Creating Captivating Characters

When creating characters, it’s tempting to start with their hair color, favorite foods, and daily routines. While these details can make your character feel more three-dimensional in your own mind, they aren’t very relevant to the story itself.

Your plot takes shape around your characters’ desires. Because of this, it’s often better to work from the inside out and focus on their personality and goals first. The acronym ARCS can be a good starting place: a character should have attractive qualities, room for growth, clear goals, and something to lose.

Attractive Qualities

What about this character will intrigue readers?

• Intelligence (Dr. Gregory House from House, M.D. is an asshole, but his intelligence and wit make viewers root for him anyway)
• Humor (Michael Scott from The Office is a prize idiot, but that stupidity is what leads to him being a funny character)
• Kindness (Lazlo Strange in Laini Taylor’s Strange the Dreamer has a deep well of empathy, even for his enemies)
• Bravery (Lyra takes big risks in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series)
• Resiliency (Katniss Everdeen in Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games trilogy picks herself up after every battle, both physical and emotional)