The Secrets of Character

1. Hook Readers Instantly: Believe, Care, Invest (BCI)

Nobody really cares about your story, they just care about your hero.

First impressions matter. Gatekeepers (publishers, agents, studios) often judge a manuscript or script based on the first ten pages or fifteen minutes. They aren't looking for plot points; they're looking for a compelling hero they can fall in love with. The core task is to make readers Believe in the reality of the hero, Care about their circumstances, and Invest their hopes in them.

The BCI framework. This book expands on the Believe, Care, Invest concepts, offering numerous techniques to achieve these three goals quickly. It's a toolbox, not a rulebook, encouraging writers to pick and choose the methods that best suit their specific character and story. The goal is to create a connection so strong that readers are willing to follow the hero anywhere, regardless of the plot.

Beyond plot. Focusing solely on advancing the plot in the opening pages is a mistake. Readers connect emotionally with characters first. Once that connection is established, the writer earns the reader's patience for the story to unfold at its own pace. This initial character hook is crucial for surviving the first "swing of the axe" from gatekeepers.

2. Believability: Blend Universal Traits with Specific Oddities

Your hero will just be a phony construct until you breathe life into her.

Make them feel real. To make a character believable, combine universal details that readers identify with and oddly specific details that feel too unusual to be made up. This creates a sense of authenticity, tricking the reader into thinking the character is real. Techniques include showing sensory information about their world and giving them a full life.

Aspects of a full life:

• Food: Show their id through hunger or specific tastes (e.g., Agent Cooper's cherry pie).
• Job: Ground them in economic reality (e.g., Luke moisture farming, Rey scavenging).
• Friends: Show they have a support network and value beyond their circumstances (e.g., Indy and Brody).
• Reading: Create identification by showing them doing what the reader is doing (e.g., Matilda, Lady Bird listening to audiobooks).

Fleshed-out world:

• Sensory details: Engage multiple senses (e.g., Americanah's smells, Gravity's temperature/sound info).
• Anthropomorphize nature: Make the world feel alive (e.g., brooding months, dancing farms).
• Songs/dances: Convey culture (e.g., Moana, Angela's Ashes).
• Unique language: Use jargon, tradecraft, or invented terms (e.g., The Firm, Donnie Brasco, Star Wars).
• Internecine conflicts: Show complex internal group dynamics (e.g., Game of Thrones, Born a Crime).
• Oddly complicated situations: Make things feel real by avoiding simplification (e.g., The Fighter, White Noise).
• Meaningful/meaningless objects: Embody meaning or add quirky realism (e.g., Moby-Dick's harpoons, Alien's drinking bird).
• Real-world topics: Discuss things fictional characters often avoid (e.g., Chinatown's sordid work, Juno's abortions).

3. Caring: Wound the Hero, Especially Through Irony

Nothing bonds us to a character as surely as that.

Elicit empathy. To make readers care, their heart must go out to the hero. This often involves showing them suffering, lacking something essential, feeling embarrassed, humiliated, or worried. However, too much suffering can lead to reader fatigue; balance is key.

Aspects of suffering:

• Death in the family: Killing parents or spouses creates pain and leaves the hero alone (e.g., Batman, Harry Potter, Nancy on Weeds).
• Traps: False arrest, abusive parents/spouses, or institutional abuse create unfair situations (e.g., Holes, Educated, I, Tonya, Get Out, Catch-22).
• Gaslighting: Making the hero doubt their reality is intensely frustrating (e.g., Gaslight, The Invisible Man).
• Disaster: Large-scale calamities can create immediate sympathy (e.g., The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Iron Man).

Aspects of lack:

• Social lack: Single parents, isolation, or losing friends create a sense of disadvantage (e.g., Boyhood, Mean Girls, Emma, Toy Story).
• Emotional lack: Unrequited love, collapse of confidence, depression, or addiction create inner anguish (e.g., Peanuts, Rushmore, The Fault in Our Stars, House).
• Money trouble: Poverty or inequality creates relatable hardship (e.g., Angela's Ashes, The House on Mango Street, The Simpsons).
• Medical problems: Illness, injury, or missing body parts create physical vulnerability (e.g., Gravity, The Big Short, Rear Window).

