Jabrosky
Banned
A lot of people here have said they wanted to create engaging or compelling characters, but I would argue that this is too vague a goal. I believe there are a number of different ways that characters can attract readers' interest. Some characters we relate to because they remind us of ourselves or people we know. Others, for example Captain Jack Sparrow of Pirates of the Caribbean fame, win our hearts through their sense of humor. And then you have those characters who work through arousing visceral sentiments like fear, desire, or awe.
After much musing on my goals as a writer, I've come to the conclusion that the characters I find most appealing are the so-called "larger than life" ones. They aren't necessarily ordinary people we may recognize from our mundane everyday lives, but instead they have certain skills, talents, or other attributes that make them stand out from the crowd and win our admiration. In briefer words, I like my characters to be awesome. Butt-kicking heroes, dastardly villains, and sexy heroines (who also kick butt) are just my kind of thing. That doesn't mean they can't have imperfections, of course, but they're definitely people we have fun witnessing in action.
What kind of characters would you like to create? How would they engage your readership? And how do you plan to go about designing these characters?
After much musing on my goals as a writer, I've come to the conclusion that the characters I find most appealing are the so-called "larger than life" ones. They aren't necessarily ordinary people we may recognize from our mundane everyday lives, but instead they have certain skills, talents, or other attributes that make them stand out from the crowd and win our admiration. In briefer words, I like my characters to be awesome. Butt-kicking heroes, dastardly villains, and sexy heroines (who also kick butt) are just my kind of thing. That doesn't mean they can't have imperfections, of course, but they're definitely people we have fun witnessing in action.
What kind of characters would you like to create? How would they engage your readership? And how do you plan to go about designing these characters?