How to Write Characters Who Stick in the Reader's Mind

I was preparing for NaNoWriMo, and the story I wanted to write needed a lot of colorful and memorable characters. This made me think about the importance of memorable characters that stick in the reader’s mind.

What makes a character memorable? If your characters could speak to you, here are the 7 things they would ask for in order to be truly memorable, leaping off the page, lodging themselves into the reader's mind:

1. Give me one main TAG + (many) QUIRKS
2. Bake me as a LAYER CAKE 
3. Push me, give me a strong MOTIVATION
4. Make me CONNECT
5. Let me ACT
6. Take me through Ch-Ch-Ch-CHANGES
7. Remember my NAME

I believe your characters want to be discovered and that they will help you in the writing process. So, imagine your characters speaking to you, and let them take shape as you work together to make them come alive on the page. 

Before we start ...
do you want to write fiction faster,
while practicing your craft and your writing process to consistently get better? 

Check out this link to the FREE "Write Fiction Faster ... and better" guide and workbook,
which comes with a FREE companion course
with 23 bite-sized video lessons and 4 worksheets.

The 7 Secrets to Create a Great Fiction Character

1. Give Me One Main TAG +  (Many) QUIRKS

It is very natural to start with a description of me: male/female, tall/short, my age, hair, and so on. But think about it in terms of first a main “tag”, something that will be memorable and immediately paint the character in the readers’ mind. This could be a certain “look” (for example, Winnie the Pooh who is lovably plump), something specific about the way  I act, or an overall perspective or lens through which I see the world (for example, Eeyore who is always pessimistic), or it could even be the language or phrases I use (for example, Piglet who often describes himself as “a very small animal”). Once you have the main “tag”, then think up other “quirks” (for example, Winnie the Pooh’s love of honey, his stoutness exercises, his oft-repeated phrase “Oh, bother!”, etc), in order to flesh me out as a character. 

2. Bake Me As a LAYER CAKE  

Am I primarily good or bad, brave or a coward, wise or naive, predator or victim, straight-laced or weirdly eccentric, what other things come to mind? Good, now that you have a general picture of me, go a bit deeper. Give me a backstory, if ever so brief. What happened to make me the way I am? What are my strengths, and do they have corresponding flaws? What have been my victories and my failures? Am I emotionally expressive or a cold fish? Perhaps it’s not as simple as that, perhaps there are layers of emotion that go deep, if so, what are they? Do I have mysteries and secrets, what are they? Where am I consistent, and where may I act in surprising ways? How might I appear very simple, but in reality there is hidden complexity? 

3. Push Me, Give Me a Strong MOTIVATION

Now, as it relates to the story you are writing, what’s my motivation, and what is pushing me, prodding me along? Is there some specific issue, something that is wrong, a conflict (and, if so, is that conflict internal in my own mind or an external threat)? What are my fears, and my suffering, and how do they relate to my motivation in the story? What is my “kryptonite” (the one thing that can really harm me) and conversely what is my “safe space” where I feel that nothing can harm me? What are my interests, goals, and desires? Is there someone near and dear I want to protect? Is there some goal, some treasure, I am striving for? Is there someone coming for me, to harm me? How do all these things drive me and motivate me in the story?

4. Make Me CONNECT

How do I connect with the other characters, especially the other main characters in the story? Am I antagonistic, a helper, love interest, skeptic, foil, victim, predator? Do I have a past with one or more of the characters? If so, is that out in the open, or hidden? Equally important, how do I connect with the reader? Am I the narrator, the first person confidant speaking directly to the reader? If not, how am I relatable to the reader? Or perhaps I am fascinating and memorable to the reader because I am the stranger, the alien, the other, who keeps a distance and an air of mystery?

5. Let Me ACT 

Don’t just let things happen to me, where I am floating along, passively being pushed around. Let me act and make decisions, even if they are stupid decisions, bad ideas. Let me debate with myself and others about what I should do. Let me agonize and be indecisive, but in the end, take action. Or let me be confident and strong, making firm decisions, acting competently, even if it ends up going wrong and unexpected and unintended things happen as a result of my actions. Let me occupy my space of the story with my own unique voice (in both narration and dialogue), body language, facial expressions, and other characteristics.

6. Take Me Through Ch-Ch-Ch-CHANGES

Yes, there are some characters who remain rock solid through all the events of the story. In fact, most minor characters and even some major characters stay the same from beginning to end. But there should be at least one character in the story that goes through a change. Am I this character? If so, what is the arc of my character from beginning to end? Where do I start, mentally, physically, emotionally, my fortune, my outlook on life, and where do I end up? What causes this change? Is it for the good or the bad? Even if I am not the character that changes, am I one of those who cause or contribute to a change in another character? 

