History SoYouWantTo / MakeInterestingCharacters

** This point bears repeating, because it is the heart of how to create interesting villains. Characters who do things purely ForTheEvulz are neither interesting nor compelling; but characters who do bad things for intelligent, nuanced or sympathetic reasons are both. And the TruthInTelevision is that very rarely does anyone -- fictional or otherwise -- do something just because they are a CompleteMonster; they are much more likely to be a WellIntentionedExtremist.
** That isn't to say characters with more selfish motivations can't be interesting; vices like greed, wrath and arrogance ''absolutely'' exist in the real world, but even these vices still have nuances and weight to them beyond simply making a character "evil" for the sake of giving the heroes a metaphorical bowling pin to knock over.

However basing your characters on people you know has drawbacks: sometimes people don't like seeing themselves in fiction. Also in the case of an ongoing series, a change in relationship with the author might lead to [[RealitySubtext abrupt changes in the story]]; there are some particularly [[Webcomic/SomethingPositive nasty]] [[ComicStrip/ForBetterOrForWorse examples]].

Even if you base your character on an archetype or other known character type, by all means, put your own spin on it. Not just a superficial difference, mind you. Instead, twist it around. Give them a different personality, background, loves, hates, goals, dreams, wishes and outlook on life. Exaggerate a certain personality trait, or give them a different trait not usually found in that character type, yet congruently fits in with your character's unique personality (for instance, give a dark brooding antihero a gallows sense of humor).

Sometimes, this is done the reverse, building a backstory for characters that are already at the acting stage: Now say you establish early on that Bob has a girlfriend named Alice. You have a general idea of what you want her to be like: shy and quiet, loves to cuddle. That's cool. Why is she like that? Well, she was always shy, and never really broke out of that. She grew up in an orphanage, where she was picked on, so she stays withdrawn most of the time. She and Bob (and Bob's sister) grew up in the same orphanage. After Bob's sister died, he saw her being picked on, and [[RescueRomance stood up for her]]. And then... here they are.

We have a trope here called "InformedAttractiveness" for when The Author tries to make The Reader believe a character is attractive, and fails. Sometimes it's because the character [[BitchInSheepsClothing acts in a non-attractive or offputting manner]]. However, at other times it's because The Author got too specific and tried to cram their personal ideals of beauty down The Reader's throat. "This character needs to be attractive, but I don't know what The Reader ''thinks'' is attractive. I'd better give as much detail as possible in the hopes of convincing them!" Yeah, you can see the InsaneTrollLogic from here. It also takes away from one of the best parts of reading--the involvement of the imagination. So simply be as brief as you can in describing the character's appearance. Give only the salient details and let The Reader's imagination do the rest. It will automatically supply whatever traits The Reader ''does'' like, neatly avoiding the original problem. You ''don't'' know what The Reader thinks is attractive. So don't try. Let The Reader tell ''you''.

!'''Flaws, Traits and Bonding'''

[[ThisLoserIsYou Characters that have the same flaws]] as the audience are considerably easier to identify with than their [[TheAce less]] flawed [[InvincibleHero counterparts]]. For instance, a character that feels [[GreenEyedMonster envy]], [[BerserkButton anger]] or negative traits will simply feel more realistic, as if they were people you could meet in real life. However, if a character is solely flawed, this can leave a feeling of sourness in The Reader's mouth. "Why am I bothering with this story? I came here for {{Escapism}}, not to see [[ThisLoserIsYou my own problems reflected back at me]]. I want a character who is ''admirable''." That's where the virtues come in. However, a character that is all "virtues" also is inaccessible because while he's admirable, The Reader does not and furthermore ''cannot'' empathize with him. He is like the moon: awesome, but irrelevant to The Reader's life.

Let's take MyBelovedSmother. Our Laconic wiki describes it as, "[[Laconic/MyBelovedSmother A controlling, clingy and overly-protective mother.]]" This character can be used as a stock villain in any domestic drama -- in other words, a source of {{conflict}}, the thing every story secretly runs on. A ComingOfAgeStory can easily use a Beloved Smother: the younger character wants to strike out and prove themselves, but Mummy Dearest won't let them. Drama! Easy!