Aspects of embarrassment/humiliation:

• Sexual/Social: Getting caught lying, wearing embarrassing clothes, being in uncomfortable situations, feeling exasperated, or self-consciousness (e.g., The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Lady Bird, Harriet the Spy, The Farewell, The Phantom Tollbooth).
• Disrespect: Being disrespected at work, failing at work, having their process thwarted, or being disrespected by family/partners (e.g., Dr. No, Kitchen Confidential, La La Land, Breaking Bad, Transparent).
• Loss of power/reputation: Having power taken away or getting fired (e.g., Thor, Gone Girl, Ghostbusters).

Aspects of worry:

• Impending deadline: Creates urgency and relatable anxiety (e.g., Mission: Impossible, Supernatural).
• Worry about being a bad person: Creates internal conflict and depth (e.g., Harriet the Spy, Jaws, Invisible Man).

4. Investing: Showcase Strengths, Attitude, and Resourcefulness

We want to feel that it’s safe to invest our hopes and dreams in this hero.

Give them potential. Readers want to believe the hero can solve the story's problem. This doesn't mean they must be perfect or immediately successful, but they should possess qualities that suggest capability. These strengths are often the ironic flip side of their flaws.

Aspects of badassery:

• Personal qualities: Great strength (often flip side of flaw), secret honor, eagerness, unique bravery, confidence (e.g., Modern Family, Harry Potter, Ed Wood, Captain America, American Hustle).
• Accomplishments: Killing, hunting, winning fights, standing up to bullies/corruption, car chases, putting themselves in harm's way (e.g., Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Batman Begins, The Intuitionist, The Fast and the Furious, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy).
• Showing power: Decision-making authority, dominating a room, keeping mouths shut (e.g., The Sopranos, Moana, Casablanca, Moonlight, Slaughterhouse-Five).

Aspects of wish fulfillment:

• Defying authority: Standing up to bosses, quitting jobs, or standing up to customers (e.g., Blazing Saddles, How to Train Your Dragon, Casablanca).
• Living out a fantasy: Pursuing dreams, even foolishly (e.g., Sideways, Birdman, Matilda).

Aspects of special skills:

• Intellectual: Mental math, wiliness, enthusiasm, strategizing (e.g., Lee Child's Reacher, Star Wars' Luke, Stranger Things' Mike, Snowpiercer's Curtis).
• Social: Good parents, good with other people's kids, being cool, wittiness, precociousness (e.g., Breaking Bad, Master of None, Cheers, Juno, Little Women).
• Superpowers/Gadgets: Actual powers or unique tools (e.g., Captain Marvel, The Intuitionist, The Shining, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Iron Man, Guardians of the Galaxy).

Aspects of attitude:

• Spirit: Braving hardship with good spirits (e.g., Frozen, Elf).
• Doing the right thing: Noble actions, even small ones (e.g., Moana, It's a Wonderful Life, The Hunger Games, Gone Girl).

5. Repetition: Establish Character Traits Quickly

The best way to make a character believable is to be repetitive.

Reinforce personality. Don't be afraid to show a character exhibiting the same core trait multiple times within the opening pages. This helps readers quickly grasp their personality and predict their behavior, which they enjoy. Beginning writers often underestimate the reader's desire for predictability in character reactions.

Show, don't just tell, repeatedly. Instead of stating a character is grumpy, show them grumbling in different situations. Provide multiple instances of their defining characteristics. This makes the character feel consistent and fully realized from the outset.

Examples of effective repetition:

• Little Women: Each sister's distinct personality is shown in multiple scenes discussing gifts and chores.
• Little Fires Everywhere: Characterizations of the siblings are repeated across different moments.
• A Game of Thrones: Theon's amusement is highlighted several times in his first appearance.