7. Remember My NAME

You may have had a name in mind for me from the beginning, or perhaps it emerged as part of the first two steps where you were giving me the one main tag, the many quirks, and baking the layer cake of my personality and backstory. If not, now is the time to think about a name. Perhaps you just select it randomly in some way, and that is OK, as long as it is a memorable name. But perhaps you even chose a name that has a meaning such as Hannibal (“the Cannibal”) Lecter, Clarice Starling (“fly away now, little Starling, fly, fly, fly”). Whatever you do, take the time to pick a memorable name. After all, Scarlett O’Hara would not be near as memorable a character if the author, Margaret Mitchell, had stuck with her original choice: “Pansy” O’Hara. Here are some more ideas for how to name your characters.

Character Roles:
Which Characters Do I Need in My Story?

There are 11 character roles you can consider as you develop your story:

• 2 Primary - Protagonist, Antagonist
• 3 Secondary - Mentor, Sidekick, Skeptic
• 6 Optional - Tempter, Love Interest, Foil, Emotional, Logical, Minor/Tertiary

2 PRIMARY Character Roles

Here are the 2 primary character roles, the Protagonist and the Antagonist. Not every story needs both of them (although it is difficult to imagine a story without having the first one, the Protagonist). 

PROTAGONIST 

I am at the center of the story. In some sense, it is my story, my journey.

Example: Luke Skywalker. 

ANTAGONIST 

I am the main opponent, the villain. I create tension and I have the opposite motivation of the protagonist.

Example: Darth Vader (and later: The Emperor).

As the exception that proves the rule,  here is a short story that was written with no named characters, not even a Protagonist: "The Coin". After the story, there is a link to a blog post that discusses the writing process for this (very rare) type of story that has no characters..

3 SECONDARY Character Roles

The Protagonist and Antagonist could be all you need to tell your story. In fact, when writing Flash Fiction (ultra-short stories, typically less than 1,000 words), it is often advisable to have no more than 2-3 characters.

However, if you have a great idea, but it’s not fleshing out as a full “story”, could it be because you are missing one or more of the secondary characters described below, and without them, the story feels stagnant or too simple or flat in some way? 

MENTOR 

I help the protagonist grow and learn, show him the ropes, teach, reveal things about the world of the story. I may push the protagonist into uncomfortable places, for his/her own good.

Example: Obi-Wan Kenobi (and later: Yoda). 

SIDEKICK 

I help the protagonist and maybe provide some comic relief or in some other way liven up the story.

Example: C-3PO (and R2-D2)

SKEPTIC 

I am the protagonist’s friend (either right away or developing friendship over the course of the story), but unlike the Sidekick, I’m not just a “helper”. In fact, I may feel that the protagonist should not go on the journey, and I only reluctantly go along.

Example: Han Solo.

6 OPTIONAL Character Roles

Once you’ve covered the five basic characters (the Primary and Secondary characters described above), you can consider these additional (optional) roles: 

TEMPTER

A sidekick for the Antagonist. Often manipulative, a trickster. 

LOVE INTEREST

This may not just be the protagonist’s love interest, but any of the 5 main characters may have a love interest (or more than one, which can get spicy … and complicated.) 

FOIL

This is a character that differs in some important way (motivation, worldview, morals) from the protagonist, which helps define the protagonist by making their differences stand out. Often the foil and the protagonist go through a change where they come to terms with their differences.

EMOTIONAL

This is an impulsive character acting passionately, from the heart and the gut, and may cause trouble, may even be so wild and overheated that they are frustrating, may challenge the protagonist to act more passionately.  

LOGICAL

This is a hyper-rational character who prefers to think through things carefully, acting from the head, not the heart or the gut. These characters may be so cold that they are frustrating. They may also serve to talk the protagonist off an emotional ledge, and/or help solve a tricky problem. 

MINOR/TERTIARY

There are usually many of these “bit players” and they don’t need to be as rounded as other characters. It can be good to focus on their “One Tag, Many Quirks” and maybe a memorable name, so they quickly pop off the page into the reader’s mind as they flash on and off the stage. Charles Dickens is a master at this, with a myriad of memorable minor characters that add a lot of texture to his stories.    

Final thoughts on the topic of character roles:

• It is certainly possible to write a great story that only has one character, the Protagonist. For example, Jack London’s stories often feature just one human against nature.

• It is also possible that a single character takes on more than one of these roles.

• And of course, there can be multiples in each role, depending on the complexity of the story. 

Related Questions

Some of the questions that come up in character development are:

• What is a "Character Profile"?
• What is character viewpoint?
• What are types of characterization? 

