How to Write a Character Readers Root For

Although creating epic protagonists can sometimes be intimidating (how do I know someone will like the character I make???) there are a few ways we can guarantee your character will ROCK and carry the story from your brain straight into the heart of the reader. 

Where it will stick. 

Like a splinter. 

Forever (just kidding...but isn't that a lovely image?)

Creating a compelling protagonist is crucial for any novel. They are the heart of the story, and their journey often shapes the reader's experience. Let's dive into the essential traits that make a protagonist memorable and how you can balance their strengths and weaknesses to create a well-rounded character.

Essential Traits of a Memorable Protagonist

While we always want original, authentic, and inspiring protagonists, there are a few key elements of every protagonist that must be included if you want your readers to relate (and keep reading - because readers check out on page 1 if the vibe for the MC is off). 

Fortunately, the elements of the characters are pretty simple, and are as follows:

1. Relatability
2. Growth
3. Motivation
4. Conflict
5. Uniqueness

Relatability

Readers need to see a part of themselves in the protagonist. Characters who are relatable due to their flaws, struggles, or aspirations tend to resonate more with readers. For instance, Harry Potter's feelings of loneliness and desire for belonging connect with many people. That's part of the reason the Harry Potter series took off at such a pace - because Rowling channeled her own feelings of loneliness and desire for belonging into her work, and it came through in a way that resonated with readers all over the world. 

Growth

A protagonist who evolves over the course of the story keeps readers engaged. Consider characters like Elizabeth Bennet from "Pride and Prejudice," who undergo significant personal growth, learning to overcome her prejudices and misunderstandings.

There is a place in fiction for stagnant protagonists - those who don't change, but instead change the world around them - but those deserve a blog post of their own, because they are a different type of narrative trope completely. For now, let's focus on characters who change and grow (dynamic characters).

Motivation

A strong, clear motivation makes a protagonist's actions and decisions believable. Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games, driven by her desire to protect her family, is a perfect example of a character whose motivation is compelling and drives the story forward.

I feel like I say this a lot, but clear doesn't always mean the character has to expressly state what it is they're trying to do (although that can help). It may just mean that they have a way of life they want to maintain, or they have a value system they are trying to uphold. Whatever it is, the motivation is usually the reason the story is interesting enough to write it down (and read), and that's why you need to know what it is from the get-go (even if your characters don't). 

Conflict

Internal and external conflicts add depth to a character. I hate this example, but unfortunately it's a good one: Holden Caulfield's struggle with his identity in The Catcher in the Rye is an example of how internal conflict can contribute to a character's complexity and keep the reader invested.

Conflict may also present in a host of other ways - again, a place for another blog post - but the bottom line is that when you're writing about a character, they have to disagree with something. They have to take a stance on something, even if they're wrong. Although some people in life flip-flop on things and won't pick a side, this doesn't usually work in MC's because that's (pardon my Gen Z) side character energy. If you're character isn't experiencing conflict of some kind, either change them or change the story.

Uniqueness

Unique traits make a protagonist stand out. Sherlock Holmes' extraordinary deductive skills set him apart from other detectives and make him a memorable character in literary history.

This is where a lot of writers struggle. They think they have to create a character unlike every character ever made, and what they end up making is either a host of cliches, or they make something so incredibly unrelatable that no one cares about the character. The key is to work on the small scale. 

Build your character using the first four traits before you work on the last one. Then, once you've got everything else in place, pick one thing that makes your character stand out. Make it weird or unusual or whatever. Make it small or big. But keep it simple. That's what going to make your characters interesting and memorable.

Balancing Strengths and Weaknesses

To avoid the Mary Sue effect (which happens when a character is too perfect to be interesting, and any struggle they have is superficial) we need to create characters with balanced strengths and weaknesses. For everything they're good at, the need something they struggle with on an equal degree. 

Strengths: 

These are what make the protagonist capable of facing their challenges, and they qualify the character to be the protagonist in the story. Strengths like resilience, intelligence, or empathy play crucial roles in the character's journey. For example, Hermione Granger's intelligence and resourcefulness are key to many of the trio's successes in "Harry Potter."

Weaknesses

Flaws and weaknesses make characters more human and relatable. Characters like Frodo Baggins, whose physical and emotional weaknesses make his journey in "The Lord of the Rings" more poignant, demonstrate how vulnerabilities can enhance a character's depth.

