\'s start...What Are Character Quirks?Quirks are character traits that make the people in your story memorable, relatable and different to one another. A quirky character is one who some may consider unusual, eccentric, or a bit weird.A character\'s personality is fundamentally important when it comes to a story\'s plot, helping form a realistic and engaging narrative and strong dialogue, and providing a memorable cast.Quirky characters may have unusual physical attributes (different coloured eyes, for instance), unique personality traits (they skip instead of walk), or peculiar habits (they put lipstick on before they eat). Either way, a quirky character generally looks or behaves in a way that differentiates them from other characters.Imagine the Cheshire Cat without his smile, Jo March without her books and impulsivity, or Sherlock Holmes without his pipe and hat. Impossible!Character quirks not only help a character jump off the page but without them some of the world\'s best books would be a lot less interesting to read.How To Write Successful Character QuirksTo create believable characters, you need to make them stand out from one another. Each character quirk needs to be unique, relevant and recognisable.Let\'s look at these points in more detail...Be OriginalThink of new quirks that you\'ve not seen in a story before. You may want to tweak more common traits to make them weird or you could try using people in real life as inspiration.For instance:If you are writing about a detective, it wouldn\'t be very original to have him hold a magnifying glass all the time... but what if, like Inspector Gadget, his entire coat was created to help him investigate better?If you are writing a romantic heroine, instead of making her loveable and worthy of her dream man from the onset, why not make her an interfering busybody fascinated by the love lives of others — like Austen\'s Emma?And if you are creating a teen hero, instead of making a strong, valiant and heavily armed boy — why not create a female character from a poor background whose only skill is shooting a bow and arrow, like Katniss from The Hunger Games?Having an original link or contrast between a character\'s purpose and their particular quirk, a unique trait that can be both their flaw and saviour, means you have an original character that can be easily described in one short sentence.After all, you know exactly who I\'m talking about if I say, \'he\'s a kind giant with big ears who collects dreams in jam jars.\'Make Sure The Character\'s Quirks Are RelevantDon\'t give a character cute quirks that don\'t mean anything.For example, in JoJo Moyes, Me Before You, the very chirpy protagonist, Lou Clark, wears wacky clothes (stripy tights, bright shoes, overly fluffy jumpers) while Will Traynor, the paraplegic she cares for, is very serious and dresses smartly at all times.None of this is by accident!The author has carefully chosen these differences as the irony is that Lou is full of life and energy but is stuck in a dead-end job and relationship, with no plans to do or go anywhere. Whereas Will (who was once very successful and adventurous) can\'t physically do all the things he once wanted to and has nowhere to be, but still looks the part of a successful businessman.So they are both dressed as the person they wish to be, with neither confronting the fact they are not that person anymore/yet.The realisation of what they both ultimately want to do with their lives is the main theme of the story — and the resolution at the end.Use Quirks To Show A Change In CharacterOne of my favourite types of quirks in a character is seeing what they do under stress.In the Netflix series Money Heist, the police inspector, Raquel Murillo, has very long hair. Every time she has to deal with the hostage takers she ties her hair up. Every time the viewer sees her do that, we know she means business.By the end of the series, she has swapped allegiances and wears her hair down nearly all of the time.The \'let your hair down\' is often used literally in storytelling to show a woman going from being rigid and controlled, to relaxing and letting go.In the movie Something\'s Gotta Give, Diana Keaton\'s uptight character, Erica Barry, wears high turtle neck sweaters the entire time. By the end of the movie, once she finds the courage to be herself, she pulls at the neck of her sweater and rips it off, signifying her new vulnerability and freedom.Have Fun With FoilsIf you\'re going to have two main characters, use character quirks to highlight their differences.In Sapkowski\'s book and the Netflix TV adaptation, The Witcher, we see two visually and behaviourally different characters. The lead, Gerald of Rivia, is physically big and strong, he fights monsters for a living — he\'s also monosyllabic, emotionally closed and grunts a lot.In contrast, his unwanted companion, Jaskier, is a poet, minstrel and bard who never shuts up.The juxtaposition of both these visual and personality quirks makes for really interesting foil characters, helping to highlight each attribute the other lacks.It also makes for many an amusing scene.What To Avoid When Creating Character QuirksThe problem with character quirks is that if overused, and done badly, what could be a fun and memorable way to distinguish one character from another can quickly become grating for the reader and stop them from wanting to turn the page.So what should you NOT do when developing your character\'s personality? Here are a few helpful tips.Steer Clear Of ClichésSome character quirks and certain words have been overdone to the point of being farcical (although, if writing satire or a genre where readers expect certain tropes, go to town with the cheese!).For instance, not every devilishly hot leading man needs to smirk or have a crooked smile. Neither does he have to be tall, dark or handsome. What if, like Cyrano de Bergerac, he has a big nose and is worried about his appearance?Avoid StereotypesRacist, sexist, ableist, or any other type of stereotypical observations are not quirks. Mental health issues and disabilities are not quirks.For instance, it\'s insulting to make it a quirk that the intelligent female scientist also happens to have a big bust, or that the Asian kid is a maths wiz, or that the Italian woman moves her hands around a lot when she speaks.Think about why you are giving certain characters a unique trait, how it fits into the plot, and try to be original with it.Don\'t Overdo It!If all your characters are ever so quirky it will detract from the story.It\'s important to create unique characters, yes, but each one doesn\'t have to be weird and kooky. Sometimes having a fall guy, a straight and serious foil, can enhance the hero\'s quirkier traits.How To Plan Your Character QuirksNow you know what character quirks are, and how to avoid writing them badly, where do you start?1. Think About What You\'re Trying To SayEvery character in your story should look and act a certain way for a reason. So imagine your cast, (create a vision board on Pinterest if it helps with physical features), and ask yourself why they look and behave the way they do.Harry Potter\'s lightning scar signifies he has always had the power to beat Voldemort.Scrooge is miserly so by the end of the story he can learn the error of his ways.Willy Wonka\'s split personality — flamboyant and fun one minute, mean and cruel the next — is reflected in the way the factory is also beguiling but dangerous. Even his name sounds \'wonky\'!Ariel brushing her hair with a fork represents her ignorance about the land up above (and foreshadows the struggles she\'s about to have when she grows legs).Hannibal Lecter is sophisticated and very clever, which is disarming considering he\'s also a cannibalistic murderer (a gentle, caring, smart murderer is much scarier than a big, tough, thug). And, again, it\'s no coincidence his name sounds like \'cannibal\' and \'lecturer\'.2. Make A List Of Your Characters\' QuirksUse the list below, or create your own list of distinctive quirks. List kooky characteristics first, then match them with your cast... or vice versa.Try to be original, amusing, or endearing. Don\'t match a quirk with a character for the sake of it, make sure it\'s relevant to who they are, what they are trying to achieve, or to the outcome of the story.3. Make Your Characters RoundedEnsure their name, backstory, and how they interact with the rest of the characters matches their personality and quirks.Sometimes they can be contrasting, like the main character in Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Her surname sounds like \'elephant\', making you think about \'the elephant in the room\' and \'elephants never forget\' — both of which are relevant to the twist at the end of the book (spoiler: she\'s not \'completely fine\').4. Remember Quirks Are A Reflection Of A Character\'s DispositionThink about their mental state, their personality, their backstory, and their constant state of mind.Let\'s look at the TV show, Friends, for example:Ross: Nervous and awkward = clears his throat a lot.Monica: Control issues brought upon by anxiety = an obsession with cleaning.Phoebe: Overcoming past trauma = has turned to music and a more holistic outlook on life.Chandler: Difficult childhood = masks his vulnerability with humour.Rachel: Vain and