The Importance of Character

Characters. They are what make a story worth reading. They are what make us emotionally invested. Without them, there usually is no story.

The importance of character came up when my husband and I were discussing Castle. What makes Castle work is the characters. If Caslte wasn't a mischievous man with the sense of humor of a 12-yr old and an ego the size of Manhattan and Beckett wasn't a no-nonsense, driven, strong woman, the show would be a flop. It would be a pale imitation of Law & Order and other crime procedurals currently on the air.

Really no story is complete without characters. And so often, they are passed over by writers, actors and even audiences. Too often characters are cliche, two-dimensional and uninspired. Even some of my favorite shows are suffering from a lack of growth and development.

It is incumbent upon the writer to make sure that their characters continue to be interesting and never stagnant. This is something that too few writers take seriosuly anymore.

If you're a writer, make sure you tend to the needs of your characters. Make them interesting. Most importnatly, make them real.

David Eddings was a master at this. His powerful wizard, his Gandalf if you will, was respected throughout the world, and a drunk, womanizing thief that isn't above murdering someone who is inconvenient. All of his characters were similarly flawed. It them fun. It made them real.

Go forth, then. And write characters that are real. Not just characters that get the job done.