5 ways to make a character compelling
5 ways to make a character compelling
Compelling characters, my go-to character template, and using the notes section in First Draft Pro for character profiles
This week, we’re talking:
Compelling characters
My go-to character sheet template
Using the notes section in First Draft Pro for character profiles
A compelling character is not necessarily a likeable one. Sometimes the most inscrutable characters are the most compelling: think deranged Patrick Bateman or the aloof Mr Darcy.
They may be an anti-hero, or put the grump in the grumpy and sunshine trope — but they do need to have something that draws us in, and makes us care about their goals.
Since I love a list, here are 5 ways you can make a character compelling1.
1: Make them the best at what they do
Competence is inherently compelling. I love reading (and watching) characters that are the best at what they do — think the crew of misfits in Six of Crows, or the Jeffersonian team in Bones.
If you’re going this route, here’s an article on writing a genius character.
Where to see this in action:
The Martian by Andy Weir
Circe by Madeline Miller
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
2: Make them funny
Giving your character a great sense of humour or an amusing affectation makes reading (and writing) them really fun.
You can draw on one of my all-time favourite articles for this: The unfunny person’s guide to writing humour.
Where to see this in action:
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
3: Make them sympathetic
Giving your character a misfortune that they don’t deserve makes them easy to root for. This is especially effective when they persist despite what they’ve been through.
Where to see this in action:
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
4: Show them to be driven and ambitious
Give your character big dreams and show how hard they're willing to work to make those dreams come true, no matter what gets in their way.
Where to see this in action:
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
5: Show them to be selfless
This is another way to make them sympathetic: we care more about characters when we can see that they care more about a cause or another person than they care about themselves.
Where to see this in action:
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
First Draft Pro’s notes section is my favourite place to keep track of character notes, and this is my go-to character template. I copy this into a new note in FDP for each character I’m writing.
Inspired by a chapter in Gwen Haye’s Romancing the Beat — a seminal guide to the romance story structure.