7 Traits of Enduring Characters
Let me start this off with two caveats.
First off, donât make all of your characters all seven of these traits. Thatâs just bad writing. Pick one, maybe two. Or none. Or bits and pieces of several! None of the things listed are set-in-stone the only way to have an enduring character. Theyâre just guidelines.
Secondly, donât assume that giving your characters one or two of these traits will instantly make them a great, well-rounded character. Itâs not that easy. Strong characters have a lot of complexity and need a lot more depth than what I can explain in just one list.
And with those warnings, I give you 7 Traits of Enduring Characters. I got this information at a writing conference and Iâm excited to pass on what Iâve learned!
An air of mystery. Thereâs something about this character that we donât fully know. If your character has a dark past, itâs usually best to keep most of it in the darkâat least for the first half of the book. Donât tell us everything upfront. Make us wonder.
Worthy of redemption. This can apply to anti-heroes, villains, or anyone else applicable in your story. Theyâre a big jerk, but a tiny spark of humanity can sometimes help bring them to life. Maybe theyâve got a soft spot for someone or something, or maybe they truly believe theyâre doing X for the greater good. It can even make your villains scarier, because it makes them harder to pin as nothing but an evil monsterâitâs not black and white like that. The real villains arenât always so obvious.
Highly loyal, or highly treacherous. Either you know you can trust them, or you know you canât. Obviously you canât give this trait to all of your characters. And actually, itâs not as predictable as you might think. Just because we canât trust someone doesnât mean we know what theyâre up to. Weâll be anticipating their move but completely unaware of what theyâre planningâwhich is actually a great place to build tension. As far as highly loyal, sometimes itâs nice to have that one character that is a âsafe spotâ for your character. You need to take breaks from the tension every now and then!
Consistent, but capable of surprises. People are usually pretty consistent based on their personality traits. They tend to make choices based on their core values, which can vary a little, but for the most part they stay on the same route. At the same time, theyâre not flatâtheyâre capable of making an unexpected choice.
Highly self-sacrificing. These characters accept the challenge. When no one else will volunteer, they step up. When it comes to the life of someone they care about, theyâre willing to risk their own welfare. This can make for an interesting read when we know theyâll give 100% when things get roughâeven die if they have to.
Part of a love story. This doesnât have to be a romantic love storyâjust any powerful relationship. The lengths your character will go through for their friend/lover/family member/etc can make them more enduring as a character, because of the worth in their relationship. Examples could be Romeo and Juliet, Katniss and Prim, or even Harry, Hermione, and Ron.
Succeed at the impossible. They are an expert of their taskâthey can do things most couldnât dream of accomplishing. Sometimes thereâs a little bit of wish-fulfillment in a character meeting this trait, which is why you canât have it in every member of your cast. Occasionally, however, itâs nice to have someone whoâs really good at what they do.