Character Profile

This character profile, often called the "character bio", is a tool for the writer to keep information on the main characters (the “round characters”, as opposed to the bit player “flat characters” that only need a few elements). It is helpful both as a quick reference when writing, as well as a framework to make sure you have done the work to flesh out the character.

For those who don’t want a lot of structure, a very simple way of thinking about it is in three parts, from the outside in: 

1. The “Skin” - includes all of the external aspects of the character, not just how they look, but also how they dress, their name, their age, certain mannerisms, or “props” that stand out.
2. The “Flesh and Bones” - What’s under the skin, but still tangible, such as their backstory, family members, where they grew up, went to school, their relationships with other characters. 
3. The “Soul” - This is the character's core personality, motivation, fears, joys, how they think about the world.

Under each of these main headings, brainstorm as many aspects as seem right to flesh out the characters, looking back at the 7 secrets to creating a great character to make sure you’ve addressed all the important ones to make this character come alive. 

If you’re the kind of person who likes a lot of structure, you may want to instead look for a Character Profile Template, which provides detailed elements that need to be answered, so that you don’t forget anything. In the "Resources" section at the end of this post, I have included links to a couple of blog posts about character profiles, including one where you can download a template.

Here's an article that will be helpful: 

How To Write a Character Bio for Fiction

Character Viewpoint

The viewpoint is “who tells the story”, and there are two main choices, (single or multiple points of view) with some sub-choices under each.

SINGLE Point of View 

This means meaning that a single character is telling the story, either in first person, second person, or third person. 

The most familiar is “First Person” (that is, narrated from the “I” perspective.) This can feel very “confessional”, drawing the reader in to identify with the narrator, since their “I” is speaking directly to you, the reader. 

The “Second Person” (that is, narrated from the “you” perspective) can give a very unique feel but is difficult to pull off for any length of a story. It gives the reader the feeling that the author is placing them directly into the story. It can also feel to the reader that they are being “pushed around” by the narrator. 

The “Third Person” (that is, narrated from a single “he” or “she” perspective) creates a little more distance to the reader than either first (“I”) or second (“you”) person, and can be helpful if you want to keep some things hidden from the reader that would be more difficult to do in one first or second person.

In all of the Single Point of View options, remember that the point of view is restricted so that the main character has to be in every scene and we only know what the main character knows. This is limiting, but it also is a good way of creating suspense, and it makes it easy for the reader to identify with the main character and to follow along in the activities since the author is not hopping from one character to another.

MULTIPLE Points of View 

Most often this is narrated in the third person (“he”, “she”, “they”). Also most often there is a clear break, such as chapters set aside for each shift in point of view.

For example: “Game of Thrones” (actually the whole “Song of Ice and Fire” series) where each chapter is told (in third person) from the perspective of one of the main characters, switching to another character for the next chapter.

Sometimes it is possible to pull off multiple “first-person” points of view. A good example is Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl” which is told in the first person in alternating chapters from Nick Dunne’s and Amy Dunne’s point of view. 

You can also have one main narrator in the first person (“I”) with other chapters narrated in the “third person”. To use another Gillian Flynn example, “Dark Places” primary point of view is Libby Day who narrates in the first person (“I”), but there are two other narrators, her brother, and her mother, both told in the third person, and both of these are narrating in the past. Libby, the present day, first-person (“I”) narrator is not aware of the things that happened to her brother and her mother in the past so the reader is “in on” things that the main narrator does not know.

Finally, there is the choice of an “omniscient” narrator who narrates both the activities and the thoughts and feelings of multiple characters. In general, this sort of fast switching between character viewpoints (sometimes called “head-hopping”) is difficult to pull off, but it can be fun to try out, just be warned that it is advanced, and if not done right can be confusing and off-putting to the reader. One great example is Frank Herbert's "Dune." If you read it carefully, you will see that Frank Herbert pulls off omniscient "head-hopping" even within scenes, such as this example, where I have highlighted (in bold italics) where the narration moves from one perspective to another, from the "Reverend Mother", to "Jessica", then to "Paul", and back to the "old woman" (i.e. the Reverend Mother)): 

Damn that Jessica! the Reverend Mother thought. If only she’d borne us a girl as she was ordered to do!

Jessica stopped three paces from the chair, dropped a small curtsy, a gentle flick of left hand along the line of her skirt. Paul gave the short bow his dancing master had taught—the one used “when in doubt of another’s station.”

The nuances of Paul’s greeting were not lost on the Reverend Mother. She said: “He’s a cautious one, Jessica.”

Jessica’s hand went to Paul’s shoulder, tightened there. For a heartbeat, fear pulsed through her palm. Then she had herself under control. “Thus he has been taught, Your Reverence.”