self-centred = obsessed with what she looks like (which leads to a successful job in fashion).Joe: Comes from a large and close-knit family = overly relaxed, with few inhibitions.So what other quirks can you give your characters? The list is endless, but here are 80 to start you off...80 Ideas For Great Character QuirksI have compiled a list of quirks categorised into physical, behavioural and personality quirks. See how many more you can add to these!Physical QuirksPhysical Appearance:A birthmarkWears bracesVery tall or very shortTattoos or piercingsHas long, sharp nailsKeeps dying their hair a different colourEyes are not the same colourUnusual hair colourNoticeable scarThey have skin problemsThey wear a different wig in each chapterBad breath or hygieneThe Way They Move:Walking habits, ie limpAlways sits on the floorSleeps in a strange positionRefuses to rush for anything or anyoneAvoids eye contactAlways chair leansSits extremely straightAlways leans against the wallLaughs behind their mouthClaps to accentuate each wordMoves arms and hands a lot when talkingDoes little dances when happyWiggles their hips when they walkHow They Dress:Flashy style dressesWears a lot of jewelleryAlways wears the friendship bracelet the other character made themWears clothes that are too big/too small for themWears glasses or unusual glassesExclusively wears clothes from a specific era (such as the 1940s or the 1970s)Wears bright nail polish (even more interesting if they\'re a boy or non-binary)Wears socks that don\'t matchShoes are too big, or don\'t match, or have colourful lacesWhat They Sound Like:They have a speech impedimentRaspy voiceMonosyllabicTalks too muchSings when speakingThey clear their throat before speakingHums all the timeSays \'err\' or other fillers a lotLoud talker/quiet talkerBehavioural QuirksCharacters Who Are On The Edge:They have some control freak tendenciesObsessive cleaningAlways fiddling with their pocket knifeIrrational fear of somethingTying their hair upSleeves always rolled upAlways chewing their lipCracking knucklesHow They Treat Others:Takes in stray animalsExtremely loyalPeople pleaserUnnecessarily rudeFusses over peopleMakes friends giftsCharacter Habits:Chews their nailsTwirls their hairUses the same word over and overSmokesDrinks a lot of a certain liquorSwears a lot (creative swear words are the most fun)Personality QuirksStrange Behaviour:They have an imaginary friendThey\'re always tiredDoesn\'t need to sleepTheir best friend is an animal (or plant)Talks to themselvesTalents And Skills:Plays a musical instrumentHas an artistic talentGreat with computersPhotographic memorySpeaks multiple languagesCan build anythingHow They Are Around Food:Likes to make home-cooked meals for their friendsEats other people\'s foodTakes huge bites of their foodOnly eats junk foodThey give away all their food to the poorOnly eats organic food ...As you can see, the list is endless! See how many more quirks you can add.Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat Are Quirks In A Character?Quirks are unique and memorable personality traits that make a character stand out from others. They can be physical (how they look or dress), or behavioural (acting a certain way in any given situation).They are often used to reflect a character\'s disposition or constant emotional state, and their tics and habits. They\'re frequently used as a literary technique for foreshadowing or to reflect a change in the character at the resolution stage.What Are Some Common Character Quirks?Winking at those they find attractiveLeaning against the wallClearing their throat before talkingWearing wacky clothesSmirkingBiting their nailsHaving an unusual hairstylePlaying a musical instrumentHaving a scarTalking too much or not enoughTime To Get Writing!I hope you have had fun thinking up some original quirks for your characters and that you enjoy applying them to your next story.And remember, whatever you do, make sure your characters are ones that your future readers will never forget!

A good story needs to be full of great characters.Understanding your characters and their role in your novel can make all the difference. One of the things to consider is whether your characters should be dynamic or static.In this article, I will be exploring the difference between a static character and a dynamic character, explaining how to use both in your story, and looking at some dynamic and static character examples.Understanding Static And Dynamic CharactersA static character is one that doesn\'t change throughout the telling of the story, whereas dynamic characters are the opposite - they undergo significant internal and/or external changes. By the end of the story, dynamic characters are very different from how they were at the start.Another thing to remember about static and dynamic characters is that whichever one they are is no reflection on how well they are drawn on the page or their importance in the story.Unlike \'flat\' and \'rounded\' characters (ones that lack depth vs those that are better developed), static and dynamic characters should both be well developed in order to add balance and intrigue to your storytelling.Character Or Plot?Most books are either about normal people doing incredible things, or incredible people doing normal things. Very rarely will you find an engaging book that\'s about a normal person doing normal things.That\'s boring. That\'s the life we are all already living.Why do I mention this? Because when it comes to deciding whether your character is going to be static or dynamic, you need to ask yourself whether THEY are the point of the story, or if the focus is on the adventure they are about to embark on.Not every character, or protagonist, needs to change by the end of the story.If your book is centred around the lessons your hero learns along the way, then that normal character becomes an interesting character and we are drawn in by both the plot (action) and the MC\'s internal journey.But often an author will write static characters that don\'t change at all by the end. And that\'s also okay because the story was never about them per se, but about the adventure they were on and the world they inhabited within that story.Let\'s take a look at static characters in more detail, along with some examples...What Is A Static Character?As I mentioned previously, a static character and their traits do not change throughout the story.They don\'t grow as a person (start off scared and get braver by the end), they don\'t learn anything new (true love was right in front of them all along), and are not perceived differently by others (from a lowly no one to returning home a hero).Listen, your hero can still have a rollickingly great time - it just doesn\'t change them fundamentally in any great way.Things to remember about static characters:Not all static characters are flat characters.Not all static characters are boring.Not all characters lack a personality.Many static characters are well-developed, have a unique personality, add nuance to a story, provide a foil to the protagonist, and move the plot along... they just don\'t change from the beginning to the end, retaining the same personality throughout the story.Let\'s take a look at a static character example (or five):Examples Of Static CharactersHere are examples of static characters and how they can still be interesting...Alice In Alice\'s Adventures In WonderlandWhen Alice falls down the rabbit hole, the reader\'s focus is solely on the completely bonkers world she has stumbled upon and its equally bonkers characters.Alice learns nothing about herself on her adventures, she is exactly the same girl at the end of the story as she was at the beginning, but the fun is had by joining her on the discovery of the crazy world she\'s trying to escape.James BondWhen a character\'s traits do not change from the beginning to the end of a story, they are a static character.Now, no one would dare to call Bond static in any way - he is the very epitome of an action man. Yet his personality, the very essence of him, never ever changes throughout any of the books or movies.He doesn\'t start off a cold and sophisticated killer and womaniser and at the end of the story learn that, actually, he\'d prefer to get a normal job and settle down with a couple of kids.The joy of Bond is that, while he remains the same, his adventures do not. Same personality but a different setting, different baddie, different sexy woman. The formula doesn\'t change.Scar From The Lion KingThe ultimate evil antagonist, Scar\'s personality traits remain consistent to the very end. Based on Shakespeare\'s play, Hamlet, Scar is the conniving uncle who kills the king and drives the prince (the true heir to the throne) away.Much like Claudius in Hamlet, Scar never gets a redemption arc. He never learns his lesson, he is out and out evil throughout the story and at the end meets a gristly death at the hands of his nephew who returns to claim what is his.Yet Scar is far from a flat character. In the Disney movie he is bad to the point of camp, he is funny and feisty and well-rounded in every way. He simply never reaches a point of introspection.Sherlock HolmesMuch like James Bond, Sherlock Holmes does not change in any of Doyle\'s four novels or 56 short stories. Holmes\' character remains