Hyperink’s question of the month, “What makes a compelling character in a book or movie?” ties in nicely with my current focus on improving my fiction writing.

Here is my answer to that question:

A compelling character is someone who comes alive on the page through believable personality traits, motivation, reactions and growth. He must have both strengths and weaknesses, including at least one major flaw that hinders him from initially reaching his goals in the story.

His strengths make him worthy of the reader/moviegoer’s cheerleading. We might want to root for the underdog, but that underdog must have something going for him too. On the other hand, the character has to have a flaw that allows us to identify with and feel sympathy for him as he goes through challenges.

This major flaw is also instrumental in the most important aspect of a compelling character: emotional growth, commonly known as the character arc. The character must change as a result of what happens to him in the story. In fiction, we are drawn to an imperfect hero who, by overcoming his flaw, learns something about himself or the world around him.

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