Creating a Believable 'Casanova'-type Character

So one of my characters ends up sleeping with more people than any other of the main characters. He's not intended to be skeevy or manipulative and is more of an Ethical Slut than anything else

• What are somethings I can do to make it more believable that he manages to do this, but not make him too idealized?

You know what they say- write what know. So get out there and do some research!

Just don't make it out like he's a god for having sex. Just remember that having no sex is just as valid as having a lot of sex and neither is 'lesser' for it. Also consider at least having him worry about pregnancies or STD's or something. Even if he practices safe sex it's likely this might be on his mind.

That's all I can think of really.

Perception v. Reality. If they have a lot of sex, it's probably due to experience. No one is going to mention the dozens of times they struck out for the required 1 success to win.

You'll probably want to make them very good at reading people, using body language and other non-verbal clues to figure out what people are thinking and feeling, and adjusting their own behavior based that.

That's pretty helpful actually

• But actually, what I was mainly looking for is:what are some traits I should give him so that is is believable that a butt-load of people would be willing to have sex with him?

Hmmm. To me, he would need to be charming — genuinely charming, not oily or sleazy mock-charming. It would also help if he's honest — that he doesn't swear eternal love to his partners. Both of these things are necessary, because one thing to keep in mind is that a successful Casanova type generally winds up with the people he's been with still pretty much liking him even after the affair is over. His exes don't routinely badmouth him to others or try to warn possible conquests off.

So I should basically try to just write him as a kind, charismatic person?

It worked for Austin Powers. I think; I haven't seen the movies for a while. ^_^;;

The few successfully promiscuous people that I have met have had the common denominator of being highly charismatic and reasonably respectful of their partners on a personal level. They are also, now and then, a lot more romantic at heart than they let on: They expect little, but the idea of having more is extremely appealing to them.