extremely clever, obsessive, stubborn and perceptive.Each mystery changes, but Holmes does not get a big character arc.Disney PrincessesOther static characters include many of the older Disney princesses.If you look at Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella they were very passive in their own stories. They started off pure and innocent, they were rescued by others, and they remained pure and innocent. No personal growth, sudden realisations, or change of personality occurs.With time Disney has given its leading ladies a lot more agency, and the princesses in Beauty and The Beast, Brave and Tangled, for instance, develop and discover things about themselves throughout their stories.What Is A Dynamic Character?The main character of a story is often dynamic.If the novel is centred around their journey, both literal and emotional, it stands to reason that the hero at the end of the story is going to be a very different person to the one at the beginning.A dynamic character undertakes a significant change - this may be a literal one (they may go from rich to poor, from ugly to beautiful), or an internal change (they may learn something about themselves, or realise something important).Dynamic Character ExamplesHere are some characters who experience significant changes throughout their story...Ebenezer Scrooge In Dickens\' A Christmas Carol180 years after the first publication of Dickens\' didactic tale of greed and charity, the word Scrooge is still used to describe someone who is miserly and has little empathy for others.In A Christmas Carol our antihero, Ebenezer, undergoes a large transformation. Thanks to the visit of three ghosts on Christmas Eve showing him the error of his ways, this dynamic character goes from being a mean-spirited boss and uncle to poor Fred, to becoming a more giving person infused with generous Christmas spirit.Juliet In Shakespeare\'s Romeo And JulietThere are many static characters in Shakespeare\'s Romeo and Juliet (Juliet\'s nurse, Friar Laurence, Paris) but our hapless heroes are far from static - Juliet being the one who undergoes the largest change and the most dynamic of the story.At the beginning of the play, we see our leading lady being an obedient, good girl for her nurse and mother. Juliet cares deeply for her family and will do anything for them. Then along comes the irresistible catalyst, Romeo, the only boy she can\'t fall for as he\'s from the same family her own has been feuding with forever.By the end of the play we see Juliet rebel against her family, run away with the boy, secretly marry him, and even end up dying for him!John McClane In Die HardAnother example of a man who changes throughout a story is the protagonist of Die Hard - tough guy, John McClane.New York City policeman John McClane is visiting his estranged wife and two daughters on Christmas Eve (clearly a great time in stories for self-actualisation). A man who has always put his career before his family.His marriage is on the rocks, his wife has lost all respect for him, and his children hardly see him. But when he saves his wife from an attack by a terrorist at her Christmas office party he goes from bad guy to hero.By the end of the movie, the family are reunited and he realises what is really important.Katniss Everdeen In The Hunger GamesIn the same way Juliet changes from meek to rebellious, Katniss Everdeen goes from being a poor girl who volunteers to take part in a deathly survival game to save her sister - to becoming a rich and powerful hero who, during the course of the games, discovers her own strengths.At first, Katniss doubts her abilities and is used as a pawn in the Capitol\'s game, but as soon as she realises this she rises to become the leader of a rebellion that brings the Capitol to its knees. Dynamic indeed!Do We Need Both Dynamic And Static Characters In A Story?In short, you can\'t have every single character in your novel growing and changing - that would take away from the action and themes of your book.When deciding which character should be dynamic and which should be static, you must ask yourself what the role of each character in your story is.Minor characters don\'t have to be too rounded and definitely don\'t need a character arc (Katniss\' mother and sister stay static in the story) but those who play a bigger role (such as the hero herself, or her love interests) do need to grow and develop as the story progresses.Often a static character can be a great foil for a dynamic character. While the hero is developing and learning, their companion can remain steadfast and static.Often you can have a protagonist and deuteragonist that are both static, and that works very well too. Look at Jaskier and The Witcher. Although foils (one is fun and jaunty, the other tough and serious) neither of them change character throughout the story yet remain compelling and interesting.Likewise, you can have a cast full of dynamic characters, such as those in The Little Mermaid. Ariel, her father and her love interest, Eric, all learn a big lesson by the end of their journey (although, as usual, Ursula, the antagonist, does not).Importance Of Character DevelopmentThere are no hard and fast rules as to whether your hero needs to be static or dynamic - just ensure whatever you choose works within your story.If your hero is going to be dynamic, then think about their character arc.Major characters often undergo a large transformation, so ensure you give them a backstory, a starting point, then ask yourself how the adventure/problem they must overcome is going to change them.Secondary characters are also important. Whether they are your hero\'s friends, companions, enemies, family or colleagues, it\'s not enough to have flat characters there simply to move the plot along.Ensure every character remains true to themselves and that they feel rounded and real.How To Write Interesting CharactersWhat should you bear in mind when creating your hero? And how can you ensure they are interesting, whether static or dynamic?Static Characters:Make Them RoundedEven if your hero doesn\'t undergo any major changes, ensure that they have a personality. Give them a backstory, a reason for being how they are, and ensure that they remain true to themselves throughout.Give Them A FoilIf your hero is serious, give them a fun sidekick. If your hero is erratic, give them a partner who is sensible. This not only helps highlight the hero\'s flaws or positive attributes, but also keeps the story fresh and entertaining.Focus On The AdventureIf your hero is static (think Bond or Holmes) then ensure that their adventure is what the reader focuses on. Whether it\'s action-filled or fantastical, if the character remains static then the plot should carry all the intrigue. This works really well with a series.Dynamic Characters:Give Them A Problem To SolveDynamic characters need to change, and for that to happen they need a problem or dilemma to overcome. Ensure that before the inciting incident your hero demonstrates the traits or flaws that they need to change by the end of the story (via them solving/overcoming the problem)...Make It Difficult For Them...and don\'t make it easy for them. Like the characters in the Harry Potter series, each one of your dynamic characters should have a succinct personality that either helps or hinders their goal. And by the end of the book, they should have battled with them and developed beyond who they once were.Be OriginalEvery one of your main characters (whether static or dynamic) should be a rounded character.Whether you are writing a series or a short story, ensure both main and side characters are interesting, relevant and original in some way. Give them unique quirks, tics, and tells that differentiate them from one another.Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat Is A Static Character?A static character is one that doesn\'t change from the start of the story through to the end. Although they may go on a fantastic adventure, their personality, situation and physical appearance will remain the same.What Is A Dynamic Character?A dynamic character is one who changes and evolves throughout the story. Often the protagonists of the novel, dynamic characters end the story as different people than they were at its beginning.What Are The 7 Types Of Characters?Protagonist - the main character of a story. The hero.Antagonist - the hero\'s rival.Love interest - the one the hero falls in love with.Confidant - the character that the hero confides in or is guided by.Deuteragonists -the character second in importance to the hero (ie Watson to Holmes, Robin to Batman).Tertiary characters - minor characters in a story who either help move the plot along, set a scene, or interact with the hero in some way.Foil - the opposite of the hero (often used to highlight the hero\'s specific character traits). For instance, this works well if the hero is dynamic and the sidekick is not.Get Into CharacterAnd that brings us to the end of my guide to static vs dynamic characters.As you begin writing your next story, have a think about whether your characters need to remain static or dynamic. Think about their arc, the plot, what you are trying to achieve and what is important to your story.And remember... whatever you choose to do, make sure your characters are rounded and engaging!

