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Characters are what make a story interesting. The world of Star Trek is pretty cool, but we'd have no reason to want to get invested in that world if it weren't for Kirk, Piccard, Janeway, and all the rest. Characters we like draw us into a story, whether it's published fiction or roleplay.
It's pretty much a given that YOU like your characters, but how do you get OTHER people to be invested in them and care what happens to them?
Well, here's some 'what NOT to do's.
Take a character: either make one up now or choose one you've been using for awhile, and look at them objectively; what makes them likeable? What makes people want to follow their adventures and care what happens to them? Would someone want to be friends or lovers with this character if they didn't have their looks or abilities?
Make a character you think other people will attach to in these ways; hop to it!
It's pretty much a given that YOU like your characters, but how do you get OTHER people to be invested in them and care what happens to them?
Well, here's some 'what NOT to do's.
- Doing cool stuff does not make a character likeable
"But He/She can do *REALLY AWESOME THING HERE*!"
Yes, and I bet you can think of lots of jerks who were good at something or other,but having a talent does not make you a likeable person. Especially if they're constantly bragging it rubbing their talent in people's faces. Never rely on a character's abilities or talents to make them likeable! - An attractive character is not the same as a likeable character
People may be attracted to your character because they are sexy/cute/handsome/gorgeous, but it's ultimately a shallow attraction that will go out the window the second they find their next obsession. There's nothing wrong with a character being physically attractive, but it only counts for so much; for a reader to be invested in a character, they need more than just a pretty face.
- Be the friend you'd like to have Anyone who spends any amount of time on fanfiction.net knows that people love to insert themselves into universes; this is because we want to hang out with our favourite characters! If your character is constantly being rude, shoving people away, and generally committing acts of atrocity without remorse... not many people gonna want to befriend that, y'know?
This isn't to say your character needs to be social or even happy most of the time, but unless your character is a villain that people are SUPPOSED to hate, these traits usually put people off. - ROUND UPIf you've been writing for any amount of time, you're probably familiar with the term 'Round Character'. It means a character who has many different elements to their personality, which makes them interesting and impossible to sum up in one sentence. Give your character hobbies in multiple fields. Give them a secretA and insecurities. Find the root of their fears, habits, and problems. Concentrate on WHY they behave the way they do, and you'll find yourself branching into aspects of their life you would never have thought of before; suddenly there's so much more to them.
- Soft Spot
This applies especially, but not exclusively, to the 'Badass' type. By nature, the badass type will spend most of his/her time being badass.
But nobody wants to be around someone who's always acting like they're way too cool for everybody, or someone who's constantly negative and pushing people away without giving them a chance.
Even if your character starts the story as a withdrawn badass, seeing a side where they act like a person remind us that they're human, and it appeals to the "I think I can change him/her" ideology that draws fans to the baddies to begin with.
Take a character: either make one up now or choose one you've been using for awhile, and look at them objectively; what makes them likeable? What makes people want to follow their adventures and care what happens to them? Would someone want to be friends or lovers with this character if they didn't have their looks or abilities?
Make a character you think other people will attach to in these ways; hop to it!
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