1. backstory — the life of the character up until the story begins that created the programming which inspires and drives the decisions and behaviors of the main characters in the story. We don’t need to read about it, we only need a peek at it. Apply the iceberg theory to backstory: we only see ten percent, but we don’t question the 90 percent below the surface.

2. character arc — your hero better learn something and grow over the course of the story, and apply that learning to the proactive behavior (heroism) that results in the satisfactory conclusion of the tale.

3. Personality is not character — decisions based on a moral compass, or lack thereof. Traits like courage, sensitivity, generosity, confidence, and others like them, define your characters. Doesn’t matter if they stutter or not.

4. inner demons — arising from backstory, and defining the very thing they must conquer (arc) as they grow through the story to conquer the outer demons facing them.

5. proactive heroism — your protagonist cannot be rescued, and they can be an observer in the solving of the central problem or challenge of the story; rather, they need to be the driving force behind it.

And oh yeah, we don’t have to like them. That’s an old myth. We do, however, need to root for them. That’s holy writ.

Basic stuff. And much more essential than a checklist of facts and traits, like knowing how they dress, what they like to eat, the movies they enjoy and other useless daily minutiae of living. That’s all personality… which is window dressing for the sake of interest, but don’t mistake it for true characterization.

–Deb’s last blog post..MM: Jargon