Having compelling characters in your novel can be the difference between a good story and a great one, igniting a reader\'s imagination with every turn of the page. Some of the most memorable fictional characters have lasted the test of time because of how the author described them.From Heathcliff to Fagin, from Scarlett O\'Hara to Matilda, the way these characters look, move, behave, and interact with others and their surroundings make them larger than life, leaving a lasting impression because they feel so real.In this article, we\'re going to look at the fourteen questions every writer should ask themselves when planning on describing their main characters.Use this guide as a checklist and learn how strong character descriptions can bring your book to life!How To Write Compelling Character DescriptionsWhen it comes to writing character descriptions, many people instantly think of physical details. Yes, it\'s often important to show what your character is wearing or what colour their hair is, but real people are made up of more than just a police lineup description.To reveal character traits beyond a physical attribute you need to go deeper. When you understand your character\'s flaws, needs, fears, ambitions, childhood, and past and future goals, you can unearth a richer and more believable person.This involves looking at each non-visual medium as well as the surroundings of that character and how they influence them, their behaviour, and their persona.Why Are Character Descriptions Important?A professional writer knows that character description is incredibly important. Without character development, your story is just a plot that no one will care about.A reader connects not with the adventure, but with the person embarking on it. They\'re not invested in the love story but in the two people experiencing it. They don\'t care about how someone was murdered as much as who was murdered and who did it.When a reader empathises with a character, that story becomes so much more important. When a reader roots for the hero, or hates the villain, they will keep turning those pages.An author gets just one chance to make an impactful first impression, to include the right details to make their characters jump off the page - so make sure you make each character unique!Let\'s discover how you can do that by asking yourself the following questions...14 Questions To Ask Yourself When You Describe CharactersHere are the first fourteen questions any writer should ask themselves when developing their characters and describing them to readers. Feel free to add even more, but if you don\'t know the answer to any of these then your reader may struggle to imagine what each character is like.And remember, you can describe a character in many different and original ways, even if you completely leave out physical appearance - if a reader knows enough about them they will fill in the blanks. That\'s the magic of storytelling!1. What Is Their Background?This question is very important.In Dickens\' Oliver Twist, an orphan boy joins a street gang of young London thieves. Dickens knew Oliver came from an affluent family originally, so ensured the boy\'s characteristics were gentle, a little meek, and his physical attributes fine and elegant.Dickens then provides the perfect foil character in Oliver\'s new pickpocketing friend, The Artful Dodger, who is described very differently. We know Dodger is from the rough streets of Victorian London by the way he talks, dresses, moves and behaves.This is a wonderful description of The Artful Dodger!He was a snub-nosed, flat-browed, common-faced boy enough; and as dirty a juvenile as one would wish to see; but he had about him all the airs and manners of a man. He was short of his age: with rather bow-legs, and little, sharp, ugly eyes. His hat was stuck on the top of his head so lightly, that it threatened to fall off every moment—and would have done so, very often, if the wearer had not had a knack of every now and then giving his head a sudden twitch, which brought it back to its old place again.Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens2. Can You Include A Foil Character?When you have two characters, try and make them opposite to one another - these are called foil characters. Foil characters are very useful in literature as they enhance and highlight the main character\'s traits by showing the reader opposite ones.For instance, if you want to emphasise how mean a character is, then have them go shopping with someone who\'s overly generous. Likewise, show how quiet and insecure someone is by having them recoil in horror as their companion booms and shouts and draws attention to them.3. How Old Are They?How a child sees the world is very different to how an adult does.In Roald Dahl\'s Matilda, the protagonist is a very young girl who is incredibly clever. She\'s everything a \'good\' child should be and very advanced for her age. We can see that through the way she dresses (with a red ribbon in her hair), her habits (she loves to read and go to the library alone), and her resourcefulness (she can\'t carry all the books by herself so takes a toy trolley to put them in).In contrast - once again, those helpful foil characters - her parents are everything a \'bad\' parent can be. They don\'t cook proper meals, insist their children eat in front of the TV, and barely pay any attention to them (and when they do it\'s to critique them); they continuously put looks and money above their children\'s educational needs.The age of a character not only determines how they dress and the way they speak, but it can also influence how they act. If you want to portray a child as being cruel, they may pull another child\'s hair or call them names. If you want to show an adult in the same way (like Matilda\'s nemesis, Mrs Trunchbull) you may show her not sharing her special chocolates and scaring the children who she\'s meant to be looking after.Likewise, those attributes may influence their physical descriptions. As Roald Dahl said himself in his book, The Twits:A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.The Twits by Roald Dahl4. What Are Their Physical Features?Physical descriptions are the easiest way to paint a picture of a character - but they\'re also the least imaginative.For example, the physical characteristics of a character may be:Hair colour - brown hair, black hair, blonde hair etc.Eye colour - brown eyes, green eyes, blue eyes etc.Build - tall, short, slim, overweight, muscly, average build (whatever that means) etc.But, unless the eye colour is vital to the storyline (in my own book, The Path Keeper, Zac\'s eye colour plays a fundamental role in the entire trilogy), using up half a page to describe how they look is boring.When describing bodily features and other details, try to think of very specific characteristics such as perhaps a scar, the shape of their nose, chewed fingernails, or hair that has greying roots. Although stay away from stereotypes, especially when it comes to race, ethnicity, and other minorities.Likewise, don\'t have them staring into the mirror contemplating their looks so the reader knows what they look like. Men, take note, no woman ever thinks about the size or shape of their breasts!Let\'s take a look at Dickens again and his character in Hard Times, the boastful, self-important Mr. Bounderby.Here\'s a bad example of how he could be described, using just physical attributes:He was six foot two and weighed 250 pounds, with brown hair and dull blue eyes. His suit was made from rough tweed and his leather boots looked expensive. He worked in a bank and his laugh was very loud.Not very evocative. It sounds like you\'re giving the police a description of the man who ran off with all your money.This is how Dickens actually describes Mr Bounderby:He was a rich man: banker, merchant, manufacturer, and what not. A big, loud man, with a stare, and a metallic laugh. A man made out of coarse material, which seemed to have been stretched to make so much of him.Hard Times by Charles Dickens5. What Are They Wearing?Clothes say a lot about a person. Not just in terms of whether they are dressed formally, casually or in a uniform, but also in how they wear their clothes.Do they have a button missing? Are their trousers ironed with a crease down the centre or are they crumpled? Are there clothes old and worn, or new and from designer brands?What