This technique helps readers quickly form a strong impression of the character, making them feel like someone they know, even within the first few pages.

6. Harm Reveals Flaw: Connect Suffering to Inner Issues

Harm Them in a Way that Reveals Their Flaw

Suffering with purpose. When a hero is harmed, the most impactful way to make readers care is if the harm is connected to or reveals their core flaw. This links the external conflict to the internal character struggle, adding depth and meaning to their pain. The suffering should feel somewhat deserved (due to the flaw) but outsized (unfairly harsh).

Ironic consequences. Often, the hero's flaw leads them directly into the harmful situation, or prevents them from escaping it. This creates powerful irony, as their weakness becomes the source of their pain. The reader sees the connection, even if the hero doesn't initially.

Examples:

• Raiders of the Lost Ark: Indy's lack of faith (flaw) leads him to treat the idol like a bag of sand, triggering the trap (harm).
• The Hunger Games: Katniss's harsh survival instincts (flaw) lead her to kill the lynx, but her poverty (circumstance) makes it understandable.
• The Americans: Elizabeth's commitment to the KGB (flaw/strength) leads her into dangerous situations, including past abuse by her recruiter (harm).

This technique ensures that the suffering isn't just random misfortune but is intrinsically tied to who the character is, making the reader care more deeply about their journey of overcoming both the external threat and their internal flaw.

7. Bridge Worlds: Heroes Who See More Angles

Have Them Bridge Two Worlds

Unique perspective. Heroes who can navigate or understand multiple distinct worlds within the story's setting are often compelling. They possess a broader perspective than characters confined to a single sphere, making them seem more aware and capable of seeing solutions others miss.

Traversing boundaries. This ability can involve moving between social classes, cultures, professions, or even literal physical spaces that others cannot or will not access. It highlights their adaptability, intelligence, or unique position within the narrative.

Examples:

• Alien: Ripley is the only one who moves between the ship's different crew sections.
• Do the Right Thing: Mookie navigates both the Black and white communities.
• Mean Girls: Cady is accepted by both the "art freaks" and the "plastics."
• Harriet the Spy: Harriet moves between her privileged world and the homes of the poor.

This trait makes the hero feel like a valuable guide through the story's complexities, earning the reader's investment in their journey and insights.

8. Strategic Liabilities: Balance BCI for Compelling Characters

Your characters should not bend over backward to be liked.

Avoid perfection. Characters who are too likable or perfect can feel unrealistic and boring. Introducing "liabilities" – aspects that make them difficult to identify with or root for – adds complexity and makes their eventual triumphs more meaningful. The key is to balance these liabilities with strong BCI elements.

The BCI balance. Increasing one aspect (Believe, Care, Invest) might decrease another. For example, giving a character superpowers (Invest) might make them less believable. Showing a lack of confidence (Care) might make them harder to invest in. Writers must strategically combine techniques to create a compelling, multi-faceted character.

Examples of balancing liabilities:

• Beloved: The characters are victims of horrific trauma, making them easy to care for, but their actions (like Sethe clinging to the ghost) can be frustrating, requiring investment to shift between characters (Sethe, Paul D, Denver).
• Get Out: Chris is passive and lacks typical heroic traits, but his relatable fear, gaslighting, and unique perspective (photography) make him compelling despite these liabilities.
• Fleabag: The unnamed heroine is self-destructive and unlikeable in many ways, but her witty internal monologue, relatable insecurities, and moments of defiance create a strong bond.
• Schitt's Creek: The Rose family is spoiled and initially contemptible, but their immediate humiliation and fish-out-of-water struggles make them sympathetic, and small moments of ingenuity earn investment.
• The Sopranos: Tony is an evil mob boss, but his panic attacks, relatable family frustrations, and moments of competence/vulnerability make him compelling despite his profession.

