Sure, you are practically in love with your main character – he is so adorable, a dark handsome man with piercing blue eyes and a kingdom to inherit.  But what is he like as a person?  What makes him so interesting – besides his looks, that is — that you decided to write a whole novel about this man?  And how do you relay this information at the very beginning to create that instant ‘click’ with the reader? 

Twenty chapters down, when he slays the monster, saves the girl, and captures the trust of the entire nomadic horde, he is definitely your man, but how do you make the readers interested enough to read that far?  Action alone won’t carry them through, believe me.

It happens often with novels-in-progress: while the story itself is interesting, and the secondary characters are introduced in a way that makes them stand out, the main character remains bland and does not come through as a person to care about.  On some level it makes sense – a point-of-view character is like a window.  We are seeing the world through his eyes, which means others can’s describe him for us in an interesting way.  How do we show a person in a likeable way, while ‘being’ this person at the same time?

Most of us shape the main character after some parts of ourselves – even is he is a serial killer, there is something inside that echoes in the author’s soul (no please don’t look for psychological parallels here – you don’t have to have the makings of a serial killer to write about one).  Many of such characters reflect our own insecurities.  Of course, insecurities are what make a character more real, and easier to relate to.  But it is hard not to overdo them.  I have seen novels in progress with faults exaggerated so much that in simple situations the characters often became life-size wimps who could not do the simplest thing without someone else holding their hand.  

In some cases, especially after the point about insecurities sinks in, beginning authors tend to err on the opposite side, by exaggerating the character’s positive qualities.  Sure, let’s make him muscular, six-foot-tall, with the teeth that gleam brighter than the stars.  Reminds you of someone?  Many, in fact – mostly from comic books and cartoons.  The one that sprang to my mind was Gaston from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.  Likeable?  Could be, in his own twisted way.  But, would I read a novel about him?  Only if I had a definite promise that someone else would kick his butt.

So, what is a recipe for a perfect character, if indeed there is such a thing? 

People we like to follow – in real life, and in the imaginary world – are leaders.  They don’t have to be heroes leading armies into battle.  They don’t even have to be dominant, or to inspire people’s trust.  They don’t have to be handsome at all.  But, they have to have an inner core that shapes them and does not bend at the outside circumstances.  They also have to be good – at least in something, which will turn out to be significant to the story.  And sure, they should have some faults – but not ones that dominate their entire personality.

I like checklists, so I made up a list of ‘musts’ in a main character:

1. Inner strength – No matter how weak the character seems, and how much everyone bosses him around, he should always have some inner level at which he is stronger than the outside circumstances.  The readers need assurance that no matter what happens, this person will not break down easily, and if he does –it would have to be because of a major event that would have reduced most of the others to shreds. 

2. Integrity – On some level, deep inside, the character must know who and what he is, and he must keep this awareness intact, no matter what happens.

3. Consistency – The readers have to trust your character.  Later on in the book, you want to achieve a feeling where the readers would think ‘what would this character do in this situation’?  If you are successful, the readers could even find inspiration to do the same thing in real life, and to use your character as a reference point.  But watch out for an obvious trap – you don’t want your character to be predictable, always doing the same thing.  Push the boundaries.  Throw him into situations where you are not sure yourself what your character will do, and see how he manages.

4. Distinction – something that makes him/her different from others.  A generically good, strong person may be attractive, but boring.  You definitely don’t want boring anywhere near your book.  So, give your character some distinctive qualities.  This is an excellent place for some of the faults I mentioned earlier.  Make him/her particular about cleanness, or inclined toward a certain type of food or dress, or something else equally harmless but memorable.  But be aware that this is where most beginners overdo it.  Don’t let this quality dominate your characters’ life.

5. Proficiency in something – this is not a must, but definitely a bonus.  You want the characters in your story to turn to your main character in some situations, where no one else can do it this well.  This quality gives your character additional credibility – and an air of solid reality.

6.  Conflict – nothing is more boring than a person who is happy with everything and everyone around.  Why would you want to read a whole novel about such a man?  One who is in conflict – with himself, or with the outside circumstances — is much more interesting.

7. Down-to-earth qualities that would make the readers relate to this character and see part of themselves in him.  Again, this is a place where faults can be used – but in a positive way.  And, this is also a place where the author’s everyday experiences and power of observation can really shine if used wisely.

Now – the real challenge – how to show all these qualities in the opening scene, so that the readers want to follow your character further?  And, how to do it, while maintaining all the other elements I talked about in my earlier post on novel openings?

I researched some of the famous main characters and how they were set up to make them interesting:

1.  Harry Potter – well, he only shows up in chapter 2, after all the buildup around the mystery of his birth.  The first lines of his appearance are when his aunt rudely wakes him up, and he rolls onto his back to remember the dream he was having.  And that really tells everything about him right there.  He has a terrible life, but he does not let it affect his core.  To me this clicked instantly, and everything that happened afterwards built on this, to make a very believable and likeable character.  Of course, this had to be developed consistently – and it was, to the point of Harry becoming so real to so many people worldwide.

2. Sam Vimes, one of my favorite characters in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books – he starts off as a drunk and a loser, but with a wonderfully cynical view on life and crystal-clear understanding of life around him.  He quickly comes through as a man of action, a down-to-earth no-nonsense policeman, and yet a hopeless idealist.  This becomes his inner conflict – he sees the problems in his surroundings better than anyone else, but he is powerless to do anything about it.  And then, as he rises in life and becomes the Duke of Ankh-Morpork and commander of the City Watch, all of these qualities really click into place.

3.  Frodo Baggins – well, I would not be the one quoting J.R.R.Tolkien as an example of effective novel openings (he wrote too many years ago to worry about such things), but his books remain among the top ten bestselling titles worldwide, along with the Bible.  Frodo is certainly the character we all know and while we may argue if he is really the best character in the book, he is certainly memorable, and alive.  What sets him up this way?  The conflict between his surroundings – an ordinary British-like countryside – and his dreams, which take him to the worlds of elves, dragons, and faraway adventures.  We can relate to him, because he is an everyday likeable guy, and admire him for rising to the occasion and saving the world.

4. Chiyo from Memoir of  Geisha – just so that you don’t think I am biased to male characters, or to the fantasy genre.  She starts off as a complete wreck – a five-year-old girl essentially sold to slavery by her own parents, facing miserable prospects.  Yet, her inner strength shows in her every move, even when breaking down and facing impossible odds.  This was a book I simply could not put down, and the large part of it was because of the main character I cared for so much I just had to know what was going to happen next.  This is not because I like wrecks or miserable children, believe me, but because, despite the circumstances, she is such a strong person inside that spells ‘winner’ and makes you want to see – not if, but how she is going to win.

This list can really go on and on – and I encourage everyone to think of your own  examples of favorite characters, and to drop a comment about them below.  And if you are struggling with character creation, I highly recommend making a checklist of your character's qualities, and sticking to it as you write.

Last but not least, I wanted to recommend G.R.R.Martin’s Songs of Ice and Fire series which, to me, serve as encyclopedia of character creation.  In this large, as yet unfinished saga, GRRM introduces dozens of point-of-view characters, each of them to die for.