about their shoes? Is a woman wearing heels to do something that would be better suited to trainers? Does a man wear his expensive suit accessorised with odd colourful socks?In Margaret Atwood’s Booker-winning novel The Blind Assassin, the narrator Iris begins the story thinking back to her sister Laura’s death.Laura’s troubled personality shines through in Atwood\'s descriptions of her clothing:I could picture the smooth oval of Laura’s face, her neatly pinned chignon, the dress she would have been wearing: a shirtwaist with a small rounded collar, in a sober colour – navy blue or steel grey or hospital-corridor green. Penitential colours – less like something she’d chosen to put on than like something she’d been locked up in.The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood6. What Is Their Job?When it comes to showing, not telling, a job can really help describe a person (as in the case of the banker above).If a novel opens with a nurse tending to a sick child and then stopping to pet a cat on her way home, it\'s highly unlikely she\'s going to be cruel and uncaring. There\'s no need to say \'Kate was a very patient and kind woman who loved children and animals\' if you\'ve already demonstrated that by her profession and actions.Likewise, a gardener will enjoy being outdoors and a sailor will be comfortable out on the ocean. Or, to make things more interesting, you could have your gardener scared of worms and your sailor unable to swim!7. What Makes Them Unique?A character\'s personality is determined by how they move and act, as well as how they look. Give them a quirky personality and some character traits people won\'t forget in a hurry.If I write about a woman who collects buttons, which she then leaves behind on the body of every man she murders, you will probably have a very distinct idea of what she looks like. In contrast, a woman who lives in a hut in the forest, breeds ferrets, and makes her own clothes, will look, move, sound, and behave very differently.8. How Do They Move?Physical attributes determine how a character moves, and body language says a lot about a person.For instance, if a teen character is awkward with long legs and arms, they may lope, amble, or bump into things. If someone is young and healthy they may run everywhere. If they are older, or unwell, they may move slower or more deliberately.9. How Are They Feeling?You can describe a character\'s face and body language, or you can tell the readers what they are thinking and feeling. Facial expressions are a great way to determine what that character is like.For instance, a man with creases around his eyes from smiling a lot, is going to be a very different character from one who has deep furrows on his forehead from being constantly angry.I don\'t recommend you focus on skin colour, but if the character is white then describing pale skin that\'s clammy at the touch may indicate they\'re unwell, or that they don\'t get out of the house much.10. How Do They Interact With Their Surroundings?The people in your book don\'t live on a blank page; all characters inhabit a place - the setting of your book. How they interact with their surroundings says a lot about their character.If the book is set in the jungle, the character who is scared and over-reacting is going to be a very different type of person to the one who is fearless.Surprise your readers. Maybe the muscly man is scared, and the older lady wearing a floral dress is the one who fights off the killer snakes.Consider other sensory details.Does your character like the smell of flowers, or does it remind them of their abusive grandmother? Or do they prefer the scent of bleach because they have a cleaning addiction that stems from their sad childhood? What about the food they eat, the sounds they pick up, and the way they see the world?Be creative with how they react to the environment.11. What Do Other People Think About Them?It\'s always fun to have a character perceive themselves one way, and then demonstrate how they\'re perceived by others.Write character descriptions that are contradictory. If you have an obnoxious character that\'s despised by everyone he works with, have him think he\'s the smartest, most helpful person in the office. If you have a child who doubts their ability at school, have them be the teacher\'s secret favourite.In Emily Brontë\'s, Wuthering Heights, the protagonist Heathcliff is a contradictory mix of wild ways and gentlemanly expectations. You can see that juxtaposition in the way the author describes him:But Mr. Heathcliff forms a singular contrast to his abode and style of living. He is a dark-skinned gypsy in aspect, in dress and manners a gentleman, that is, as much a gentleman as many a country squire.Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë12. What Do They Think Of Those Around Them?I am yet to meet a more fascinating character than Jean-Baptiste Grenouille in the novel Perfume, by Patrick Süskind.His extreme olfactory powers mean that he experiences the world through his intense sense of smell. Everyone around him has a pungent, overbearing odour, while he himself has absolutely no scent at all. This in turn results in him hating all human beings.People left him alone. And that was all he wanted.Perfume by Patrick SüskindThat line alone tells you everything you need to know about how others perceive him and how he perceives them.Think about how your characters view their friends, colleagues, family members, children and partners.13. How Do They Behave?How a character treats others is extremely telling of their values and personality.In Joanna Harris\' book, Chocolat, the main character Vianne describes a customer in her shop as:His face is small, delicately featured. He is the kind of man who breaks biscuits in two and saves the other half for later.Chocolat by Joanna HarrisNo eye or hair color, no clothing or job description. None of that is needed. We know exactly what kind of man he is by the physical description of \'small\' and \'delicate\' and his precise actions.14. Are They A Cliché?It\'s too easy, when describing a character, to have them fit a specific (and unoriginal) mold. Is your hero tall, dark and handsome? Is your teenager surly and distant? Is your old man cranky and bigoted?In Jonas Jonasson\'s book, The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared, the main character is not only full of adventure and hope - but he\'s 100 years old. And nothing like you would expect an old man to be!People could behave how they liked, but Allan considered that in general it was quite unnecessary to be grumpy if you had the chance not to.The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas JonassonFrequently Asked QuestionsHow Do You Describe A Character\'s Appearance?When describing a character\'s appearance, only focus on the details which are relevant to the story. So if your character\'s going undercover and wearing a short blonde wig, it would be useful to know that their hair is usually long and brown, so their disguise is likely to be somewhat effective.Remember, your character\'s description goes beyond just what they look like. You can let your readers know a lot about a character by how they:TalkMoveDressActInteract with othersInteract with their surroundingsAs well as their backgrounds, their values, and how others see them.What Are Six Ways To Describe A Character?There are six key ways to describe a character:Physical appearanceHow they speakHow they moveHow they treat othersUnique tics and character traitsHow they interact with their surroundingsGreat Character Description MattersGood character description matters. Whether you are writing a novel, a short story, or even the blurb of your book - descriptive details in your writing will help your reader\'s imagination and bring your characters to life.I hope this article has given you inspiration for your characters and helped you imagine them beyond their dark hair and green eyes. The joy of being a writer is that once you have imagined your characters in depth, after that they should write the rest of the book for you.As author William Faulkner once said:It begins with a character, usually, and once he stands up on his feet and begins to move, all I can do is trot along behind him with a paper and pencil trying to keep up long enough to put down what he says and does.William FaulknerHave fun catching up with your book cast!