Character Arc:

The balance between strengths and weaknesses contributes significantly to a character's arc. Walter White's transformation in "Breaking Bad" is driven by both his strengths (intelligence, determination) and weaknesses (pride, desperation), making his character arc both compelling and tragic.

Dynamic vs. Static Characters:

Most protagonists should be dynamic, undergoing significant change throughout the story. For example, Scout Finch from "To Kill a Mockingbird" grows significantly, learning about justice, empathy, and human nature.

Practical Tips to Write Compelling Main Characters

All this info is probably awesome, right? But it's not super helpful if you don't have any practical application for your writing. So - here are a few ways you can incorporate this awesome info to make your characters more interesting and a lot more fun to write.

• Define Relatability: Think about what makes your character relatable. This could be a common fear, a struggle, or a universal desire.
• Plan Growth: Map out how your character will evolve. What lessons will they learn? What challenges will force them to change?
• Clarify Motivation: Ensure your protagonist’s motivation is clear and drives the plot. What do they want more than anything?
• Introduce Conflict: Use both internal and external conflicts to add layers to your character. How do their internal struggles affect their actions?
• Highlight Uniqueness: Give your character unique traits or abilities that set them apart. How do these traits influence their interactions and decisions?

Putting It All Together

Creating a memorable protagonist involves a careful balance of relatability, growth, motivation, conflict, and uniqueness. By ensuring your characters have clear strengths and weaknesses and a well-defined character arc, you can craft protagonists that readers will root for and remember long after they've finished the book.

What's Next?

If you're ready to take the next step in your character-creation process, then it's time to check out The Character Deep-Dive Guide. Here is everything inside: 

• Positive Character Arc Planner: Unlock your character’s potential with this planner that helps you shape a journey of growth and transformation, ensuring they end up as a more empowered, self-aware individual by the story's conclusion.
• Negative Character Arc Planner: Guide your character on a downward spiral with this planner that focuses on their descent, helping you create a believable path of corruption, moral decline, or tragic failure.
• Flat Character Arc Planner: Perfect for characters who don’t undergo traditional growth but still impact the story, this planner helps you focus on how your character influences the world and other characters without changing their core beliefs.
• Character Goals Worksheet: Clarify your character’s desires and drive by identifying their internal and external goals, ensuring their actions always align with what they truly want—whether it's success, love, or vengeance.
• Character Creation Template: Build your character from the ground up with this easy-to-use template that helps you define essential details like appearance, personality, and backstory, while leaving plenty of room for creativity.
• Psychological Profile Worksheet: Dive deep into your character’s psyche with this worksheet that explores their mental state, fears, motivations, and coping mechanisms, making them more realistic and complex.
• Character Relationship Worksheet: Develop dynamic relationships between characters by outlining how they interact, influence one another, and grow together or apart throughout the story.
• Character Flaw Finder: Give your character depth and authenticity by identifying their flaws—whether emotional, moral, or physical—and exploring how these flaws shape their journey and relationships.
• Goals, Fears, and Motivations: Align your character’s fears and motivations with their actions and decisions, ensuring that each choice is deeply rooted in what they truly need, want, and fear.
• Dialogue Development Worksheet: Bring your character’s voice to life with this tool designed to help you craft authentic dialogue that reflects their personality, background, and unique way of seeing the world.
• Point of View Selection Guide: Choose the best narrative perspective for your character, whether it's first-person, third-person limited, or omniscient, to ensure their story is told in the most compelling and fitting way.
• Backstory Builder Guide (Bonus): Create a detailed and emotionally resonant backstory for your character, filled with pivotal events and formative experiences that shape who they are and how they react to the world.
• Character Transformation Tracker (Bonus): Monitor your character’s development throughout your story, capturing key moments of internal or external change to ensure their arc feels organic and impactful.
• Voice & Speech Patterns Guide (Bonus): Make your character’s dialogue stand out by defining their unique speech patterns, tone, and vocabulary, adding authenticity and nuance to their voice in every scene.
• Character Archetypes Workbook (Bonus): Explore traditional character archetypes and learn how to subvert or deepen them to create characters who feel familiar yet fresh, drawing readers in with their complexity.
• Internal Conflict Map (Bonus): Visualize your character’s inner turmoil with this guide, helping you track their emotional and moral struggles throughout the story, and ensuring their decisions are driven by compelling internal conflicts.

Ready to take the next step? You can check out The Character Deep-Dive Guide here.