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5 Myths About Writing Characters
This article is by C.D. Waller.
Writing strong characters is one of the biggest secrets to pulling readers into your story. Here are five myths that you should avoid when attempting to write compelling characters.
Myth 1: Protagonists Must be “Good Guys”
A lot of people think that the role of a protagonist is to be a shining example of good morals. But not all heroes need to be Superman with a Boy Scout badge sewn into his cape.
The hero that never does anything wrong and has nothing but selfless motivations is, more often than not, a two-dimensional and boring character.
People want to be able to relate to the protagonist. That’s the main purpose of his role: we want to use his challenge as a metaphor for our life. The problem with a perfect hero is that a perfect person doesn’t exist. No one can relate to him.
The character also doesn’t have any room to grow. A “perfect” person can’t learn anything. They can’t better themselves in some way. You’re better off giving them basic human flaws, so that your audience can better connect to their struggle.
Myth 2: Villains Must be Hated
Far too many villains have been written as two-dimensional characters. They seem to do nothing but stand in the hero’s way just for the sake of opposing him. While it’s true that a villain does need to be an antagonist by definition, the belief that he must...
Continue reading the Original Blog Post.
5 Myths About Writing Characters
This article is by C.D. Waller.
Writing strong characters is one of the biggest secrets to pulling readers into your story. Here are five myths that you should avoid when attempting to write compelling characters.
Myth 1: Protagonists Must be “Good Guys”
A lot of people think that the role of a protagonist is to be a shining example of good morals. But not all heroes need to be Superman with a Boy Scout badge sewn into his cape.
The hero that never does anything wrong and has nothing but selfless motivations is, more often than not, a two-dimensional and boring character.
People want to be able to relate to the protagonist. That’s the main purpose of his role: we want to use his challenge as a metaphor for our life. The problem with a perfect hero is that a perfect person doesn’t exist. No one can relate to him.
The character also doesn’t have any room to grow. A “perfect” person can’t learn anything. They can’t better themselves in some way. You’re better off giving them basic human flaws, so that your audience can better connect to their struggle.
Myth 2: Villains Must be Hated
Far too many villains have been written as two-dimensional characters. They seem to do nothing but stand in the hero’s way just for the sake of opposing him. While it’s true that a villain does need to be an antagonist by definition, the belief that he must...
Continue reading the Original Blog Post.