Why do we find naming characters so hard? Sometimes, names will come to you immediately and that character could never be called anything else. But so often, we agonise over finding the perfect name. This guide will show you how to come up with names for characters, explain why naming characters is important, and provide examples of effective character names. Why Is Naming Characters Important?What’s in a name?Romeo and Juliet by William ShakespeareJuliet (of Romeo and Juliet fame) would have you believe a name is meaningless. That is her hope. Except for her, the name is the insurmountable wall that stands between her and her one true love. So a name, evidently, has much meaning.  And naming characters is important. A name should embody your character. It should tell us so much about who they are. It is an element of your story that could propel it to stardom. Unforgettable characters should have unforgettable names.  A name should tell your readers so much - place, time, personality - even if the story you are telling is quiet, contemporary and real-world. It should also speak to the genre you are writing and ground your readers in the fictional world you have created. I will break down some of the key elements you should consider when naming characters. Great Character Names: The Key ComponentsFrom uniqueness to contextual accuracy, here are some things to consider when coming up with character names.The World We Live InWhen we think about novels that are showing us our own world, we want characters that we feel we know or could walk past on the street.  For novels such as One Day by David Nicholls, we must relate to the characters in order to be willing to follow them through twenty years of their lives. We all know Emma (or a version of her). Maybe not so much Dexter - but that makes sense because he is from a different ‘class’. He moves in different circles. His name is as important as hers. It shows the divide between them, but as the reader, all you care about is them managing to cross that divide. Contemporary novels, be it literary, thriller, or romance, all have one thing in common. We know these names and we could know these characters. Sally Rooney did it with Normal People. Marianne and Connell, such beautiful Irish names of characters that could live up your street. Kiley Reid with Such a Fun Age had Emira and Alix. The novel deals with themes of race and privilege, and Alix’s name is a stroke of genius. The character changed a letter in her name to go from Alex (far too normal) to Alix (much edgier). This is a character who cares so much about her image and how she is seen that she changes her name. It\'s a genius character name, as I said. And Blythe, her husband Fox, and daughter Violet in The Push by Ashley Audrain are about as middle-class as you can get. This tells the reader so much before they have even turned the first page. Don’t be scared to use everyday names. If that is the world, then that is the right name. Catchy And UniqueDo you want your characters to jump off the page? Naming characters in a quirky way will definitely help you get there. Let\'s take the wonderful Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Would you have cared quite so much if Sarah Smith had been completely fine? Apologies to all Sarah Smiths of the world - it is a great, strong name and I descend from a Smith myself - but it doesn’t tickle the ears or play on the tongue quite so nicely as Eleanor Oliphant. Before even opening that first page, you conjure an image of Eleanor. She stands out. You want to know everything about her.  Charles Dickens was the king of this technique, especially with creative last names. You will never forget great character names such as Martin Chuzzlewit, Uriah Heep and Ebenezer Scrooge. The same goes for nicknames. So many characters will only ever be known by their nicknames. Scout and Jem from To Kill a Mockingbird, Boo Radley from the same novel, Rooster Cogburn from True Grit, Piggy from Lord of the Flies. All are completely memorable characters and their nicknames help us remember them. And let’s not forget Pippi Longstocking! Children’s literature is full of amazing, stand-out names. So, if you want your characters to stand out from the rest, go for a name that is catchy or even completely made up. Of The TimeHistorical fiction calls for names that fit the period. It would be no use throwing a character named Jaiden into an 1870s Victorian cosy mystery. And some great character names have come from historical fiction.  The wonderful Fingersmith by Sarah Waters has Sue Trinder (a petty thief), Maud Lilly (a gentlewoman), and Gentleman. Anyone called Gentleman is likely to be anything but. The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton has names of both time and place. Set in 1686 in Amsterdam, Nella Oortman marries Johannes Brandt. Both names are very much of the time. I think this is one genre where research is key. You won’t get away with using names from the wrong period. Readers are savvy, they will pick up on it. Get it right and you’ll gain credibility.  Of The PlacePlace is a strange one. Of course, if your novel is set somewhere very specific such as the cold climates of Scandinavia or amid the colours and heat of Nigeria, then great character names will fit with these places. But place is also closely linked with time, so you should think about both hand in hand. And this is where you can use cultural inspirations, too. In my current WIP, I have a character named Tara. The novel is set in Appalachia in South Carolina, just across the border from Georgia, incidentally where Gone With the Wind was set. Tara was named after the plantation in the novel and movie and she is so proud of this, she has posters from the movie hanging from her bedroom wall. But her sister, Grace, states that she is “sure Mama has never even watched the movie, let alone read the book.” Tara’s name is of the place, yet it also reveals so much about the family. They are happy to use cultural references without knowing anything about them, so appearances clearly matter to them. There is a brilliant book called A Different Drummer by William Melvin Kelley. It is set amid the Civil Rights Movement in America. The character that the story centres around is Tucker Caliban - is that not a character you know will achieve something in his life? He is a black farmer that kills his cattle, burns down his farm and sets in motion a mass exodus of all the black people from the town who reject their life of servitude and head for freedom. The other character names are perfect too - The African, Mister Leland, Dymphna Willson, Bethrah, Dewey Willson III. The state is fictional but everything about these names tells us it’s the Deep South. For me, this is one of the most important elements of naming characters. Show me where I am without telling me where I am. Anything that doesn’t belong will stick out to your readers. Weird Names For Weird CharactersNaming characters in gothic, weird or uncanny fiction can be a lot of fun. Writers need to show readers that this world is not quite the same as ours, so you can have fun coming up with great character names that fit your odd world where unlikely things happen. One of my favourite books of all time is Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle. The narrator is eighteen-year-old Merricat Blackwood. Merricat is an affectionate nickname. But Merricat is anything but lovely. She is malignant. The name of her sister is also clever - Constance is the faithful, dependable and unchanging sister, even knowing what she knows about Merricat. I, for one, have never forgotten the name Merricat. It is as creepy as the character herself. The same goes for Lucy McKnight Hardy’s Water Shall Refuse Them. Her main characters are called Nif and Mally. I don’t know anybody called Nif or Mally. They are totally unique and otherworldly, just like their macabre story is otherworldly. Dystopian fiction fits this category, too. Katniss Everdeen from Suzanne Collins\'s The Hunger Games, for example, is a unique name for a unique world. Or in the opposite way, Winston Smith from George Orwell’s 1984. This is where the name Smith works so well. He is the ‘everyman’, yet he is living in a world filled with nuclear war, propaganda and the ‘thought police’. Quite unbelievable, yet totally (and scarily) real. Here is where you can use your imagination - and the same goes for other genres, too - so get creative! Roots That Go DeepIf you want to stamp your novel in place and time with families that have been there for generations, the key is to come up with good last names for characters. Think about Downton Abbey, for example. The Crawley family are front and centre. They have a heritage that makes viewers care deeply about their future and the changes that occur. Jeffrey Archer achieved the same with his Clifton Chronicles. The surname has roots, giving the characters roots and an automatic history. Or look at Titanic. Rose and Jack. DeWitt-Bukater and Dawson. Instantly, we know that Rose is from a wealthy family, she is a society girl. Jack is a poor person. They even laugh that he will need her to write her name down. The divide is clear just from their names. And there is an expectation that Rose will marry up. It is the way of things in her world. Jack challenges what has been the norm in her family and her society for generations. This is where good last names for characters can really help you show the backstory of your characters. How To Name A CharacterSo, now you know just how important character names are. But how do you come up with an effective character name? Here are our tips.ResearchRead widely in your genre. See how other writers name their characters. Read articles and non-fiction about the time period and place your novel is set. Look at Census records for when your novel is set. Seek out the root meanings of names. Read Baby Name BooksYou can Google baby names and search by year for the most popular. Or keep a stash of baby name books to hand for when you don’t want to spend forever choosing a great character name. Online Name GeneratorsOnline name generators are a great resource, and there are tons of them available on the internet. Here are a couple to get you going: Behind the name.Name generator.Draw From Real LifeYou could combine names of people that you have come across throughout your life. Did you have a sentimental teddy or toy as a child? That could make a great character name. Pay homage to famous figures without using their full name.  Teachers or other personalities from your school days always have an emotional draw (good or bad) for people. Who stands out for you? Who do you remember well? What To Avoid When Naming CharactersI wouldn’t recommend using names of people you know personally, especially family. This might come back to bite you. Using full names of famous people can be risky because your readers will always conjure an image of them in their mind. Borrowing names from other books - try to be original. Creating Character NamesWhile you should think carefully about your character names, don’t spend too long agonising over them. Think about what you want a character’s name to say about them, whether it be personality, image, where they live, the roots they have, or the period in which they live. If the story allows it, be wild. If the story calls for it, be ordinary. But also know that, although a name isn’t just a name, as shown above, it also is just a name. If you want more advice on writing character names, check out our Jericho Writers YouTube video on the same topic. 