By embracing character flaws and imperfections, writers can create more realistic and intriguing heroes that resonate deeply with readers who recognize the complexities of human nature.

9. Media Differences: Tailor BCI for Novels, TV, Movies, Memoirs

Different types of writers disagree on who’s got the hardest job, but I personally think novel writing is the most challenging type of writing.

Medium dictates approach. While the core BCI framework applies across all media, the specific techniques and their emphasis vary. Each medium has unique strengths and limitations that influence how characters are introduced and developed.

Medium-specific considerations:

• Novels: Require extensive detail ("voice") and can delve deeply into internal thought, but must hook readers quickly due to the commitment required (e.g., The God of Small Things' fractured memory, Fun Home's internal insights).
• Movies: Must be highly visual and concise, focusing on external action and clear thematic justification for every choice. They often rely on collective meaning and can use visual shorthand (e.g., WALL-E's silent storytelling, Blue Velvet's visual oddities).
• TV Pilots: Must introduce characters and premise rapidly within a short runtime while also setting up potential for long-term development. They often feature ensemble casts and may use techniques like direct address (e.g., Fleabag's fourth wall breaks, The Americans' dual protagonists).
• Memoirs: Must work with real-life events, relying heavily on the author's unique voice and perspective. They can be episodic and find drama in everyday details or internal reflections (e.g., El Deafo's specific childhood details, Fun Home's diary entries).

Understanding the demands of the medium is crucial for effectively applying BCI principles and creating characters that resonate within that specific format.

10. Real-Life Grit: Use Specific, Unlikely Details

Your reader has read a lot of stories. They know the sort of things that usually happen.

Surprise the reader. To make a character and their world feel real, include details that are so specific or odd that they seem like they must come from real life, not invention. These details can be mundane, uncomfortable, or even slightly absurd, but they add a layer of authenticity that resonates with the reader's own messy reality.

Beyond cliché. Avoid relying on overused tropes. Instead, look for the unexpected quirks, habits, or experiences that make an individual unique. This could be a strange ritual, an unusual fear, a peculiar way of speaking, or a specific, embarrassing memory.

Examples:

• Donnie Brasco: The detailed explanation of the word "fugettaboutit."
• Community: The dean asking everyone to look in their "immediate areas."
• An Education: Schoolgirls making baby feet on a rainy window with their fists.
• Angela's Ashes: The father repairing shoes with old tires.
• The Sopranos: Livia refusing to answer the phone after dark.
• Holes: The math teacher using Stanley's weight for a ratio example.
• El Deafo: Wearing the same polka-dot swimsuit every day.

These specific, gritty details ground the story in a recognizable reality, making the characters feel less like fictional constructs and more like people the reader might actually know.

11. Defiance and Attitude: Make Heroes Active and Memorable

Have Them Grin with Defiance

Show inner strength. Even when facing overwhelming odds or personal weaknesses, moments of defiance, strong attitude, or unexpected action make a hero memorable and earn reader investment. This doesn't always mean physical strength; it can be verbal wit, stubbornness, or simply refusing to be passive.

Active choices. Heroes who make choices, even self-destructive ones, are often more compelling than those who are simply acted upon. Their agency, however flawed, demonstrates a will that readers can latch onto and root for.

Examples:

• Selma: Martin Luther King Jr. seeing being coldcocked as a sign that the city is "perfect" for his strategy.
• How I Met Your Mother: Ted letting Robin throw a drink in his face to impress her friends.
• Lady Bird: Jumping out of a moving car during an argument.
• Kitchen Confidential: Anthony Bourdain grinning with defiance and volunteering to eat an oyster.
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Arthur Dent lying in the mud in front of a bulldozer.
• Slaughterhouse-Five: Billy Pilgrim's terse, defiant responses to his tormentor.
• Fleabag: Her confident, witty asides to the camera.

These moments, whether big or small, demonstrate the hero's spirit and resilience, making them stand out and convincing the reader that this is a character worth following.

Last updated: May 19, 2025