What does she fear? Paul wondered.

The old woman studied Paul in one gestalten flicker: face oval like Jessica’s, but strong bones ... hair: the Duke’s black-black but with browline of the maternal grandfather who cannot be named, and that thin, disdainful nose; shape of directly staring green eyes: like the old Duke, the paternal grandfather who is dead. Now, there was a man who appreciated the power of bravura—even in death, the Reverend Mother thought.

- Herbert, Frank. Dune (40th Anniversary Edition) (Dune Chronicles, Book 1) (p. 13). Penguin Group US. Kindle Edition.

Character viewpoint (or point of view) is one, but not the only, important aspects of narrative voice. For more on this topic, check out this article:

Narrative Voice in Fiction

Characterization

Here’s a handy mnemonic for fleshing out your characters through characterization:

PAIRS (Physical description, Action, Inner thoughts, Reactions, and Speech). 

• Physical description - describe what the character looks like, their appearance, clothes, props, etc. 
  
  
• Action  - describe what the character does, both main activities (walking/running, sitting/standing, screaming, crying, punching, slamming fist on the table, hugging/kissing, sleeping, etc.). The character can be fleshed out by the way they act: are they passionate/wild or measured in their actions; do they cower, run, fight; are they more active or more passive?
  
  
• Inner Thought - describe the way the character thinks about things in general, or their thoughts about some “Action” or “Speech” (this is sometimes called “Scene and Sequel” where the “Scene” is the outward Action or Speech and the “Sequel” is a character’s inner thought resulting from the external activity. 
  
  
• Reactions - these are either “Actions”, “Inner Thought” or “Speech” in reaction to some outward (Action or Speech) activity. Does the character react outwardly or only inwardly, keeping a poker face outwardly? Do they get heated or stay calm?
  
  
• Speech - through dialogue we can define the character, both in speech and associated mannerisms (fidgeting, gesticulating wildly, making faces vs. stony-faced with few, controlled movements). Do they speak formally, informally, slang, dialect? Do they speak in short, declarative sentences, or long, flowery passages? Do they sound young (fast, excitable, slangy) or old (dated language, slow speech, losing train of thought)? Are they hesitant or confident, even domineering? Do they curse? Do they have any tags or ticks, such as repeating themselves, or using words like “sure”, “ya’know”, “well”, or “uh”.  Look at Hemingway’s short stories for interesting ways of having different characters speak in different ways. Elmore Leonard is another master of dialog and using the characters’ speech for characterization.

Resources

These are some resources I have found helpful in learning the writer's craft of developing characters who stick in the reader's minds:

MY FAVORITE ALL-PURPOSE RESOURCE

The Writer's Treasure Chest - everything in one place, curated, organized

GREAT BOOKS ON CREATING CHARACTERS

Here are some excellent books on creating characters:

• Write Great Fiction - Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Dynamic Characters and Effective Viewpoints
  
  
• Dynamic Characters: How to Create Personalities That Keep Readers Captivated 
  
  
• Character Arcs: Founding, forming, and finishing your character's internal journey
  
  
• 45 Master Characters, Revised Edition: Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters 
  
  
• Writing Unforgettable Characters: How to Create Story People Who Jump Off the Page

CHARACTER PROFILES

• How To Create a Character Profile — This blog post provides a 12 step process for developing a character profile
  
  
• How to Create a Character Profile: the Ultimate Guide (with Template) — Another blog post where you can also download a template.

CHARACTER NAMES & DESCRIPTIONS

• Remember My Name: How to Name Your Characters — my blog article on character names includes a lot of ideas as well as links to resources such as random name generators. 
• It's Alive! How to Write Character Descriptions —my blog article on describing characters in layers: skin, flesh & bones, and soul

BEYOND CHARACTERS

These are blog posts that may be helpful as you write about your characters:
 

• Write Fiction Faster! — How to Speed Up Your Story Writing 
  
  
• Need a Great Idea for Your Next Story? Try the Story IDEA Formula
  
  
• From Idea to Story: 3 Methods to Develop Your Story Idea 
  
  
• What Makes a Good Story? — Great Scenes! Here's How to Write Them
  
  
• Make Your Story Sing — Write Great Dialogue!
  
  
• Flash Fiction: How To Use It To Supercharge Your Writing 
  
  
• Blast Through Writer's Block: How to Get Unstuck 

FREE COURSE, GUIDE AND WORKBOOK

Do you want to write fiction faster, while practicing your craft and your writing process to consistently get better? Check out this link to the "Write Fiction Faster ... and better" guide and workbook, which comes with a companion course with 23 bite-sized video lessons and 4 worksheets.