The heart of storytelling is in the characters. You’ve done the work thinking them up and giving them interesting and compelling inner lives. The next thing to do is to get these characters from your head, into the heads of your readers. In fiction, as in real life, first impressions are important, so the way you introduce characters can make a difference in making sure your reader carries on past chapter one. In this article, I\'ll go through how to introduce characters in a story, provide examples of strong character introductions, and give you my best tips for introducing characters effectively.Character Introduction Examples And TipsThe purpose of a character introduction is to get the reader interested in the character and invested enough that they will want to carry on reading. If you can introduce a character in a vivid and memorable way, they will appear in the reader’s mind fully formed and ready to go. So, how exactly do you achieve that? Give Your Characters One Or Two Memorable FeaturesWhat is the first thing you want people to notice about the character? Is it the way they’re wearing a kaftan and wellington boots? Is it the shrewdness of their expression? Whatever it is, describe it and let your readers build up their own picture of the character from there. It can be tempting to describe your character’s physical appearance in detail. Resist the urge!  All you have to do is provide the reader with some touch points and they will fill in the gaps (often with details that you wouldn’t even have thought about). If there is something unusual about the character’s physical appearance - or something that will become important later, do mention that. Below is one of my favourite character descriptions. We can picture the whole of Grandma, just from that description. It’s also worth noting that the choice of words is completely in keeping with the sort of thing a boy George’s age would say.\"George couldn’t help disliking Grandma. She was a selfish grumpy old woman. She had pale brown teeth and a small puckered up mouth like a dog’s bottom.\"George’s Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl Describe Your Characters By The Clothes They WearClothes can tell you a lot about a person. At the very least, they can give you an impression of the type of person they are. Look at the description below. By the end of the paragraph, we have a clear mental image of the type of person Shoba is, even if we have no description of her actual features. \"\'It’s good of them to warn us,\' Shoba conceded after reading the notice aloud, more for her own benefit than Shukumar’s. She let the strap of her satchel, plump with files, slip from her shoulders and left it in the hallway as she walked into the kitchen. She wore a navy blue poplin raincoat over gray sweatpants and white sneakers, looking, at thirty three, like the type of woman she’d once claimed she would never resemble.\"The Interpreter of Maladies by Jumpa Lahiri Introduce Your Characters By Their Voice And DemeanourIf you’re writing in first person or in ‘deep third’ (where you’re deep into the thoughts of your third person narrator) it can be hard to describe the character. People don’t often go around thinking about the colour of their eyes or the bounce of their curls. However, you can tell the reader what kind of person they are by the way they describe their surroundings. Show rather than tell.  A happy person and a sad person would look at the same scene and focus on different things. An acerbic character would describe things differently to a mild and gentle one. You’re trying to give the reader an idea of the character rather than a picture perfect description. So introducing characters in a story by highlighting their characteristics can be really effective.In the extract below, although we have no idea what’s going on (and neither does Tom, really), we get a good idea of Tom’s state of mind. Also, that he’s done something that might lead to his arrest. It takes a while for the reader to understand what\'s going on with Tom Ripley, but even on the first page, we get the idea that there’s something dangerous and a little reckless about him. \"Tom glanced behind him and saw the man coming out of the Green Cage, heading his way. Tom walked faster. There was no doubt the man was after him. Tom had noticed him five minutes ago, eyeing him carefully from a table, as if he weren’t quite sure, but almost. He had looked sure enough for Tom to down his drink in a hurry, pay and get out. At the corner, Tom leaned forward and trotted across fifth avenue. There was Roaul’s. Should he take a chance and go in for another drink? Tempt fate and all that? Or should he beat it over to Park Avenue and try losing him in a few dark doorways? He went into Raoul\'s.\"The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith Introduce Characters Through ActionThis is my favourite way to describe people - by the things they do. This is very common in film scripts. Probably the best example of this is Darth Vader in Star Wars: A New Hope. He walks in, and surveys the dead with an attitude of annoyance. He then goes on to choke someone. By the time he speaks, we already know that he’s the villain and that he’s very powerful. Introduce Characters Through DialogueIf your character has a distinctive voice, you can give the reader an idea of who they are just by having them speak. In the example below, the narrator (and the reader) gets an image of Holly Golightly before he even sees her. Notice also, how Capote introduces movement into the scene by the sound of her voice changing as she comes up the stairs. \"The voice that came back, welling up from the bottom of the stairs, was silly-young and self-amused. \'Oh, darling, I am sorry. I lost the goddamn key.\'\"Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote And then a few sentences later:  \"‘Oh, don’t be angry,  you dear little man: I won’t do it again. And if you promise not to be angry…’ - her voice was coming nearer, she was climbing the stairs - ‘I might let you take those pictures we mentioned.’\" Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote Introduce Them Through Another CharacterYou can use other character’s impressions to introduce your character. Make their reputation precede them. For example, before we meet Sherlock Holmes for the first time, we hear Stamford describe him and his habits to Dr Watson. \"Young Stamford looked rather strangely at me over his wine glass. \'You don’t know Sherlock Holmes yet,\' he said. \'Perhaps you would not care for him as a constant companion.\'‘Why, what is there against him?’ ‘Oh, I didn’t say there was anything against him. He is a little queer in his ideas - an enthusiast in some branches of science. As far as I know, he is a decent fellow enough.\'\"A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle Stamford goes on to describe various aspects of Sherlock Holmes, so that when we finally meet the man, we feel we already know him.  Introducing First Person CharactersIntroducing characters written in first person deserves a separate section because it’s hard to describe them without falling into the ‘I looked in the mirror’ cliche. Here are a few methods you could use, apart from the ones described above.  Let them introduce themselves directly to the reader. This may seem a little old fashioned now but it is effective. Have the narrator introduce themselves to another character. The risk of \'info dumping’ is high with this one. Try and make sure that you have them say just enough to convey the information that is essential. Introduce the character alongside another, and describe them by contrasting them. This is a good way to bring their physical descriptions in. For example: ‘unlike my diminutive and dainty sister, I was tall and had wide shoulders. No one had ever called me dainty’; that sort of thing. Introducing Characters: General TipsAs a general rule, the more detail you give about a character, the more important the reader expects them to be. Your main character needs a name, an age and some description (however vague). From there on, the amount of detail you give should be proportional to the character’s importance to the story. If you’re introducing a character who is going to reappear later, you can give them a name. For someone who appears once and has no real effect on the story - like a cashier who serves the character - just call them ‘the cashier’ and move on. There’s no need to linger and give details.  Introduce your protagonist early. This not only gets the story going right from the start, but it also tells your reader who they’re supposed to be rooting for. Other major characters can come in later, but your main character should show up in chapter one. If you’re writing romance, you need both the hero and heroine to show up within the first two chapters of the story. When you’re in the earliest parts of the story, your reader is still new to the world, so make things easy for them. Make it clear who is speaking, either by having people call them by name or by using a simple ‘John said’.  Giving a little bit of backstory for your character is fine, but avoid trying to tell them everything right at the start. This is known as ‘info dumping’. You will know a lot about your characters. Think of all that knowledge as an iceberg.  You only need to tell the reader the bits that are relevant and visible. If you can hint at the stuff that’s submerged, then that’s great. If it’s hard to do that, then exercise restraint. You can always trickle the information in later on the story, adding layers to your character. The introduction is only the first glimpse of your character. The reader has a whole book in which to get to know them better; and if you’ve introduced your characters in a compelling way, the reader will stay the course. 