But then we need to start asking questions. To get their HappilyEverAfter, the main character typically needs to defeat the villain in some way. There are genres in which this is both literal and lethal; an Action story where the villain is still alive at the end is unsatisfying, and one where he gets away scot-free even more so. But in a domestic drama and bildungsromun, there probably won't be direct physical conflict, so the main character has to defeat the Beloved Smother in non-violent ways. What might they be? Will the lead change their mother's mind? Or escape their clutches? The latter can be a victory too: It is generally very difficult to let family go, but if the parent has certain personality disorders or the root is just too deep it is absolutely ''vital'' for the character's happiness. Sometimes you can't change someone's mind ''and that's okay'', and that can be reflected in fiction as well.

* The second is to answer the question. This requires you to furnish your Beloved Smother with Personality, Motivation and Development, all the stuff mentioned above. Why is she so scared of her child growing up and becoming an independent adult? -- especially because, as a mother, it is ''her duty'' to transform her child into a grown-up, independent adult? Well, that's up to you... But because she has a mind, your main character can now change it. They can help the Beloved Smother [[FaceYourFears Face Her Fears]]. And even if the character has to realize that they can't change their mother's mind, it can (and should) still be explored ''why'', so it doesn't turn into simply not answering the question.

* Most stories are about characters acting, thinking and feeling things. Without this, you don't have much to write about.
* Most people don't think, act and feel the same way. For instance, many stories start with the CallToAdventure, with characters getting the opportunity to go do things that are, well, worth writing a story about. Now, a young woman who is bored or unsatisfied with life may [[JumpedAtTheCall Jump At The Call]]; conversely, her father, who has responsibilities to his family that he cannot meet by gallivanting off into the sunset, may display RefusalOfTheCall. And that's just ''one'' stimulus of the literally thousands that you could put in a story.

* Motivations can cause characters to become sympathetic, or at least more humanized. A character may be an {{antagonist}}, opposing the main characters and trying to stop them from using guns to shoot bad guys; but if we learn that this character has a DarkAndTroubledPast in which his wife was lost to a stray bullet during an outbreak of gun violence, it becomes difficult to resent him for his attitudes. He may oppose the heroes, but he does so for reasons that are reasonable and, frankly, [[VillainHasAPoint ethical]]. Many of the best antagonists have completely relatable and sympathetic ''motivations'', even if these motivations result in non-relatable or non-sympathetic ''actions''.

* Motivations can cause characters to become sympathetic. A character may be an {{antagonist}}, opposing the main characters and trying to stop them from using guns to shoot bad guys; but if we learn that this character has a DarkAndTroubledPast in which his wife was lost to a stray bullet during an outbreak of gun violence, it becomes difficult to resent him for his attitudes. He may oppose the heroes, but he does so for reasons that are reasonable and, frankly, [[VillainHasAPoint ethical]]. The best antagonists have completely relatable and sympathetic ''motivations'', even if these motivations result in non-relatable or non-sympathetic ''actions''.
** This point bears repeating, because it is the heart of how to create interesting villains. Characters who do things ForTheEvulz are neither interesting nor compelling; but characters who do bad things for intelligent and sympathetic reasons are both. And the TruthInTelevision is that very rarely does anyone -- fictional or otherwise -- do something because they are a CompleteMonster; they are much more likely to be a WellIntentionedExtremist.

But then we need to start asking questions. To get their HappilyEverAfter, the main character typically needs to defeat the villain in some way. There are genres in which this is both literal and lethal; an Action story where the villain is still alive at the end is unsatisfying, and one where he gets away scot-free even more so. But in a domestic drama and bildungsromun, there probably won't be direct physical conflict, so the main character has to defeat the Beloved Smother in non-violent ways. What might they be? Will the lead change their mother's mind? Or escape their clutches? The latter can be a victory too: It is generally very difficult to let family go, but with certain personality disorders it is absolutely ''vital'' for the character's happiness. Sometimes you can't change someone's mind ''and that's okay.''

* The second is to answer the question. This requires you to furnish your Beloved Smother with Personality, Motivation and Development, all the stuff mentioned above. Why is she so scared of her child growing up and becoming an independent adult? -- especially because, as a mother, it is ''her duty'' to transform her child into a grown-up, independent adult? Well, that's up to you... But because she has a mind, your main character can now change it. They can help the Beloved Smother [[FaceYourFears Face Her Fears]].