The Fireside Chats

Well written characters

Which characters come to mind when someone asks you who is a well written character?

One character that stands out in my mind is Professor Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series. Throughout the entire series, you constantly question yourself about whose side he’s on and that it isn’t revealed until the very end of the final book. While you can clearly see the motives of the other characters in that series, you don’t see his until the very end when all is revealed. I couldn’t even begin to guess until I finished the final book.

Mordecai Tremaine is another well written character. He is a retired tobacconist and an amateur sleuth that helps find out who the murderer is in each book written by Francis Duncan. Each book is a classic “who done it” mystery. If you are a fan of Agatha Christie, these books may be of interest you.

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3 responses to “Well written characters”

  1. Kaynil Avatar
    Kaynil

    I really like well-written characters. I think they are the ones who have so many layers and the more you know them the more even the minuscule things start to make sense. I like when authors take the time to slowly craft a character and give him or her traits that are a good balance and make them make decisions that make sense with their priorities and traits but are not always perfect, or lucky, or virtuous. They make mistakes and feel like they could be a real person.

    I am bad coming up with examples, but I gotta agree with Severus Snape. I think the reason many fans wanted more was precise because of how much of an interesting character he is. You were disliking him and cheering for him depending on the situation. He kept you guessing but the reveals as they were being dropped, little by little, made sense and even brought a bit of a different light to some of his past actions.

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    1. The Fireside Chats Avatar
      The Fireside Chats

      I agree with what you said about Severus Snape. There were times in the series where you either liked him or disliked him depending on the situation. I found him to be a very complex person but there were a lot of things that made sense once you got towards the end. I also agree with what you said about authors making their characters seem like a real person. That’s what made me pick the characters I did in this particular article.

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  2. Godless Writing Avatar
    Godless Writing

    What defines a well-written character is how impactful he or she or it is in my opinion. If you constantly keep the character in your mind and wonder “what is he/she/it doing now?” then that’s for me a well-written character. Many times I would find myself intrigued more by side characters than the main ones, as they were written with some sparkle, something else that is hidden in their story. Hence when I write I try to write the characters believable and relatable.

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