Literary villains are characters that readers love to hate. In fact, in many cases, well-written villains are so compelling that they can even overshadow the hero or heroine of the story, with personality types that are much more memorable than the detective or superhero that hunts them down and eventually brings them to justice.  Have a think about the following well-known villains: Darth Vader, Voldemort, Hannibal Lecter and Count Dracula.  What is it that makes all these characters stand out?  What is that makes readers almost root for their victory? Well in this article I’m going to discuss the key character traits of a villain, explore a handful of literary villains that have gone down in history and finally, give you some tips to bring your villain to life on the page. What Makes A Good Villain? The most important thing to note is that villains should not be created any differently to the other protagonists in your novel. They may have done the unthinkable. Their crimes may be highly unrelatable. But they are still multi-faceted, complex people with vulnerabilities, motivations and needs, no different to anyone else.  A reader’s enjoyment of a novel very much depends on whether they can relate to, sympathise with and even root for all the characters in the novel. This is easy to do when a character is immediately likeable, courageous or an underdog (because everybody loves an underdog!), but even a villain needs to be relatable in some way, and sometimes even likeable – whether the reader will want to admit it or not!  The key to writing a good villain is backstory, vulnerability and motivation. There is nothing worse than reading about a villain carrying out a series of heinous crimes with no explanation as to why they acted that way. Every villain will have suffered at some point in their past. Every villain will have been a victim. This is essential backstory to garnering sympathy from the reader and ultimately enhancing your story.  Another key to writing a good villain is character. Your villain is not just the crimes they commit. They will need their own set of idiosyncrasies and personality traits, completely independent of their crimes.  Let’s explore some of the characteristics of believable villains.  Characteristics Of Believable Villains Here are five key characteristics of believable villains that you can use as a checklist while creating your own.  Backstory. As we’ve explored briefly above, every villain needs a backstory that provides an explanation for their villainous behaviour. Think about the backstory of the most well-known villains. Darth Vader. Count Dracula. Most of them started out as relatively good people. But it was something in their past, some sort of suffering that led them down a dark path.  Complexity of character. A villain who is nothing but their crimes, is not a villain your reader will care about. In creating your villain think about who they are as a person. Their likes and dislikes. Their wide range of emotions. Their body language. Their motivations. Some villains may be sarcastic and self-deprecating, with a limited sense of empathy, whereas others may possess a notable sense of humour (though a deeply twisted one).  The capacity for evil. This may not be the case for all villains. Some may carry out horrific actions because they have no choice. Others may experience regret or guilt. But some villains are created as pure evil, with the willingness to do bad things and feel nothing. Think of Ramsay Bolton in Game of Thrones, who is effectively a serial killer who showed no remorse for his actions.  Justification. As mentioned above, some villains are not pure evil. They may carry out evil but only do so from a perspective of personal righteousness. These villains are otherwise known as the anti-hero of their story, a sympathetic villain who garners immediate sympathy from the reader as their story is told wholly from their own point of view. Special skill that sets them apart. This is another key trait that your villain may or may not possess. There are a few examples that immediately come to mind. Jason Bateman’s character in Ozark with his defining feature as a mathematical genius and Hannibal Lecter, who as well being a cannibal, is also a brilliant psychologist, which is largely what makes him so compelling.  There are other common characteristics that you can play with to make your villain an authentic, relatable, three-dimensional person, such as:  Sarcastic and droll.  Self-deprecating.  Charming (both in looks and personality).  Intelligent and accomplished.  Persuasive.  Narcissistic.  Psychopathic.  Best Literary Villains Now let’s explore three well-known literary villains and find out exactly what it is that makes them memorable.  The Grand High Witch In The Witches By Roald Dahl Described in the novel as “the most evil woman in creation”, she is on a mission to torture and murder as many children as she can. But what makes her stand out isn’t so much her crimes but the way she is depicted as not only terrifying, but charming, glamorous and highly intelligent.  Tom Ripley In The Talented Mr Ripley By Patricia Highsmith Tom is a highly relatable character than you cannot help but root for. Okay, less so when he murders his beloved and assumes his identity, but you can feel the pain of his broken heart when he is pushed away by the man he so admires and loves.  Humbert Humbert In Lolita By Vladimir Nabokov This psychopathic paedophile is a very well-crafted character. Despite kidnapping a young girl whose mother he murdered, and driving her around while coaxing her into sexual acts, you cannot help but become charmed by him and his persuasiveness. With the fancy prose and his enigmatic speeches, you almost forget that he is a villain in its most horrific form.  How To Write A VillainNow that we’ve delved into the characteristics of villains and explored some well-known examples, here are some top tips to help you go about developing your own.  Spend some time crafting a complete and foolproof backstory for your villain. Think about where they were brought up, any influences or role models they might have had, and what happened to them to lead them down this dark path.  Create the elements of their personality from scratch, completely independent from their crimes. Who are they? What are their likes and dislikes? What about their mannerisms, quirks and body language? How might a stranger view them if they saw them walking down the street?  Find an area of sympathy, or something that makes them relatable. Why might a reader warm to or root for them, in spite of their crimes?  Put yourself in their position. If you had experienced their childhood, their past, if you had their vulnerabilities, their values and their character, would it make you capable of their crimes? Have you created a believable villain? And finally, unless you are writing a romcom or satire, ensure that you steer away from inadvertently creating a comical villain. There is a different between a witty, humorous villain and one whose actions and mannerisms are akin to a pantomime ‘baddie’. Avoid cliches in their dialogue and be careful when describing their actions and expressions.  Writing Believable VillainsAs we’ve discovered, the best villains are those that the readers can connect with, because they understand why a character has gone down the path they have and where they might go next. If a character has no vulnerabilities or motivations, your story will fall flat because the only conflict is external and therefore can be solved by anyone. You want your reader to finish the book and feel disappointed when the villain is brought to justice!