When creating a character, what red flags would show me that I'm creating an unbelievable or unsympathetic character? I know that to be believable and sympathetic a character must not lean too much to a single extreme or be a caricature. Besides paying careful attention to character traits when reading, how can I learn more about what constitutes a caricature? What signs might there be that I'm writing an unbelievable character or one no one will care a thing about?
Answer
Well, first and foremost - do you believe in the character? Do you think he/she is sympathetic? If so, you're already in a good position - because you have a believable, sympathetic character, you just haven't convinced your readers of that yet - meaning, if you get negative critiques on the point, you just need to figure out why you like the character, and focus on bringing those elements out more strongly.
But that's not what you asked - you asked about warning signs. Here are a few:
- "I know this sounds unlikely, but Real Person X really did that/acted this way, so it's believable." This logic is tempting, but it doesn't hold - your readers have never heard of Mister X; they won't be as accepting of the implausibility as you are. Either have him do something else, or justify it so it's no longer implausible.
- "So in chapter 15, Audrey reveals that she's actually a judo master..." Any major revelation about a significant, well-exposed character should mesh well with the rest of the novel. For example, Audrey shouldn't turn out to be a judo master in chapter 15 if we've known her as a snarky housewife until then, with no hint of this extraordinary talent (and especially if she's been complaining about not going to the gym enough in the first five chapters). Dropping sudden, out-of-the-blue bombshells on readers can make them lose their trust, and make it feel like the character is being invented as you go along, rather than being portrayed as a believable, complete, consistent individual. Consider establishing the "revelation" earlier, as part of character exposition, or else providing appropriate foreshadowing so that the Big Surprise clicks together.
- "My protagonist is kind of an asshole. I know - I'll give him a puppy he really loves!" A common stratagem is to give the unlikable character a single redeeming feature. Sometimes, this can work marvelously. But if it's done as a patch, and not invested in enough, then the redeeming feature might feel artificial and unconvincing - leaving the character unlikable and making the author look kind of silly. Don't assume that the "Asshole/Evil + Redeeming Feature" formula guarantees a likable character - consider the character concept as a whole; make sure the redeeming features get real play and affect the story; make sure you haven't just laid down an embarrassingly obvious patch.
- "Jerome is an intelligent guy, and he's also got a great sense of humor!" Well, does he? This is a specific "Show, don't (just) tell" issue - when you introduce a character by telling us what kind of person he is, but you don't actually show him acting in accordance with the description you've given us, then the character becomes less believable, and might even come off as arrogantly claiming virtues he doesn't possess. So the charming hunk had better actually act charming; the intelligent guy had better actually know a lot; the alleged bully had better do some actual, cruel bullying, or else the main characters will look awful trying to get back at him. So, whenever you find yourself describing a character explicitly, make sure he matches that description (or at least, that there's a good reason he's being described misleadingly).
That's what I've got at the moment... Hope these are helpful :)
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