I have been working on a novel lately, and one of my main characters does some really morally reprehensible things, but I want to show, through the course of the narrative, that he either did them for the right reasons or because he didn’t feel as though he had a choice. My other main character, the one who I would argue is actually the hero of the story, does some really well-intentioned things for what some readers might argue were the wrong reasons, so I have been making an effort to find ways to balance them against each other in certain ways. Your article on main characters was inspiring to me, as it helped me to consider the importance of applying a rich texture to a character so that they are not one-dimensional and, consequently, boring.

Some other things I believe are worth considering are quirks, hobbies, interests, unique turns of phrase etc., because all of these work towards making a character into a working part of a functioning world and truly inimitable.

Also, if it helps you, one of my professors said that a way to make a character more interesting is to give them someone or something that they love dearly, and I have used this in the past to great effect. Someone who is otherwise unlikeable takes on a human dimension and sympathetic quality if he or she always has to make it home from destroying the fabric of the universe in time to feed his or her cat. This is also a way for a writer to give a character something to be taken away that they cannot afford to lose.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to briefly comment on your other article about the components to writing a novel. You expressed some discomfort with the “Twists and Turns” of a novel, and I think one of the ways that twists and turns function is that they are often events that are contradictory to expectation. If you know what you want to be surprising about your work, you can spend some time building expectations that are contrary to your actual intention.

As far as obstacles are concerned, another of my professors frequently mentioned the “ticking clock” as a device, and I just wanted to mention that imposing a time limit on your characters forces their hands and makes their hurdles and obstacles seem more urgent and their consequences seem more dire.

Thanks for the pointers and good luck!

Keep up the research and writing. Research can be key!

And I’m glad you were able to enjoy the article.

Hope that makes you feel better about the whole thing.

1. Romance is a traditionally disregarded genre because it is mostly written by and for women. Other genres have the same pitfalls (as anyone who’s suffered through a James Patterson book can tell you), but romance is called out on it when more masculine genres are not.

2. What you meant to write was “romance novels,” and what you wrote was “Romance novels.” Big difference, especially when you use Romances as examplars earlier (The Odyssey and LOTR, for example).

Otherwise a good article with a great premise and (probably) good advice, but I honestly couldn’t get past those two things.

Great example with Superman. The problem with The Man of Steel, for me anyway, has always been that he’s too perfect, too SUPER. It makes him hard to relate to in just about every iteration – and likely why the most recent 3 films (3, 4, and Returns) were unrelatable to audiences. Clark Kent is relatable at almost every age (which is what humanizes Superman). The Dark-Superman in 3 is relatable, and was his own worst enemy. But the impervious Superman-as-hero is not (the one we saw a lot of in ‘Superman Returns,’ despite the teenage angst and depression).

What does this say? Exactly what was mentioned above. If you can relate to a character emotionally, you will invest your time and be drawn into the story.